Nearly two dozen property owners near Paradise filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging the River Road East Fire was started by a railcar. The fire burned a little over 17,000 acres near Paradise and destroyed around 15 homes in August.
Plaintiffs allege that BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link may be liable for the fire. They argue that witnesses and a fire expert believe that fire was started near the tracks because of deferred maintenance. They say that many maintenance issues can throw sparks into nearby vegetation.
It’s unclear which railway could be held liable. Montana Rail Link maintains the tracks, while BNSF utilizes them for railcars.
Neither rail company responded to a request for comment by deadline.
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There were 24 active large fire incidents in the state as of Tuesday morning. Multiple regions in the state are using significant firefighting resources as the state remains in level 3 preparedness. -
The River Road East fire burned dozens of buildings near Paradise. The fire's activity was temporarily tampered down, but the incident is far from full containment. -
This week’s rain and cool temperatures won't last long. More seasonally hot weather is just around the corner and the potential for new wildfires to start remains high. -
Rain has slowed the spread of the River Road East Fire that has burned down structures and more than 16,000 acres near the town of Paradise. -
The Sanders County Sheriff's Office issued new evacuation information Saturday afternoon for residents and visitors near the River Road East Fire burning about 12,000 acres near the town of Paradise.
