Smart Meter Fire Death

Smart Meter Fire Death

July 9, 2013 # 1:59 pm 

The following summarizes a story from stopsmartmeters.org.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed against a Calif. utility, subcontractor and meter manufacturer – all of which had some responsibility for a so-called “smart meter” which killed a man by burning down his house – has been settled with the man’s family for an undisclosed sum.

Larry Nikkel of 230 Arbor St. was killed by a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) “smart meter” that caught fire in Vacaville, Calif., on July 9, 2010.  A suspicious electrical fire consumed Mr. Nikkel’s home the day after Wellington Energy, contractors for PG&E, installed a Landis & Gyr “smart” (read: “Not so much”) electric meter.

Microwave radiation – like that emitted from so-called smart meters – usually kills slowly and insidiously after years of exposure, but the dramatic circumstances surrounding Mr. Nikkel’s death show that “smart” meters  can also kill quickly and violently, and his death is not an isolated incident.

On July 8, 2010, according to neighbors, Wellington Energy installed electric smart meters to houses all along Mr. Nikkel’s street. Less than 48 hours later, Mr. Nikkel was killed by smoke inhalation and burns from an unexplained electrical fire that destroyed his house.

Stopsmartmeters.org writes: “According to his brother Walter, who had spent time with Larry at his house the morning before the fire (and only hours after the smart meter was installed), there were serious electrical problems in the house that day.  Larry had tried to boot up his laptop to watch a DVD that evening, but the computer would not function.  The cable box did not work either.  Walter and Larry both heard a very loud, high pitched “snap” coming from the wall.  Later that night, after Walter had returned home, he received a call from Larry, who said that the ‘house was humming.’ He regrets to this day not coming over immediately to investigate what was wrong.”

According to electrical engineers, popping, humming and appliance damage are telltale signs of an electrical problem caused by arcing, possibly from a meter.  Arcing can trigger fires and explosions.  (As stopsmartmeters.org documented in late 2010 in interview with a whistleblower from Wellington Energy, workers were encouraged to ignore safety hazards and only had 20 hours of training, violating FCC requirements that smart meters be installed by a professional electrician).  Mr. Nikkel’s death appears to be a direct result of the kind of violations uncovered by the whistleblower, whose reports were summarily ignored by the Calif. Public Utilities Commission.

On June 10, 2012, the Nikkel family filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric, Wellington Energy, and Landis & Gyr meter manufacturers, alleging negligence and wrongful death.

The case was settled out of court, showing that the utilities and meter manufacturers were alarmed about the potential to lose the case, as well as more bad publicity related to their meter program.  The settlement is far from ideal as it avoids a verdict that might force the utilities to compensate others who have suffered smart meter fires, or even to recall the dangerous meters.

The number of smart meter fires meanwhile continues to grow.  Last year, a Stamford, Conn., woman lost five members of her family to a fire she suspects was started by her so-called “smart” meter.  Her home was suspiciously bulldozed and its contents inexplicably and quickly removed 24 hours later, eliminating evidence that could have shown exactly why the fire started, and perhaps preventing future fires.

In August 2012, Peco Energy of Pennsylvania was forced to suspend its deployment after at least 26 separate incidents where newly installed smart meters had caught fire or exploded.  The EMF Safety Network has tracked many of these fires here.  See others at stopsmartmeters.org.

A June 15 2012 presentation by the Ontario Fire Marshal analyzes smart meter fires being reported in Canada and abroad, stating:

“We encountered an unusual amount of fire incidents involving smart meters. . . prior to any proper investigation the utility company had removed and replaced the meters from the affected areas. . . New meters may have defects that cause electrical failures (or they may be caused by) careless installation during change over. . . ”

So-called Smart Meters are neither smart nor safe. Let’s all take action on a local front and stop smart meters from doing any more damage than they have already. If they don’t kill us quickly by fire, they’ll kill us slowly with cancer, or at the least, if we are unlucky enough to live close to them, they can interrupt our sleep and wreak havoc on our human body’s own natural electrical grid. All of our impulses are electric, all the synapses firing in our brains are electric and affected by electricity and microwave. There is no question but that smart meters can overlay our own personal grids and affect us in harmful ways. These things have not been properly tested before being released on us, but at least 2,000 research pieces have shown the hazards of microwave radiation like that emitted from so-called smart meters.

http://www.dmlawfirm.com/smart-meter-fire-death