Country Club Sues US Forest Service Over Station Fire

Posted by: Curt Varone May 10, 2012 2 Comments

A Los Angeles County golf course has filed suit against the US Forest Service for damage that resulted from firefighting efforts at the Station Fire in August 2009. The La Cañada Flintridge Country Club filed the suit in US District Court on Monday seeking $49,528.81 in damages.

The Station Fire burned an estimated 160,000 acres, destroyed more than 200 buildings and killed 2 LA County firefighters. The country club alleges that US Forest Service helicopters used golf course ponds to refill their water tanks, and in the process damaged irrigation pumps and piping. The suit also seeks reimbursement for water that the golf course had to purchase to refill their ponds, and for the cost of cleaning up sand that had been blown out of the sand traps by the helicopters.

The country club had filed an administrative claim with the US Forest Service in 2009, but that claim was denied last November. The suit alleges two basic counts: negligence and conversion. Here is a copy of the complaint:  La Cañada Flintridge Country Club v. US Forest Service

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
© Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved. | FireLawBlog.com & Curt Varone | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
x

Check Also

FDNY Prevails in Trademark Case With Medic

The US Second Circuit Court of Appeals has handed down a ruling in favor of FDNY concluding that a trademark owned by an FDNY paramedic in the name of "Medical Special Operations Conference" cannot be enforce because it is descriptive.

Family of St. Louis Firefighter LODD Files Suit

The family of a St. Louis firefighter who died in 2022, has reportedly filed suit against the manufacturer of his SCBA alleging that the failure of his PASS device contributed to his death. Benjamin Polson died in a house fire on January 13, 2022.