Table of Contents - Jump Ahead:
A San Diego apartment fire left two people injured. A fire broke out on Thursday, May 23, in a Clairemont Mesa apartment building. San Diego Fire Rescue reported that the blaze began around 12:30 pm on the 7700 block of Belden Street, located just west of I-805 and Linda Vista Road.
The city agency reported that firefighters had the blaze under control within 15 minutes of arriving at the building.
The two injured were not identified and it is unknown how serious the victim’s injuries were. According to the San Diego Fire Department (SDFD), paramedics took one victim to the hospital.
Common Causes of Apartment Fires
Apartment fires can result from a variety of factors, often stemming from negligence, faulty equipment, or unforeseen accidents. Understanding these common causes can help residents and property managers take proactive steps to prevent fires and ensure safety. Some of the most frequent causes of apartment fires include:
- Cooking Accidents – such as leaving cooking unattended, grease fires, stove and oven malfunctions
- Electrical Issues – such as faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, or the use of outdated or damaged electrical appliances
- Heating Equipment – such as space heaters being placed too close to flammable materials and malfunctioning furnaces
- Candles – such as leaving candles unattended or placing them near flammable objects
- Dryers – built-up lint in dryer vents or overheated dryers
- Faulty Smoke Alarms – missing or non-functional smoke alarms can cause delayed fire detection, causing fires to become worse than they should
“Our hearts go out to everyone who suffered as a result of this fire,” says Gerald Singleton, attorney at Singleton Schreiber, “Apartment building fires can cause many individuals to experience devastating loss. We’re thankful the SDFD was able to get to the fire quickly and knock it down swiftly. While we await word on the official cause of the fire, we think it is important that the victims and their families know they may have legal recourse and could consider reaching out to a personal injury attorney.”
Possible Avenues of Legal Recourse For Fire Victims
Depending on the circumstances of the fire and what officials determine to be the official cause, victims and residents of the building may have legal recourse. Potential avenues of legal recourse may include the following.
Personal Injury Claims
Injured parties may be able to file a personal injury claim if they believe the fire was caused by negligence. To establish a personal injury claim victims will need to prove:
- The property owner or another party owed the victims a duty of care
- This duty was breached through negligence (like failure to maintain fire alarms, electrical safety, etc)
- The breach of duty directly caused the victims’ injuries
Premises Liability Claims
If the fire was caused by hazardous conditions within the building that the landlord or property management could have and should have addressed, the victims may be able to file a premises liability claim. This would require proving:
- The landlord or property manager knew or should have known about the hazard
- They failed to take appropriate actions to remedy the hazard
- The failure caused the victims’ injuries
Product Liability
If a defective product (like an appliance or electrical wiring) caused the fire, victims could potentially pursue a product liability claim against the manufacturer or distributor of the defective item. This would involve proving:
- The product was defective
- The defect caused the fire
- The fire resulted in the victims’ injuries
If you have been injured by a fire in your apartment building, contact Singleton Schreiber today by calling (619) 771-3473 or emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.
