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Sesnon Wildfire
Sesnon Wildfire Near Porter Ranch, San Fernando Valley California
A large wildfire near Porter Ranch started on Monday October 13, 2008, when an electrical distribution line fell into dry brush in an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. Due to alleged negligence or poor maintenance by the utility, the power line sparked and caught fire on vegetation that normally accumulates during the fire season. Los Angeles County fire officials reported that the downed power distribution line believed responsible for the Sesnon blaze was privately owned.
State regulators require utilities to clear brush and meet pole strength standards to help prevent the downing of power lines. The Los Angeles County Fire Chief has stated that the investigation into the Sesnon fire will examine whether the private owners properly cleared the brush and whether state regulations applied to the private owner.
2,044 firefighters from around the state worked to extinguish the fire which burned over 18,000 acres from the San Fernando Valley to the edge of Simi Valley, and destroyed 15 homes and 47 other structures. In addition to the property damage, an individual was directly killed in the fire and a motorist also died in a smoke-related traffic crash.
Fires outdoors can spread quickly, destroying wild habitats and farmland, and even homes and businesses. In particular, as new homes are increasingly built on the edge of urban areas where human communities meet natural wildland, the threat of outdoor fires grows.
Fires that occur where structures and homes border undeveloped land are especially vulnerable due to the natural vegetative fuel that accumlates each year and the lack of access to water supplies.
Who is Responsible?
Wildland-urban interface fires often result from the negligence of utility companies in failing to properly maintain power lines and adjacent vegetation. Thus, outdoor fires are often the direct result of another’s negligence or failure to act. According to statistics from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in 4 of the 20 largest wildfires in California history, power lines were suspected in or blamed, accounting for about 21% of the burned areas.
Contact Lieff Cabraser
If you have been injured in a fire, please click here to contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Lieff Cabraser for a free, no obligation review of your case.
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Please click here to contact a fire injury attorney at Lieff Cabraser or call us toll-free at 1.800.541.7358 and ask to speak to attorney Heather Foster. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your fire or burn injury case.
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