Washington state sued over destructive 2014 wildfire
Nov 19, 2015, 10:00 AM | Updated: Sep 30, 2024, 11:09 am
OKANOGAN, Wash. (AP) — Three people whose homes and land were burned by one of the most destructive wildfires in Washington history have sued the state for negligence.
The residents of Okanogan County allege the state Department of Natural Resources failed to fight a small fire on land it owned in northeast Washington.
The blaze, which was started on July 14, 2014, by lightning, merged with other fires, burning more than 300 homes and causing tens of millions of dollars in property damage.
The plaintiffs say the state prevented volunteers and residents from helping to battle the fires, KIRO-TV in Seattle reported (http://bit.ly/1MoJPUN).
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Okanogan County Superior Court.
The Department of Natural Resources is responsible for fighting wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned forestlands in Washington state. Sandra Kaiser, a spokeswoman for the agency, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the litigation.
The plaintiffs include David Schulz, a former Okanogan County commissioner and 45-year firefighting veteran, his wife Deannis Schulz, and John Clees, a rancher. They collectively seek millions of dollars in damages.
“This started as a little fire, and we could have put it out in a day,” Schulz said in a statement. “We called it in over and over, but we were told they would handle it for us and we should leave.”
Chelan-based attorney Alex Thomason says the state agency would not give the bordering landowners permission to go on its property.
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Information from: KIRO-TV, htthttp://www.kirotv.com/index.html
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