Two dozen people whose homes or businesses were damaged in the Poinsettia fire in May are suing a Carlsbad golf resort in San Diego County Superior Court.
The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges that Omni La Costa Resort & Spa should be held responsible because the fire appears to have started on the resort's property.
Investigators said the fire started on or near the seventh fairway of the resort's golf course, but they don't know how. Carlsbad Fire Chief Mike Davis told U-T San Diego:
"All leads have been followed up and the cause remains undetermined. We're at a standstill in our investigation. ... We just can't find anything that pinpoints a cause."
The lawsuit alleges that the Omni allowed the fire, which started on May 14, "to spread to neighboring properties ... by negligently and carelessly operating its equipment, failing to properly maintain its real property, and failing to act as a reasonably prudent person would act under the same or similar circumstances."
Attorney Gerald Singleton, who is representing the property owners suing Omni, told the U-T that the next step will be for all sides to meet on Dec. 11 to inspect equipment and review evidence.
The Omni has declined to comment, according to the U-T.
The Poinsettia fire blackened 600 acres and destroyed or significantly damaged eight single-family homes, two multi-family apartment buildings, two commercial buildings and one trailer. The fire was one of nearly a dozen that burned about 27,000 acres across San Diego County in May.
