An Upland-based company that started a 2021 wildfire that burned hundreds of acres and damaged dozens of properties has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of negligence, the Justice Department announced.
Garrett John Gentry and his company, Garrett J. Gentry General Engineering Inc., paid the settlement on Jan. 22, resulting in a case dismissal.
Gentry was operating an excavator on Aug. 25, 2021, to assess the viability of developing a commercial property on Lytle Creek Road in Fontana when the steel treads of the excavator ignited dry vegetation in a rocky area, sparking what would become the South fire, according to the federal complaint.
“Gentry Engineering and Gentry were aware of the danger of a rock strike by the excavator and failed to take action to prevent a fire,” the lawsuit alleges.
The wildfire took 275 firefighters eight days to contain. The fire ultimately burned more than 680 acres, including approximately 450 acres within the San Bernardino National Forest. It also destroyed nine homes and businesses and damaged 28 others, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The $2.5-million settlement resolves all civil claims brought by the United States and does not constitute an admission of liability.
Gentry Engineering did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Historically, most of California’s wildfires are caused by humans or their equipment, according to Cal Fire.
In 2024, thousands of Orange County residents were forced to flee from a wildfire after an employee of the county’s public works department used heavy equipment to try to move a rock on a hot, windy day, sparking the Airport fire.
In October 2024 in Ventura County, the Balcom fire was started by a tractor running on a hot day. That blaze was eventually contained but restarted about a week later and grew into the Mountain fire, causing additional destruction.
