Homeowners in Valley Fire Respond to CalFire Report

COBB, Calif., Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Haight, Brown & Bonesteel:

We extend our sincere sympathy to those who experienced losses as a result of the Valley Fire.

We are grateful to the heroic firemen who risked everything to attempt to contain this fire.

We have reviewed Cal Fire's conclusions on the cause and origin of the fire. Unfortunately, there remain many unanswered questions and, through no fault of our own, we have been denied the ability to do our own independent investigation.

No owners or authorized persons were on our property at the time the fire was first reported. An eyewitness reported that a vehicle not previously seen on the property, entered our property just before the fire broke out.  It was parked next to our house, within feet of where Cal Fire now suggests the fire broke out.  Moreover, the physical damage to our property is not consistent with Cal Fire's fire theory, neither are documented multiple points of origin in the neighborhood.

We are disappointed Cal Fire has denied us access to evidence from our house and the property around our house that it seized. This effectively prevents us from examining critical evidence that may help to explain how and why the fire started.

We wish we could respond very specifically to Cal Fire's conclusions. That is the reason we filed a motion with the court to allow us to examine and evaluate the seized evidence.

Cindy and John Pinch

SOURCE Haight, Brown & Bonesteel