With three major fires continuing to burn in Southern California, investigations have already begun to look into the causes of each.
One, the Line Fire, was allegedly set on purpose, sparking furor, but consternation is also building related to the Airport Fire in Riverside and Orange counties.
As detailed in an Orange County Register column by Teri Sforza, some view the Airport Fire’s inadvertent ignition by Orange County Public Works crews as negligence or even “accidental arson.”
Sforza quoted former Villa Park firefighter Steve Palmer, who called the decision to use heavy machinery to move boulders along Trabuco Creek Road during a triple-digit heat wave “reckless and stupid.”
“It’s triple digits and you’re going to use a big piece of steel equipment to hit rocks? That always causes sparks,” he said. “Who wouldn’t know that or assume that?”
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Paul Holaday told the Register that O.C. Public Works will “evaluate their policies” to avoid a similar tragedy in the future, but the Airport Fire is already raging out of control.
Ignorance is no excuse for the more than 20,000 acres burned and firefighters injured battling an all-too-predictable outcome, Palmer said.
“Stupidity does not absolve from responsibility,” he said. “Purposeful or accidental arson is the same.”