The dreadful Airport Fire, which was started by Orange County workers who were moving heavy boulders in Trabuco Canyon on Monday, Sep. 9, has now consumed over 23K acres and homes have been lost both in Orange County and in Riverside County.
Many have been questioning why the Orange County Public Works crew was working with hot heavy equipment that can cause sparks when moving boulders. Now we know – it was Nimbyism.
The workers had been tasked with blocking access to a wilderness area illegally used by off-roaders, to the irritation of nearby property owners, according to Orange County officials.
Those nearby property owners are now probably not too happy with the results of their complaints…
The County itself could face massive liability. Every property owner who lost a home or had a structure damaged by the Airport Fire will be lining up to sue the County – and their property insurance carriers will be looking to subrogate their costs to the County, which is to say that they too will hold the County responsible.
How in the world did Orange County Public Works not have a defined policy banning such inane and stupid behavior during super hot weather? They will pay for that lack of risk managment now.
It will however be surprising if anyone gets fired over this fiasco. A County worker would have to commit sexual harassment to get fired.
The Airport Fire by the way is only 5% contained and the damage has spread all the way to Lake Elsinore. This mess is not over by a long shot!
Agree 100% except for the NIMBY aspect. If the behavior, in this case off roading– which can also spark wildfires with hot exhaust etc– was illegal, the residents were merely asking the county to enforce laws. I don’t see how that’s being a NIMBY. But agree completely its gross negligence and incompetence from the County for which nobody will have to answer.