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Plaintiffs seek damages from power company over fire that burned thousands of acres
Company concerning the 127,000 acre Whitney Road Fire that blazed west of Davenport between Sept. 7-16 in 2020. The fire, which was given a cause of a tree falling on a power line, started near Hawk Creek and blazed southwest through Telford toward Odessa, displacing ranchers and burning through structures in its path.
Almost two years later, a group of plaintiffs that includes Susan L. Bird, Terry L. Hoffman and Cole Ranch, LLC has filed a complaint for damages against Inland Power regarding the fire. The civil suit was filed in Lincoln County Superior Court Monday, July 18.
The filing blames Inland Power for improperly maintaining the transmission line, and such negligence was a “proximate cause” of the Whitney Road Fire and the damage to the plaintiff’s land.
Local firefighters say the fire was caused when a tree fell into the power lines and was ignited when a car crashed into the two felled lines, pushing them together and creating a spark.
The plaintiffs are seeking judgment for real and personal property damages, costs of restoration, compensation for past and future mental anguish and emotional distress and an award of attorney fees and costs.
The Whitney Road Fire isn’t explicitly named in the filing, stating “On Sept. 7, 2020, a fire occurred in Lincoln County, Washington on plaintiffs’ land causing damage thereto.”
The group is represented by Rodney K. Nelson, a Yakima-based attorney that sources say hosted a group of ranchers at Memorial Hall in recent weeks to discuss their legal options for damages.
Nelson was on vacation this week and didn’t return a request for comment, but his law office confirmed that the fire in question was the Whitney Road Fire.
Inland Power deferred comment to its attorney, Spokane-based Scott Cifrese. Cifrese didn’t return a call for comment by press time.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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