Two families who lost loved ones in the Beachie Creek Fire last September are now filing wrongful death lawsuits. They cite agencies like the Marion County Sheriff's Office, METCOM 911, and Pacific Power.
According to a lawsuit filed by the Cook family, the bodies of 71-year-old Cathy and 41-year-old Justin were found exactly a year ago.
They're now seeking more than $40 million, saying companies like Consumers Power and Pacific Power did not completely de-energize utility lines during times of high winds, and law enforcement did not give adequate warning of Level 3 evacuations.
KATU spoke with Destiny Cook after her mother-in-law and brother-in-law were identified last year.
"We filed a missing person’s report and we still didn’t hear anything. The waiting was the hardest because it was just day after day after day of waiting to hear: Are they alive? Are they not alive?" Cook said.
The lawsuit said for more than five hours the sheriff's office had direct knowledge of life-threatening conditions throughout the Santiam Canyon that should have triggered an earlier evacuation. It also claims METCOM did not begin sending out emergency notifications of the Level 3 evacuation until three hours after the sheriff's office's order.
Travis Cook told KATU in September 2020 that his mom and brother were planning to evacuate to stay with him in Bend.
"It was still just a complete shock; it felt like a nightmare. It just felt like it was unreal. I never imagined in my life that something like this would happen, let alone to my mom and my brother," Cook said.
Another lawsuit was also filed by the parents of 13-year-old Wyatt Tofte. They're citing the same agencies, asking for $102 million.
Search and rescue crews found the bodies of Tofte and his 71-year-old grandmother, Peggy Mosso, in a vehicle. They, too, died in the Beachie Creek Fire.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office, METCOM and Pacific Power are all declining to comment on this pending litigation.