A Black Saturday class action involving thousands of Victorians is set to start this week. Source: AAP
THOUSANDS of Victorians are beginning their fight for compensation from groups they blame for the most destructive blaze of the Black Saturday bushfires.
Lead plaintiff Carol Matthews is joined by an estimated 10,000 members in claiming energy provider SPI Electricity's faulty equipment ignited the Kilmore East/King Lake bushfire in February 2009.
The fire killed 119 people, destroyed 1200 homes and caused an estimated $1 billion worth of damage.
The group is also suing Utility Services Corporation Limited, which was contracted by SPI to maintain the line, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) for allegedly failing to reduce fuel loads.
The CFA and Victoria Police are also facing allegations from Mrs Matthews that they failed to give appropriate warnings about the bushfire.
All the defendants deny the allegations and are fighting the claims.
The size of the action, which starts on Monday, has seen the Victorian government fund a purpose built courtroom to accommodate the teams of barristers, dozens of expert witnesses and large numbers of people interested in attending the trial.
The thousands involved directly in the class action will also be able to watch the proceedings streamed live on the internet.
Openings in the trial will begin in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday morning with the case expected to run for nine months.
The Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009 killed 173 people.
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