Tea Fire Civil Suits Merged

A judge on 5/11 granted a motion to consolidate the civil lawsuits of Lance and Carla Hoffman and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection against the “Tea Fire Ten,” the 10 people alleged to have started the November 2008 fire which burned dozens of homes and severely injured the Hoffmans. One of the defendants, against the objection of the Hoffmans, requested the two cases be consolidated, arguing the central issues would be the same—whether the bonfire held by the 10 defendants led to the Tea Fire.