A wildland firefighter badly burned in the 2015 Twisp River blaze has reached a $5 million settlement with two utility companies that he had sued for allegedly failing to keep branches away from a power line that state officials concluded caused the ignition.
The civil suit that resulted in the settlement was filed by Daniel Lyon Jr., the sole survivor of a four-person engine crew overcome by the Twisp River fire. The settlement came just before the state Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments on the case, which sought to overturn a legal doctrine that largely prevents professional first-responders from seeking damages.
Steve Bulzomi, an attorney representing Lyon, said it is highly unusual for a firefighter in Washington to be able to recover any damages because such cases are usually dismissed.