A group of Malden and Pine City residents are suing Avista Utilities for property damage and emotional distress stemming from a wildfire that razed much of their towns in 2020.
The lawsuit, filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Wednesday, comes nearly a year after a Department of Natural Resources report found a tree branch fell into Avista powerlines, igniting the blaze. The tree was diseased and damaged, causing a forest pathologist to find a “closer inspection was warranted,” according to the DNR report. Avista has continued to posit that the primary cause of the wildfire was “extreme high winds.” In a statement Wednesday, the company said it had not seen or been made aware of a lawsuit but would participate and cooperate in any legal process related to the topic.
Called the Babb Road Fire, flames spread quickly through fields and wooded areas before roaring into the towns of Malden and Pine City. About 80% of the homes burned. No one died, but most homeowners did not carry insurance for such a catastrophe. More than 40 Malden and Pine City residents brought the lawsuit. Allison, a local attorney, is representing them along with Shawn Caine, who handles wildland fire litigation nationwide. The suit alleges that Avista failed to conduct reasonable, prompt, proper and frequent inspections of their power lines and the surrounding vegetation. (Lewiston Tribune)
