Orange County sheriff and fire authorities released a joint statement June 9 disputing a recently published article by the Orange County Register that “called into question” the agencies’ response to the 200-acre Coastal fire, which destroyed 20 homes and damaged 11 others last month.
Signed by Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy and Sheriff Don Barnes, the statement called out the Register, who they say “relied heavily on the opinion” of retired OC Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Bill Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, who ran the department’s aviation team but was transferred due to “performance issues,” according to the authorities, told the Register that local authorities’ response to the devastating fire on May 11 was “negligent.”…