SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Suit Filed by Parents of Boy Who Died in Fire

The parents of a 14-year-old boy who died last year in a fire at a storage yard in San Juan Capistrano sued several people in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana on Thursday, alleging they all bear some responsibility.

On Sept. 7, 1994, Samuel E. Peek III and two friends slipped past the caretaker for an end-of-summer sleep-over inside of a motor home that was stored on a lot in a private community.

A fire, apparently caused by a propane lantern, broke out about 4 a.m., killing the sleeping Peek. One of the boys’ friends managed to escape, while a third boy already had returned home earlier that night.

“It appears that some type of propane lantern was left unattended when young Samuel was asleep,” said Michael E. Wade, an attorney for the boy’s parents, Lois and Samuel E. Peek Jr.

“This is the tragic loss of their son in a horrendous fire that is highly suspicious in origin and cause,” Wade added. “We have filed the suit to assure that this young boy’s life was not lost unnecessarily.”

The lawsuit names the parents of one of the boys as defendants and alleges that the boy “struck, assaulted or otherwise battered” Peek and “intentionally caused the fire.” The lawsuit holds the parents liable for their son’s alleged behavior.

Also named are Julian and Thomas Ramos, caretakers of the 33-space storage yard, who, the suit claims, allowed the boys to enter and stay on the property. The Saddleback Capistrano Homeowners Assn. is named because it was responsible for “maintenance, upkeep and security of the property,” the suit states.

The motor home was not owned by any of the families, and Julian Ramos had said that he had chased the boys out of the locked yard on several occasions.

The parents seek unspecified monetary damages.

Thursday “was the one-year anniversary of their loss, and they are still devastated by it,” Wade said.