5 Ranchers Sue Utility Over Fire
Five Ventura County ranchers filed lawsuits Friday against Southern California Edison Co., seeking more than $2.5 million in damages for property destroyed by a fire sparked by low-voltage electrical wires.
The Grand fire burned 10,925 acres between Fillmore and Santa Paula in April. The blaze was one of the largest in recent years, drawing firefighters from as far away as Montana.
The fire burned avocado orchards in the Fillmore area, causing extensive damage to several ranches.
The five lawsuits are identical but seek different amounts of monetary damage, attorney DeWitt “Red” Blase said.
The lawsuits allege that Edison was negligent in properly constructing and maintaining its facilities, and as a result property owners in the burned area lost fruit, trees, irrigation systems and buildings to the fire.
The claimants are Robert J. Soares, John H. Weber trust, Rancho Simpatica, B.S. Farms, and Ross and Susan Wileman.
Of the five landowners, Rancho Simpatica sustained the most fire damage, totaling about $1 million.
Situated near the edge of Los Padres National Forest, the 1,000-acre ranch lost hundreds of acres of avocado trees.
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