Ex-Water District Official Alleges Wrongful Firing Linked to Blaze

A former Laguna Beach water district official filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging he was wrongly terminated, in part for being out of contact with his supervisors during the devastating Laguna Beach fire, while he was assisting firefighters.

The lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court contends that William Henryson worked nearly eight years for the Laguna Beach County Water District before he was fired in January, 1994. Henryson’s attorney declined to discuss the suit, and a representative for the water district could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

During the October, 1993, firestorm, Henryson said he tried to contact his supervisors to alert them that a key reservoir had been depleted and he was going to check on his home, according to the suit. But a telephone and cellular system overload prevented him from doing so, the suit says.

When Henryson arrived at his Mystic Hills home, his vehicle was blocked by firetrucks and the Fire Department “commandeered” him as a private citizen to assist them, the suit says.

Several neighborhood residents hailed Henryson as a hero, but he contends that his role during the fire played a “substantial factor” in his termination, the suit says.

A memo sent to Henryson by his supervisors cited “unsatisfactory” work performance, including unauthorized entry into district warehouses during non-business hours, being out of touch for about two hours during the fire and failing to obey a standing order to keep all district vehicles at headquarters during emergencies, according to the suit.