Lawsuit: In-N-Out responsible for 2017 California wildfire
Drivers wait in the drive-thru line at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Alhambra, California, on August 30, 2018. - California's Democratic Party Chairman, Eric Bauman, is calling for a boycott of the Irvine, CA based fast food chain after it donated
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (AP) — Cal Fire alleges that fast food chain In-N-Out was responsible for a 2017 wildfire in rural Arroyo Grande, according to a lawsuit filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reports that Cal Fire claims the September 2017 wildfire was caused by a tractor mowing grass on In-N-Out property, saying it was covered in “dry annual grasses and scattered brush, which created a receptive bed of flammable vegetation.” The agency also claims the tractor was improperly maintained and the driver allowed the fire to spread.
Cal Fire is seeking roughly $1.2 million from the burger chain to recoup costs.
The fire burned about 245 acres in four days. In-N-Out did not respond to a request from The Tribune.