From Deseret News archives:

Boy Scouts settle Utah suit over 2002 fire

Published: Thursday, March 8, 2007 10:15 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
The ashes are now cooling over a controversial lawsuit filed by the state of Utah over a 14,000-acre wildfire started by a Boy Scout troop camping in the Uinta mountains.

The settlement requires the Boy Scouts of America to shell out more than $330,000 in cash and plant more than 9,000 tree seedlings on state land scorched by a Scout troop left unsupervised in 2002.

"They will institute education programs for Scouts and Scout leaders designed to prevent future fires," assistant Utah Attorney General Michael Johnson said Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed against the Boy Scouts of America and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2004. At the time, the state sought more than $600,000 in damages for putting out the fire that spread over state, federal and private lands near the East Fork of the Bear River Scout Camp in rural Summit County.

It mirrors a federal lawsuit filed at the same time, seeking to recover $13 million in damages.

"Our suit is related to the money that the state spent to put out the fire," Johnson said.

Story continues below
The lawsuits claim a group of about 20 Scouts from an LDS Church ward in Peoa were camping overnight for a merit badge for wilderness survival. The Scouts were left in the care of a pair of 15-year-old Boy Scout counselors who left the boys to sleep in a tent because "it looked like it might rain," the federal lawsuit alleges.

Despite a fire ban in place, authorities said the Scouts started numerous fires that were even outside designated fire areas. The counselors knew about the fires, the lawsuits claim.

"No reasonable quantity of water was present to suppress the Shelter 11 Fire, either where it was built, or if it escaped," the federal lawsuit said. "No reasonable type nor quantity of tools or fire-fighting equipment were available to suppress the Shelter 11 fire nor keep it from escaping."

After the Scouts broke camp on June 28, the fire flared up and spread — burning 14,208 acres of federal, state and private land in Summit County. Federal agencies estimate it cost them more than $13 million to put out the blaze.

In a twist, the Boy Scouts of America filed its own lawsuit, claiming "unknown Scouts, on their own free time" started a new fire that spread. The lawsuit filed against three unnamed people acknowledged that the Scouts were unsupervised. That complaint is wrapped up in the federal lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

You are the reason the republicans lost all power in the last election. I am...

Rather than knocking their heads together, just ignore them.

Letters: Talk-radio swindlers

Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of...

run Scott run!!!!

What exactly were Nephite interpreters?

ONe more thing. The use of the word Christ is also the wrong word to use as...

2 more in GOP may challenge Bennett

we have about 2/3 of the US senate as attorneys now. Do we need another one?...

Utah Jazz: Miles has cast removed

It's the Jazz coaching and play.

Letters: Gale's been taken in

I like to think of them as the "Pied Pipers of A.M.-land". Paid well to...

Hunter showed class and discipline when it appeared they were losing it in...

The CBO reported a tort reform would "save" $54 billion over 10 yrs. Many...

Advertisements
Advertisement