Arash Mosaleh - Channel 2 News
Channel 2 learned Wednesday night that a class action lawsuit is in the beginning stages, brought on by the devastating Angora Fire.
The blaze destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe in June. Many South Lake residents blamed the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's regulations for making matters worse. The TRPA has said in the past they're working to make things easier for people to protect themselves from fire and create defensible space.
On Wednesday evening, Channel 2 Anchor Bill Brown sat down with realtor Sue Abrams, a longtime South Lake Tahoe resident. Her home is still standing, only because she says she broke the law to create enough defensible space around her home. Abrams said a lawsuit is in the works against the U.S. Forest Service and the TRPA.
"It's 25 years of ordinances and 25 years of negligence that have taken place on the California side of the lake," Abrams told Bill Brown in an interview for the KTVN program Face the State. "And I think this will come out in court and I do believe that we will determine that it was preventable."
TRPA spokesperson Julie Regan points out no suit has been filed yet and says she'll be surprised if it happens.
"As far as TRPA is concerned," Regan says, "our rules do not prevent any one from doing defensible space work or tree removal."
While TRPA generally allows homeowners to clear trees considered fire hazards, a guide on the agency's website (click here to see it) does tell Tahoe homeowners to keep one to two inches of pine needles covering bare ground.
On page 47, the landscaping guide points out that homeowners should not leave more than two inches of dead needles, however, as that would "create an unacceptable fire risk."
The guide does say homeowners should clear ALL pine needles within five feet of their home or under decks.
TRPA officials say they're reviewing all agency policies to see if any changes should be made, but point out there will always be a level of fire risk when living in a forest.
Abrams told KTVN she's already been in contact with lawyers in Washington, D.C. who've sued the U.S. Forest Service in the past.
Abrams says the next step is to drum up support through a community meeting in the near future.
You can catch the full interview with Sue Abrams on Face the State on Sunday, August 12 at 6:30 am and 4 pm on KTVN Channel 2 News.
