HELENA (AP) -- A civil jury found a landowner's disposal of charcoal briquettes made him liable for a 2000 wildfire that destroyed two homes and other buildings west of Canyon Ferry Reservoir.
Jurors ruled Brent Johnson and his insurance company, State Farm, are liable for more than $590,000 in damages. Insurers Pacific Indemnity and Federal Insurance sued to recover the sum that they paid to three homeowners after the 9,400-acre blaze.
Johnson declined to comment on the jury's finding and his attorney, Dennis Clark, said he doesn't know whether an appeal will be filed.
``I have no idea what we'll do next, at this point,'' Clark said.
The seven-member jury's decision came after three days of testimony before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby.
Johnson's family and friends told of a July 22, 2000, afternoon barbecue at the rural residence east of Helena. The next afternoon Johnson piled ashes and briquettes on his driveway. Within an hour, Johnson and his friends smelled something burning, which was the start of the 10-day Bucksnort fire.
Opposing attorneys presented contradicting evidence over how many hours the briquettes would remain a fire hazard. An investigation concluded that the coals were the fire's probable cause. No criminal charges were filed because the fire didn't meet legal requirements for a negligent arson charge.
While testimony indicated Johnson at first admitted starting the fire to a neighbor, his attorney characterized that admission as a ``knee-jerk reaction to a horrible situation.''
Information from: Independent Record
