Heartbroken family of 83-year-old grandmother who died in Texas wildfire SUES power company after admitting down powered lines sparked the blaze that destroyed 1million acres

The family of the first Smokehouse Creek Fire victim, 83-year old Joyce Blankenship, has filed a lawsuit against the utility provider, Xcel Energy.

Joyce's son, Paul Blankenship, has spearheaded the wrongful death lawsuit in Hutchinson County, Texas, after his mother was killed.

'Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,' Xcel Energy said in a statement.

Xcel Energy, which owns Southwestern Public Service as a subsidiary, and Osmose Utilities, a contractor located in Georgia that specializes in wood utility pole inspections, are named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that Joyce died on February 27 'as a result of a preventable, massive wildfire that ignited when a faulty wooden pole snapped and caused power lines to contact the ground,' adding that she 'was the matriarch of the Blankenship family ... loved by everyone that had the pleasure of knowing her.' 

Per the court documents, firms' 'failing to comply with safety regulations, industry standards and best practices with respect to the use of wooden poles' caused a pole to fall on February 27, which ignited the '687 Reamer Fire that merged with the Smokehouse Creek Fire.

The family of the first Smokehouse Creek fire victim, 83-year old Joyce Blankenship, has filed a lawsuit against Xcel Energy

Joyce's son, Paul Blankenship, is spearheaded the lawsuit on her behalf

Xcel Energy, which owns Southwestern Public Service, and Osmose Utilities, are named in the lawsuit

'Tragically, the fires spread so rapidly that Ms. Blankenship was unable to escape and burned alive when the flames engulfed her home,' the lawsuit states.

This is not the only lawsuit that has recently been filed against Xcel energy.

A previous lawsuit Hemphill County claimed Xcel Energy, Southwestern Public Service and Osmose Utilities, 'failed to properly inspect, maintain, and replace' utility poles.

According to that lawsuit, Osmose Utilities Services was irresponsible when examining the poles for Southwestern Public Service.

'We are closely following reports of the devastation brought by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, and our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy,' CEO of Osmose Mike Adams, stated in an email to CBS News Texas.

Adams told the local affiliate that the company takes these accusations seriously.

'Osmose takes these allegations extremely seriously,' said Adams.

'We immediately launched an in-depth investigation, and we are committed to fully cooperating with any other local investigations into the cause of the fire.

'We stand by the quality and accuracy of our utility pole inspections.'

Joyce, whose body was found in the town Stinnett where the fire started, is one of the two deaths reported as a result of the Smokehouse Creek Fire.

From Stinnett, the fire gained traction and quickly grew to 40,000 acres.

After having consumed approximately 1.058 million acres in Texas, the fire spread across the Oklahoma border, scorching over 70,000 acres

The Smokehouse Creek fire has finally been contained after a three-week effort in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles

After having consumed approximately 1.058 million acres in Texas, the fire spread across the Oklahoma border, scorching over 70,000 acres. 

The Smokehouse Creek fire has finally been contained after a three-week effort in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.

This fire is the largest on record in Texas.