Comparing the state's firefighting actions to "Keystone Cops,'' the attorney for Yarnell residents who lost their homes in the 2013 blaze wants the Court of Appeals to let them sue the state. At a hearing Wednesday, David Abney acknowledged it may be an open question of whether the Forestry Division, which was initially battling the fire on state land, had an obligation to protect the residents of the community. But Abney said the agency, which was coordinating various local, state and federal efforts, voluntarily took on that duty. And having done that, he told the judges, it had an obligation to do it right. Abney's arguments have so far failed to get his clients their day in court. Last year, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama threw out their lawsuits. He concluded that the state, in fighting the fire on public lands, had no duty to specifically protect Yarnell residents and their property.