The Wilderness Ridge Fire of 2009 · Bastrop, Texas
On February 28, 2009 a fire broke out in Bastrop, Texas. Named The Wilderness Ridge Fire, this blaze was caused when sparks from a local electricity company's power line ignited nearby vegetation. The resulting fire claimed 28 homes and nearly 1500 acres of pristine land, including large swaths of the Lost Pines Forest.
The Rider Law firm represented 23 families who lost homes, land and personal property in claims against the electricity company and its right of way clearance company. It was alleged in that lawsuit that they negligently maintained the transmission equipment in a forested area, such that two conductors could come together to spark a fire. The complaint further alleged that they failed to remove combustible materials and ladder fuels in order to prevent a flash fire from spreading into a wildfire in the canopy of the heavy forest.
