Wis. DNR bills loggers $600K over wildfire
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will bill a logging company more than $600,000 for starting a massive wildlife last year.
The blaze broke out in May 2012 in Douglas County. Shortly after firefighters contained the fire the DNR released a statement saying a logging crew started the fire. Prosecutors said there was no criminal intent.
The DNR released a statement on Monday, though, saying the crew had a fire suppression mechanism on their equipment that wasn't properly maintained and hadn't been tested.
DNR officials say the crew's company, Ray Duerr Logging, was negligent and should cover the cost of extinguishing the blaze, estimated at about $633,000.
A message left at a listing for the company wasn't immediately returned.
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