LANDOWNER SUED OVER ACTON FIRE STATE CLAIMS MOWER WITHOUT SPARK ARRESTER TRIGGERED BLAZE.Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer ACTON -- State officials are suing an Acton property owner for nearly $1.3 million, blaming him for a July 2004 fire that burned across 12 miles of brush-covered hills from Acton to the Littlerock Reservoir. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection For other uses of "CDF", see CDF (disambiguation). The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) or CAL FIRE is the State of California's agency responsible for the administration of the state's private and public forests. , alleges that the nearly 12,000-acre Crown Fire was caused by a lawn mower mower, farm machine used for cutting grasses and other hay crops. Mowers, drawn by or attached to tractors, or self-propelled, have superseded scythes. The mower is essentially an adaptation of the much earlier reaper. The first commercial mower was patented in 1847. operated by a caretaker on Alex Klaus' property on Arrastre Canyon Road. ``The Department of Forestry has the right to recover costs when someone causes a fire. That's a statutory right and sometimes an obligation,'' Deputy Attorney General Gary Tavetian said. The lawsuit names as defendants Klaus and caretaker Maximo Francisco Castillo. Klaus, through a friend, declined to comment. Castillo could not be reached for comment. The lawsuit alleges that Castillo was operating a mower in dry grass, at Klaus' direction, and that the mower blades hit rocks that caused sparks and ignited the blaze. The mower also lacked an appropriate spark arrester spark arrester n. 1. A device designed to keep sparks from escaping, as at a chimney opening. 2. A device used to control electric sparking at a point where a circuit is made or broken. , the lawsuit said. The Crown Fire was the second-largest of three fires that in two weeks scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. more than 35,000 acres in northern Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County. There was the 6,000-acre Foothill Fire near Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and the 17,400-acre Pine Fire near Lake Hughes. The Crown Fire destroyed a decades-old wooden bridge on Aliso Canyon Road, closing the road until a new concrete bridge was completed this spring. karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com (661) 267-5744 |
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