Orange County faces claims for damages related to Airport Fire

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss next week in closed session two claims filed against the county related to the Airport Fire.

According to documents obtained by LAist via a public records request, a San Juan Capistrano resident filed a claim for property damages amounting to more than $2.3 million. The county also received a claim for around $1,000 for a resident’s hotel stay because of evacuation orders. A claim is often a precursor to a lawsuit.

The supervisors' meeting is set for Tuesday, Sept. 24.

The Airport Fire, which began Sept. 9, has burned more than 23,500 acres in the Santa Ana Mountains between Orange and Riverside counties. It began when Orange County Public Works employees moved boulders with heavy machinery during a heat wave in Trabuco Canyon, fire authorities said.

Fourteen people have been injured and more than 150 properties have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire. As of Thursday morning, the blaze was 41% contained.

How to file a claim

Residents wishing to file a claim against the county have six months to file from the date the damage was incurred.

Here’s how:

• If it is a claim related to personal injury or damage to property against the County of Orange, a claim form must be filled and mailed or hand delivered within six months to:
  
  • Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
    400 W. Civic Center Drive, 6th Floor
    Santa Ana, CA 92701
• All other claims have to be filed to the same address within one year.

Residents with damages to their property caused by the Airport Fire can also file for property tax relief.

• To apply, fill out this form and submit to the County Assessor’s office within 12 months from the time your property was damaged.