Historical

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. alleging they bear responsibility for the tragic Lahaina Fire on the Island of Maui. At present at fire has claimed at least 99 lives, destroyed 2700 buildings, burned over 2,000 acres and caused damages estimated at over $5 billion.

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A man who spent 22 years in prison for his involvement in the massive 1988 explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters, was been awarded $344,122.30 in legal fees following his successful Freedom of Information lawsuit.

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The City of Oakland has agreed to pay $32.7 million to settle a mass tort suit arising out of the Ghost Ship Fire. The December 2, 2016 fire in a converted warehouse claimed the lives of 36 concert-goers and injured scores of others. The lawsuit alleged that city officials were aware of fire and building code deficiencies in the warehouse but failed to address the problems.

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A Long Island fire department is facing a rather unusual type of lawsuit for a fire department: it stands accused of violating the Copyright Act of 1976. William P. Kelly, Jr. is suing the Oceanside Fire Department alleging ten of his photographs were used in a book about the department without his permission.

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A retired battalion chief from Bayonne, New Jersey was arrested last week on charges that he stole memorabilia from a fire museum and then sold it on eBay. Paul Avery, 64, served 36 years with the Bayonne Fire Department, retiring as a battalion chief in 2017.

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It's January 1, 2019 and that means it is time for our annual review of the top Fire Law stories from 2018. Let’s start with the 10 most popular headlines based upon Facebook shares and likes:

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Today’s burning question: Could London’s fire chief and other senior fire officials be prosecuted over their decision to advise residents of the Grenfell Tower to shelter-in-place? Answer: According to the Telegraph, police officials are investigating whether senior fire officials should be charged in regards to their role in the deaths of residents in Grenfell Tower high rise fire. Seventy-two people died in the fire that engulfed the 23-story building on June 14, 2017.

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Happy New Year!!! Here are some of the top stories from 2017 broken down by category: Under the category of Funniest Headline: Defense Attorney's Pants Catch Fire During Arson Trial

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It’s time for the annual review of the top Fire Law news stories of 2017. Every year it is so hard to objectively evaluate a year’s worth of stories. My solution is to look at stories in several different ways. First, let’s look at the 10 most viewed stories of 2017.

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One of the men convicted of setting the 1988 fire in Kansas City, Missouri that claimed the lives of six firefighters has filed suit in federal court seeking addition information about the investigation under the Freedom of Information Act.

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The family a New York City firefighter who died after a fire in 1935, is seeking to reopen the department’s decision to treat the death as not in-the-line-of-duty. Firefighter Thomas O'Brien passed away in October 1935 at Engine 3’s quarters on West 17th Street hours after he returned from a two-alarm fire

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In this episode of Fire Law, Curt interviews Ginger Adams Otis, the author of Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York's Bravest. Ginger is a writer for the NY Daily News and previously worked for the NY Post. She started covering NY City Hall and the FDNY when she worked for The Chief-Leader.

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A Colorado fire chief who was terminated last year while on leave for post traumatic stress disorder is suing his former department for $1 million. Former fire chief Bob Harvey is suing the Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection District for defamation, emotional harm and wrongful termination.

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A white assistant chief in Indiana who threw a noose to a black firefighter during a knot tying exercise has been demoted to firefighter. The incident has also prompted a race discrimination suit by the black firefighter. Former Marion Fire Department Assistant Chief Rick Backs created the noose during a training exercise last February exercise and reportedly threw it toward firefighter Mikel Neal. The incident sparked racial tensions in the city of Marion that brought back recollections of lynchings that occurred as late as the 1930s.

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