On July 5 Wildfire Today told you about Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg’s lawsuit against the Billings Fire Department over the loss of trees and ground cover on his property during an 1,100-acre fire in 2008. On Tuesday Representative Rehberg issued a statement that sounds like he is trying to diffuse criticism over his decision to sue the city. He is up for re-election and may be getting nervous about how this may affect his chances in the November election.
Here is Rehberg’s statement, taken from his U. S. Government web site:
It’s unfortunate that some folks are mischaracterizing this situation for political gain. The appreciation I expressed to the front-line firefighters back in 2008 is the same appreciation I feel today. Jan and I have the deepest respect for firefighters and the dangerous work they do here in Billings. We continue to be very thankful for their bravery and skill.
It appears that Representative Rehberg “appreciates” and “respects” the firefighters so much that he has filed a lawsuit against the fire department, hoping to put some cash in his pocket.
The news release also has a statement from his attorney that said during the fire there was a “withdrawal of firefighters from an existing fire scene during high temperature and high wind conditions”, and firefighters “carelessly abandoned the scene of a fire that it had not adequately suppressed during hot and windy conditions”. They infer that this led to additional acres being burned on Rehberg’s property.
An article in the Billings Gazette said the City plans to contest the lawsuit, rather than pay Representative Rehberg a cash settlement. Here is an excerpt:
According to the complaint, the manager of Rehberg Ranch LLC was told by the Fire Department that firefighters would be present at the fire scene on July 4 to control any flare-ups brought on by the hot and dry weather conditions.
Instead, personnel left the scene before noon and the fire re-ignited, escalating to an “out-of-control blaze before the Billings Fire Department could return,” the complaint alleges.
The resulting wildfire was reported to the north of Rehberg Ranch and forced the evacuation of about 40 homes within a 1.5-mile radius of Night Hawk Road and Lone Eagle Drive, according to Gazette records.
Volek said Fire Department personnel were working overtime to deal with multiple fires in that area and elsewhere that were stoked by dangerous weather conditions.
“This was on July the Fourth in a very hot time,” Volek said. “The temperatures were around 100 that day and we also had other fires and fireworks going on at that time. The city was fully occupied.”
Rehberg’s opponent in the November election, Dennis McDonald, said in a press release:
Homes were saved, lives saved, and trees and grasslands were protected. These heroes deserve a huge ‘thank you,’ not a Rehberg lawsuit.
UPDATE @ 8:34 a.m. July 7
We searched the archives at the Billings Gazette found more information about the fire.
Continue reading “Followup on Montana Representative’s lawsuit against Billings Fire Department”
