Jun 19, 2010
S'pore Power sued over fire
Suit claims company failed to maintain an ageing line which fell, sparking deadly blaze
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It was the deadliest blaze of 'Black Saturday', Australia's worst natural disaster, claiming 119 lives. Legal firm Maurice Blackburn said the suit could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. -- PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE - VICTIMS of Australia's deadly 2009 firestorm have launched legal action against a Singapore power firm, alleging that poorly maintained electrical wires sparked the blaze, reports said on Saturday. Lawyers representing almost 600 people lodged a class-action suit in Victoria's Supreme Court against Singapore Power for allegedly failing to maintain an ageing line, which fell and started the Feb 7 fire at Kilmore East.
It was the deadliest blaze of 'Black Saturday', Australia's worst natural disaster, claiming 119 lives. Legal firm Maurice Blackburn said the suit could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. 'We have heard strong evidence at the Royal Commission (into the fires) that Singapore Power could have taken a number of steps to prevent the devastating Kilmore East- Kinglake bush fire,' firm chairman Bernard Murphy told The Age newspaper.
'Electricity distribution companies are commercial enterprises that have a responsibility to ensure that public safety is not compromised simply in order to keep costs down. Singapore Power's failures have had very tragic consequences.' The action currently has 598 plaintiffs but this could grow to as many as 1,300, including people who lost family members in the fire, suffered physical injuries and lost property, or have ongoing psychological damage, The Age said.
The suit will allege that Singapore Power failed to fit a A$10 (S$12) anti-vibration device to guard against metal fatigue and that the circuit-breaker system was not adequate for a dry, windy, fire-prone area. The 1.1-kilometre single-strand line, one of the longest in Victoria, was checked only every five years and rust and wire deterioration could not be detected by ground crews, the case will also claim. -- AFP