LOS ANGELES — A week after PacifiCorp was sued by Northern California residents who lost homes and property in the McKinney fire, the utility company faces another lawsuit on behalf of dozens of people, including the sister of a longtime Siskiyou County fire lookout killed in the blaze, alleging wrongful death, negligence and other claims.
The lawsuit, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on Friday, states that the blaze ignited when PacifiCorp's electrical equipment contacted or caused sparks to fly into surrounding vegetation.
Shirley Shoopman, the sister of 73-year-old fire lookout Kathy Shoopman, the first of the blaze's four victims identified, is named as a plaintiff along with more than 50 other residents, business owners and others affected by the McKinney fire.
