Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Jan. 19, accusing Asplundh Tree Expert Company of neglect in connection to the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire.
The claim is that the company, contracted by Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative (BEC), neglected to keep easements around local powerlines away from trees, which thus lead to the fire. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is seeking over $1 million in damages for repairs, replanting and habitat migration in the Bastrop State Park.
According to a press release from the office of the attorney general, the tree company has a storm center for tracking weather patterns that deploys employees for emergency storm restoration. The lawsuit alleges that it failed to send requested crew at a critical period.
“Six years after the tragic fire, the Bastrop State Park is still living with the consequences of blatant neglect, and wildlife has decreased dramatically,” Attorney General Paxton said. “My office will not stand by and allow the party who could have prevented this destruction to shirk responsibility.”
The Bastrop Complex Fire burned over 32,400 acres over a month in Bastrop County, killed two people and destroyed 1,696 residential and commercial structures.
KVUE reached out to Asplundh Tree Expert Company for a statement, but did not receive a response by Friday evening.
