Residents in the McKinney fire burn area sued PacifiCorp this week, alleging that sparks from the utility’s high-voltage transmission lines and other equipment ignited the deadly blaze last month near the California-Oregon border.
Residents whose homes and property were destroyed or damaged in the fire claim the utility “negligently, recklessly, and willfully failed” to inspect and maintain its equipment in dry vegetation, according to their complaint filed Monday in Sacramento Superior Court. They argue PacifiCorp should have been aware that the conditions surrounding its equipment and the strong winds and low humidity created a hazard that led to the wildfire.
There are 25 plaintiffs named in the lawsuit filed by the San Diego-based law firm Singleton Schreiber. They claim the utility company “prioritized profits over safety” and was aware of extreme fire risk in the surrounding areas where the fire started.Attorney Gerald Singleton called the fire “totally avoidable” and said his firm believes that the utility company’s equipment failure is to blame.