Suit filed over Taylor Bridge fire

YAKIMA – In what could be among the first of many lawsuits, a dozen Taylor Bridge Fire victims have filed a lawsuit against a state contractor and subcontractor working on the bridge where fire officials said the fire started.

Authorities who managed the fire, which burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 61 homes, said the August fire was started by construction work, possibly welding.

The state Department of Natural Resources is still investigating, department spokesman Bryan Flint said Wednesday.

The lawsuit alleges that the general contractor, Conway Construction, and the subcontractor, Rainier Steel Inc., didn’t take the proper precautions.