Orange County braces for potential flood of litigation from Airport fire victims

The Airport fire destroyed a number of homes, including this one in the El Cariso neighborhood in Lake Elsinore. Orange County is girding itself against a potential flood of litigation from victims of the Airport fire, a destructive blaze that was sparked by a public works crew and destroyed more than 160 structures. Orange County Counsel Leon Page declined to comment to The Times on the county’s liability in the fire, which the Orange County Fire Authority determined was set off by two public works employees using heavy machinery to move boulders on Trabuco Creek Road. “It might also be complex as many of these properties are probably insured, and the litigation could become entangled in claims made by insurance companies seeking to recover payments they’ve made under their policies.” Keating said the “basic rule” in negligence law is that liability requires proof of physical harm — meaning personal injury or property damage. The county has also received, as of Sept. 20, at least two claim notice letters from law firms asking that evidence related to the fire be preserved, according to the clerk to the board.