OG&E, subcontractor sued over Canton apartment fire - KFOR Oklahoma City

OG&E, subcontractor sued over Canton apartment fire

OKLAHOMA CITY ( KFOR) – Two Oklahoma energy companies are now being sued more than a year after a large apartment complex under construction went up in flames.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company and Red Dirt Electric LLC are both listed as defendants in the $60+ million lawsuit over the fire at The Canton at Classen Curve.

In February 2022, Oklahoma City firefighters were called to a fire at The Canton, a five-story, 374,507 square feet apartment building near N.W. 63rd and Western.

The Video above is from when the fire happened.

The fire spread and intensified at a rapid pace.

“More resources began to arrive and more water supply was established and additional attack hoses were deployed, but the fire continued to grow in intensity. As firefighters on the roof attempted to fight back the fire from their positions, additional fires kept breaking through in various locations on the roof,” the report stated.

Officials say there were “multiple areas of origin that were long distances from each other and on opposite sides of a fire wall.”

It took four days to put the fire completely out, and then the structure was demolished. The complex was valued at over $65 million.

It is the largest known commercial fire in the history of Oklahoma City, according to OKCFD.

Based on the investigation, officials say the fire is classified as accidental and was the result of an electrical issue.

“The electrical fault occurred when the Property’s neutral conductors became energized by the incoming phased power,” the lawsuit reads. “During a post-fire inspection of a transformer that supplied electrical power to the Property, it was determined that a phased power (hot) conductor was connected to the building’s neutral conductors.”

The lawsuit claims negligence from both OG&E and Red Dirt Electric for failing to properly install and inspect the power connections to the building.

“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.” OG&E

Red Dirt Electric has not yet responded to the lawsuit.