Complaint alleges SIEA failed to de-energize lines or implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff despite Red Flag warnings before the fire ignited.
BEULAH, CO, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A Colorado couple who lost their home in the devastating Aspen Acres Fire has filed suit against San Isabel Electric Association, Inc. (“SIEA”), alleging the utility’s powerlines ignited the wind-driven blaze that scorched more than 100,000 acres and destroyed roughly 900 structures across four counties.
The lawsuit, Bryan Pearson and Amy Pearson v. San Isabel Electric Association, Inc., Case No. 2026CV30633, was filed August 7, 2026, in Pueblo Combined Court. A copy of the complaint is available here: [READ THE COMPLAINT] https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/f3043dded96e34ac743982278365c00532a816a9578b0ffe72190f2380dbed93
Plaintiffs are represented by Swigart Law Group, APC of San Diego, California, and Evans Case, LLP of Denver, Colorado.
According to the complaint, the Aspen Acres Fire ignited on the morning of June 29, 2026, near Silvercliffe Drive in Custer County, after a tree limb came into contact with an SIEA powerline. Plaintiff Bryan Pearson, who was staying at his mother’s home on Westcliffe Drive at the time, personally witnessed the fire near its point of origin and captured photographs and video included as exhibits to the complaint.
The fire spread rapidly under extreme wind conditions — the complaint cites sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts up to 100 mph during a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning — ultimately destroying the Pearson family home along with its contents and terrorizing the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye, Wetmore, and Colorado City.
The complaint alleges SIEA had a duty to mitigate wildfire risk in its service territory, including clearing vegetation from its rights-of-way and de-energizing lines during periods of extreme fire danger. It further alleges that despite the utility’s own public statements touting wildfire-mitigation technology and protocols — including sensitized protective settings during Red Flag conditions — SIEA failed to de-energize the lines in the fire-origin area or otherwise implement adequate protective measures on the day the fire started.
Plaintiffs bring six causes of action against SIEA: inverse condemnation under the Colorado Constitution, negligence, negligence per se (based on alleged violations of Colorado Public Utilities Commission regulations and the National Electrical Safety Code), landowner liability, trespass, and private nuisance.
The complaint seeks compensatory damages for the total loss of the Pearsons’ home and its contents, evacuation and relocation expenses, lost income, property and natural-resource damage, water contamination remediation costs, and severe emotional distress, along with attorneys’ fees and costs. Plaintiffs have reserved the right to seek leave to amend the complaint to add exemplary damages following the exchange of initial disclosures.
The Pearsons are pursuing their claims individually and are not seeking class certification, though the complaint notes that additional plaintiffs may be joined under Colorado’s permissive-joinder rules as the litigation proceeds.
The Aspen Acres Fire is one of several major wildfire events in Colorado in recent years attributed in litigation to utility infrastructure, following high-profile cases such as those stemming from the 2021 Marshall Fire.
A jury trial has been demanded.
About Swigart Law Group, APC
Swigart Law Group, APC is a San Diego-based plaintiffs’ consumer rights firm representing individuals in complex litigation matters, including wildfire and utility liability cases.
About Evans Case, LLP
Evans Case, LLP is a Denver-based litigation firm representing plaintiffs in complex civil matters throughout Colorado.
Media Contact:
Joshua B. Swigart, Esq.
Swigart Law Group, APC
2221 Camino del Rio S, Ste. 308
San Diego, CA 92108
(866) 219-3343
josh@swigartlawgroup.com
Joshua swigart
Swigart Law Group, APC
+1 619-838-8546
email us here
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