A wildfire in San Bernardino County that spanned 680 acres and took 275 firefighters eight days to contain started with a few sparks from a bulldozer.
That's what the federal government claims in a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
The government is suing an Upland-based pipeline contracting company and its founder, Garrett John Gentry, for negligence and seeking more than $2.2 million in damages for the fire, which burned 450 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest.
“Defendants are liable for all damages to the United States resulting from the South Fire, including firefighting costs and the United States’ administrative, investigative, accounting and collection costs,” the government says in the complaint.
A call to Garrett J. Gentry Engineering was not immediately returned. The 14-year-old company serves California and Arizona and cleans $35 million in annual revenue.
The South Fire began on August 25, 2021, and was finally contained on September 2, 2021. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The agency said nine residential and commercial structures were destroyed and 28 others were damaged. There were no injuries or deaths.
According to Cal Fire, the fire started north of Glen Helen Parkway and east of Sierra Avenue and Lytle Creek Road, just west of the 15 Freeway. The lawsuit alleges the fire originated at a property located at 4053 Lytle Creek Road in Fontana.
There, the lawsuit says, Gentry was operating a bulldozer, attempting to determine the feasibility of developing commercial property on an undeveloped site.
The government said Gentry, the homeowner, realized he was on too much rocky terrain and tried to leave the area. During his retreat, he noticed smoke behind him. He tried, but was unable, to put out a fire that ultimately started the blaze that burned for eight days, according to the lawsuit.
Government investigators said the bulldozer's steel tracks struck a rock, sparking the blaze. Dry vegetation nearby then served as fuel to fan the blaze.
The government alleges Gentry knew the area was rocky and “failed to exercise reasonable care,” according to the lawsuit.
Gentry and his company also failed to take steps to prevent the fire, the lawsuit alleges.
The United States is calling for a jury trial.
