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Report Says Power Lines to Blame for San Diego Fire
July 11, 2008

It was an investigative report that many people had waited for with anticipation. Lawyers representing homeowners against the San Diego Gas and Electric Company and Sempra Energy, have especially been waiting for further evidence that would prove that the power company's negligence in maintaining the power lines led to the devastating Witch fires. The Witch fires that spread through San Diego County were the most destructive of all the fires that swept through the region last fall. Now, a report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has confirmed that "arcing power lines" were responsible for sparking the fire. That's not all. The fires in Guejito and Rice were also blamed on power lines in the report.

For the lawyers who are engaged in representing homeowners against the power companies, the report couldn't have come at a better time. They have long alleged that SDG&E had failed to maintain its power lines properly, resulting in the sparks.

In fall of last year, the Witch fires blazed through San Diego County and together with the Guejito fires burned a total of 200,000 acres, and destroyed a total of 1,141 homes, 239 vehicles and 509 outbuildings. The upscale Rancho Bernardo and Poway neighborhoods were not unaffected by the fire. At least two people were charred to death, while they were trapped in their homes.

Even so, SDG&E Company denied any wrongdoing or negligence on its part in the wrongful death of the two people who died in the fire, or the millions of dollars worth of damages, and the emotional price that the fire wreaked. It claims that the main cause of the fire were the powerful Santa Ana winds that caused the flames to spread. It has also blamed the fire department for being inadequately prepared for the fire, which resulted in the massive damages, and the wrongful death of people who died in the fire.

Strangely enough, the company does not deny that its power lines were to blame for starting the fire. Its position is that no company can completely protect its power lines from sudden sparks. A company statement said that no electrical systems can be "protected 100 percent" from the kind of weather conditions that were prevailing in San Diego County at that time.

Whatever the weather conditions at the time, the fact is that the company was solely responsible for maintaining its power lines and making sure that the negative weather conditions did not result in sparks from its power lines. California is no stranger to sudden bush fires, so there's no way to hide behind ignorance here.

With the report now confirming that their power lines were to blame for the devastating fires that have caused so much misery and destruction, SDG&E Company is looking at hefty compensation to victims of the fires.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of fires. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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$29 Million Wrongful Death Award in Kings County Fire
July 09, 2008

The families of five people who were killed in a fire that broke out at the Northgate County Apartments in July of last year have been awarded a total settlement of $29 million, said to be one of the largest wrongful death verdicts in Kings County history. The five, a teenage couple and their two-month-old daughter and two more kids, perished in the blaze that gutted a total of nine apartments as it quickly spread from building to building.

The couple, 19-year-old Derik Faubion and Michell Mathison, their two month old daughter, Hayden Allison Faubion, and Michell's step siblings, 4-year-old Lexus May Bisnar and 2-year-old Ariel Nel Bisnar, were sleeping in their second floor apartment. The two siblings were there to spend the night. Faubion and Michell were engaged, and had plans to get married after they had saved enough money.

No one knows for sure what caused the fire, although a bag full of plastics and paper on the patio below their second floor apartment was believed to be the source of the fire. Once it started, however, the fire spread at blazing speed across the rows of buildings, destroying nine apartments in all, and forcing terrified tenants out their apartments. When firefighters arrived, the entire apartment complex was ablaze, and the roof was completely covered in flames. When the couple's apartment door was broken down, firefighters found Michell with the kids, while Derik had fallen to the floor below.

The clincher in the wrongful death case came after a letter was found from Lemoore Real Estate and Property Management, the company that managed the apartment building, to tenants in which it said that many of the apartments had no fire or smoke detectors. The letter was sent to tenants a whole six months before the fire.

On Tuesday, a judge awarded the families of Derik and Michell a sum of $29 million. While Derik's mother and his grandparents will receive $8 million in damages for the loss of their son, Michell's mother and father, who are divorced, and Michelle' stepfather - who is the father of Lexus and Ariel- will receive $21 million.

When the fire broke out, both families who lived nearby rushed to the apartment building, and could do nothing but watch helplessly as the flames consumed their families. The sense of loss the families feel is beyond imagination. In one stroke, they have lost children and grandchildren, effectively erasing their lineage. All these factors no doubt played a part in the judgment.

For Lemoore Real Estate and Property Management to know that there was a potential fire safety breach in the building under its management, and do nothing about, is appalling. They had a full six months to take action, six months to make sure that each apartment in the building was fitted with fire and smoke detectors, six months in which the steps they took could have saved five young lives. Instead, they chose to be negligent and will now have to pay.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of fires. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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