2009 Bastrop wildfire lawsuit 'resolved'; more people join suit in 2011 blaze

A $6 million lawsuit against Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and McCoy Tree Surgery over a 2009 wildfire that damaged 26 homes in Bastrop County ended without a decision by a jury Friday morning. The case was "resolved," said Will Holford, a spokesman for Bluebonnet Electric. He would not say whether a settlement was reached and declined to comment further. Lawyers for both sides could not be reached Friday afternoon. The plaintiffs, more than two dozen homeowners, declined to comment or could not be reached Friday. The Wilderness Ridge fire took place Feb. 28, 2009, when winds reached 30 mph and the area was under drought conditions. It destroyed 26 homes, 20 businesses and 1,491 acres near Alum Creek Road between Bastrop and Smithville, accrding to a Texas Forest Service case study. The jury was set to determine whether a falling tree knocked down sagging power lines, sparking the fire in the utility's right of way. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that there was no tree and that the fire was caused by faulty wire connections, sagging lines and wood chips on the ground. Meanwhile, more plaintiffs have joined another lawsuit accusing Bluebonnet of negligence that led to the Bastrop Complex fire that began Labor Day...more 

Notice how a private entity is held responsible for any management actions or inactions which contribute to a fire.   Now if we could just get that concept applied to the Forest Service, BLM, etc.