Anaheim : Jury Clears Apartment Owners in ’82 Firestorm
A jury determined Tuesday that owners of two apartment buildings were not liable for the destruction of the structures in a devastating 1982 firestorm that burned 53 buildings and left 1,300 people homeless.
All but 85 of the tenants had previously settled claims against the City of Anaheim.
On Tuesday, jurors found that owners were not negligent in their use of untreated wood shake roofs on the Palm Villa apartments at 1230 S. Euclid St. and another building at 1613 W. Ball Road.
Lawyers for the 85 tenants, who already have received an average of 70% of their claimed property losses from the city, argued that the roofing material helped the fire to spread.
The fire began when street lighting wires maintained by the city came into contact with palm trees. Stoked by fierce Santa Ana winds, the fire swept through a four-block area west of Disneyland, burning 53 buildings and destroying nearly 400 apartment units.
The city has paid out more than $10 million to tenants, owners and insurance companies for losses in the fire.
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