Texas is suing a vegetation management company that it alleges caused the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Texas history.
The lawsuit filed on Jan. 19 by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges the Asplundh Tree Expert Co. failed to clear easements around power lines and remove dead trees before Tropical Storm Lee hit the area.
Fire officials previously said the fire that burned for a month across 32,400 acres, killing two people and destroying almost 1,700 homes and structures, likely started when trees tumbled onto the power lines and sparks lit grass below.
The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million for replanting and habitat mitigation after extensive damage to Bastrop State Park.
A message for Asplundh officials was not immediately returned.
Related:
- Recovering from a Wildfire Catastrophe
- Texas Wildfires Evacuees Anxious to Return Homes
- Central Texas Fires Slowly Being Contained but Blazes Continue Across State
- Wildfires Burn Across Texas; Weekend Losses Expected to Top $100M
Topics Lawsuits Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Wildfire
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Uber Alleges Insurance Fraud Scheme in Florida as It Goes on Legal Offensive 
Long-Term Thinking and Scale Keys to Travelers Success: CEO Schnitzer 
Homeowner’s Failure to Read Doesn’t Clear Agency of Negligence Claim 
The Trump Administration Keeps Denying Disaster Preparedness Aid to States 
