AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The video above was published when the deadly fire happened.
After a man died in a fire caused by lightning in 2019, his child has filed a lawsuit, claiming the man's death was caused by outdated smoke detectors and alarm systems.
The man's child, Florencio Suchil, filed the lawsuit on April 6 against the apartment complex, CF Cricket Hollow Associates Limited Partnership, and the apartment property management company, Churchill Forge Properties.
Suchil's father, Augustin Suchil, was in his apartment unit at the Cricket Hollow Apartment complex in northeast Austin on April 6, 2019, when lightning struck his building. The lawsuit said Augustin Suchil was sleeping at the time.
A fire broke out, and firefighters with the Austin Fire Department were able to put it out in about 15 minutes, KVUE previously reported.
Augustin Suchil, a man in his 60s, was taken to the hospital where he later died.
One of the residents spoke to KVUE in an interview on April 8, 2019. Luis, who wished to not state his last name, lived in the building that caught fire. He said he was listening to music in his apartment when he felt a vibration.
"Moments after that I hear some banging at the door -- open the door and it's our neighbor," Luis told KVUE at the time. "Couldn't see anything but smoke."
According to the lawsuit filed by Augustin Suchil's child, the apartments in the complex at the time had outdated smoke detectors and alarm systems. They were past their expiration dates and "were also not properly functioning due to their age and poor maintenance," the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the apartment complex managers knew about the alleged issues with the smoke detectors and alarms and that the defects were hidden from Augustin Suchil.
The alleged defects in the smoke detectors and alarms "caused or contributed to the death of" Augustin Suchil. HIs child is seeking $1 million from the apartment complex and property managers.
KVUE has reached out to the defendants' lawyer listed on the lawsuit for a statement.
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