On April 21, 2023, three people were found dead, and one person injured in a fire that erupted through a home in the El Cajon area on North Anza Street near Broadway. The people were identified as Marilyn Trumper, Herman Trumper, and Ian Trumper. Robbie Trumper managed to survive the flames.

Authorities arrived within minutes of the blaze being reported to find the home engulfed in flames. Clouds of smoke were seen escaping from the charred home, and the fire quickly spreading to a nearby power pole. A video of the blaze was captured and put online, shocking El Cajon homeowners.

Two people were pulled from the home by firefighters, both dying soon after being rushed to the hospital. A third victim was found suffering from smoke inhalation, the man was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Firefighters from San Miguel, Heartland, and Lakeside fire departments all responded to the scene. The fire crews also found a fourth victim while putting out the remaining flames of the home. Marylin tragically died during the initial incident inside the home; the victims were all believed to be adults.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, along with details pertaining to a damage estimate. The home is considered destroyed and unsalvageable, two vehicles were also damaged in the fire. Burn patterns were analyzed by the sheriff’s bomb/arson unit and they spoke with witnesses to best determine what led to the home’s demise.

Gerald Singleton of Singleton Schreiber said, “The news of this fire is awful, our condolences and greatest sympathies are with the families of those that lost their lives or were found injured.”

Singleton Schreiber home fire damage attorneys can be reached at 619-367-7768 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.

El Cajon Home Fires

Home fires can be all too common, and residents of El Cajon and the rest of San Diego have seen fires start from seemingly “safe” activities. This can occur because products in the home can be defective, materials in the home can be unknowingly flammable, or the house itself can be poorly designed.

Home fires can occur due to the following reasons:

• Cooking-related fires – Cooking fires are known to be the most common occurrence for house fires causing close to 49% of all residential fires. Often caused by grease being overheated on the stove or within the oven.
• Heating appliances – Home space heaters and baseboard heaters can cause fires when fabric or materials are left too close to them.
• Electrical fires – Various types of electrical faults in home wiring can be the cause of home fires due to short circuits or loose connections causing sparks that unfortunately ignite building materials.
• Smoking – Fires from cigarettes and smoking materials have the potential of igniting fires from cigarette butts dropped on furniture, carpeting, or other flammable materials.
• Candles – The matches and lighters used to light candles are known to be dangerous if left in a place where children can reach them and can lead to harmful fires.
• Chemical fires – Residential chemical fires occur commonly when volatile vapors from gasoline and other petroleum liquids reach a flash-point temperature or when the fumes contact a source of open flame.

In 2008, California passed a building code which required that California “fire-prone” regions have fire-resistant roofs, siding, and other safeguards. However, not every builder or construction company follows these codes, and houses built before 2008 may not have been brought up to code properly.

San Diego Home Fire Insurance

When these fires occur, families often turn to their first line of defense – their homeowner’s insurance. Unfortunately, this often begins a long, drawn-out claims process that can end in headaches and heartache. There are numerous stories of San Diego homeowners losing their homes to a fire, only to begin a years-long wrestling match with a billion or trillion-dollar insurance company.

In El Cajon and all East County, some residents live in unsafe homes due to the materials developers chose to build them with. So, for families that suffer a home fire, they may have claims against developers, contractors, or insurance companies. But, finding a San Diego home fire attorney who can help them get the justice they need is not easy.

El Cajon Wrongful Death Fire Cases

In this instance, with three people losing their lives, the tragedy is immense. The survivor, Robbie Trumper, was a surviving grandson. Ian Trumper was a biological grandson who had been adopted by Marilyn and Herman Trumper. This family will never be the same, and any of their surviving children and grandchildren must now face the awful question “what now?”

“Many unknowing individuals are faced with immeasurable tragedies due to home fires across the state of California,” said Mr. Singleton. “My hope is that people who have lost loved ones find the legal assistance they need to get the justice they deserve.”

Those who have been injured in East County, El Cajon, or anywhere in San Diego in home fires, can contact Singleton Schreiber at 619-367-7768 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.

Residents throughout Yreka and the Klamath National Forest area know, wildfire danger involves more than just flames.

The San Francisco Chronicle highlighted the plight of a man who struggled with the unimaginable trauma of having a landslide of mud, boulders, and logs overwhelm him as he tried to help people deal with a wildfire. Mr. Lower’s struggle, and his subsequent injuries are the same most first responders face.

In the McKinney Fire, which burned more than 60,000 acres near the California-Oregon border, officials were attempting to use all tools at their disposal to fight this blaze. Clinton Lower, a trucker turned contractor, was deployed to soak embers on the west side of the fire. There may have been some confusion, because instead of heading away from the low ground as intended, he was led into a gully.

“Fires are a disaster that know no bounds,” said Singleton Schreiber Managing Partner Jerry Singleton. “Most people fear being burned to death in them, but the fire itself, attempts to put it out and the aftermath are all potentially deadly.”

It was only after being led to the gully that Lower was made aware that a flash flood warning had been issued, and his life was now in danger. Once rain began to pour down into the area, water was moving so fast and in such great quantities that its volume was audible.

What began was a mudslide, although the word term “mud” is a bit misleading. Boulders, logs, thick mud, and more slid down and pinned Mr. Lower in his truck. It was so heavy and thick that Mr. Lower found it hard to breathe. He went on to say that this “mud” was not liquid “it was mother nature throwing everything off the mountain to me,” he said.

Ultimately, he was eventually freed from the truck when help arrived. But not before the slurry broke the passenger side window, practically buried him, and caused further injuries. The Chronicle reported he tore a ligament in his right knee, damaged disks in his back, and spent days removing all manner of mud, dirt, and grime from his entire body.

Singleton Schreiber is the nation’s premier fire litigation firm, currently representing thousands of people injured and impacted by the McKinney Fire. Anyone interested in the firm’s services can contact them at 530-203-5475 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.

McKinney Fire Injuries

Recently diagnosed with PTSD, Mr. Lower suffers from issues that many fire fighters, medical personnel, and other first responders battle – the trauma that follows having a life-threatening experience. He describes being in extreme pain every day as well as struggling with some daily tasks.

Many in California, especially burn-scarred areas such as Yreka and the surrounding region, know there is a cycle to how wildfires impact the land. First, there is often a drought period that dries out the land, then the wildfires start – often as a result of negligence by a utility company. What follows next is the battle to fight the fire, then rains come and flood the region because there’s no vegetation to soak up the water.

The McKinney Fire, which began on July 29, 2022 and was not fully put out until September 7, 2022. The fire destroyed at least 185 structures, caused 4 fatalities and was the deadliest of the 2022 wildfires in California. Further danger was caused by a debris flow which was the result of three inches of rain that fell on August 2. The speed of this debris flow was between 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet per second.

The final cause of the fire has not yet been released, but the fire began beneath the 12,000-volt Scot Bar distribution power line which is owned and operated by Pacific Power, an electrical utility company owned by PacifiCorp.

“Our firm represents more than 13,000 people impacted by wildfires, and we keep finding poor equipment maintenance by billion-dollar utility companies as the core reason, it’s sickening,” Mr. Singleton added.

For Mr. Lower, his struggles may continue. Putting one’s life back together after any traumatic experience is difficult. Adding physical injuries into the mix makes it that much harder. As these wildfires continue, first responders like him will face these struggles over and over.

For those who have been injured or impacted by the McKinney Fire, or any other wildfire, can contact Singleton Schreiber at 530-203-5475 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.