Forest Service Isn’t Liable for Wyoming Roosevelt Fire Response

The US Forest Service wasn’t liable for the way it handled a major fire in Wyoming in 2018, a federal appellate court said Friday.

Thee US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said that the USFS response to the Roosevelt Fire, which burned more than 60,000 acres, falls under the discretionary function exception of the Federal Tort Claims Act. Under that exception, a government actor can’t be sued if an official used judgment or choice in responding to the situation.

The appellate court affirmed the district court’s holding that the exception stripped it of jurisdiction to hear the ...