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Ruling: State doesn't have duty to combat natural wildfires

Ruling: State doesn't have duty to combat natural wildfires
Posted at 11:33 AM, Mar 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-30 14:34:22-04

An Arizona court ruling stemming from the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire says the state doesn't have a legal duty to combat wildfires resulting from natural occurrences such as lightning striking public land.

The Court of Appeals ruling Thursday upholds a judge's dismissal of lawsuits filed against the state by homeowners whose properties were destroyed.

The homeowners contended the state was negligent in its firefighting efforts, but the judge agreed with the state's argument that it didn't have a duty to protect the property owners when it undertook management of the wildfire.

An attorney for the homeowners didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 2013 fire destroyed 127 homes in Yarnell and two other rural communities 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Prescott. Nineteen firefighters died in the wildfire.