Lawsuit Filed Against OG&E, Red Dirt In Connection To Canton Apartments Fire

A lawsuit has been filed against OG&E and Red Dirt in connection to the Canton Apartments fire that happened in 2022 in Oklahoma City.

At around 6:33 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2022, firefighters responded to the scene of the five-alarm commercial fire near Northwest 63rd Street and North Western Avenue.

Oklahoma County court documents said an investigation revealed the fire started in the attic of the complex due to an electrical fault.

However, the Oklahoma City Fire Department investigated the cause of the fire and said the fire was accidental in a June 2022 report. Firefighters didn't identify a definitive cause in that report.

The documents also claimed the fault happened when the complex’s neutral conductors became energized by the incoming phasing power.

OG&E was the company that owned the electrical transmission lines to the point-of-service at the complex, the documents said. OG&E also contracted, subcontracted or otherwise retained Red Dirt to install the transmission lines.

The documents claim the cause of the fire was OG&E and Red Dirt’s improper connection of the phased power to the neutral conductors.

The property was deemed a total loss, and the plaintiff in this case suffered damages of around $60,000,000, the documents reported.

News 9 reached out the OG&E for a statement in response to the lawsuit. The statement can be read below:

OG&E just received notice of the lawsuit this afternoon and is reviewing it. It is our policy and practice to not comment on the merits of pending litigation. However we take matters relating to the safety of our customers and community very seriously.

As you are likely aware, the Oklahoma City Fire Department investigated the cause of the fire and issued a report in June 2022 in which it stated that fire was accidental, and did not identify a definitive cause. 

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