Oregon officials: Men who started 2015 wildfire will be billed $37 million
Officials in Oregon estimate it cost about $37 million to fight the Stouts Creek Fire last summer, and the two men they say started it have to pay up.
The fire, which broke out on July 30 and burned for more than a month, scorched over 26,000 acres. It took investigators several months to determine that the fire was started by 70-year-old Dominic Decarlo of Days Creek, Oregon, and 64-year-old Cloyd Deardorff of Yuma, Arizona, when they used their lawnmowers. The fire started in the afternoon, and at the time, mowing the lawn was forbidden between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Because Oregon holds individuals responsible for the costs of fire suppression, the men will receive an itemized invoice showing the cost of everything from helicopters to bulldozers to food for firefighters. Both men have already been fined for unlawful use of fire and Deardorff was cited for unlawful entry into a restricted forestland area, with Decarlo paying $110 and Deardorff $440. Bills can be challenged, and when they are this high, they're usually sent to an insurance company or lawyer, and a settlement is negotiated or a lawsuit is filed. "We're trying to make people aware that they have some responsibility... so people know there are consequences when you start [a wildfire]," Jeff Bonebrake, fire investigation and cost recovery coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry, told The Oregonian. "If we can prevent one, that saves everyone a lot of grief."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The London Library and Elizabeth Winkler's female Shakespeare claims
Why Everyone's Talking About Critics say an event suggesting Shakespeare may have been a woman is 'wildly inappropriate'
By The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran's attack on Israel backfire?
Today's Big Question The unprecedented targeting of Israel could be a 'godsend' for Netanyahu as the limits of Tehran's military power are exposed
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Tuck in to British fusion cuisine
The Week Recommends The trend for combining classics from two food cultures can result in dishes that are doubly delicious
By The Week UK Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published