NewsLocal News

Actions

UPDATE: Autopsy reveals man who relied on oxygen did not die after losing electricity in planned outage, authorities say

Posted
and last updated

An elderly man who relied on medical equipment did not die because his power was shut off, according to an autopsy.

Robert Mardis, a 67-year-old El Dorado County man, suffered from severe COPD and relied on medical equipment for his survival. He died 12 minutes after his was power shut off as part of the Public Safety Power Shutoff being conducted throughout the state to prevent potential wildfires.

Previously, northern California fire officials said he had died as a result of the power being turned off, but an autopsy Friday revealed that wasn't true.

Authorities did not reveal the cause of death.

Mardis lived in Pollock Pines, a community about an hour outside Sacramento.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Tuesday

04/01/2025

Mostly Cloudy

-° / 44°

19%

Wednesday

04/02/2025

Partly Cloudy

60° / 44°

5%

Thursday

04/03/2025

Clear

65° / 45°

5%

Friday

04/04/2025

Clear

71° / 48°

2%

Saturday

04/05/2025

Clear

77° / 50°

1%

Sunday

04/06/2025

Partly Cloudy

83° / 54°

0%

Monday

04/07/2025

Partly Cloudy

80° / 53°

5%

Tuesday

04/08/2025

Clear

79° / 54°

3%