California Utility to Pay $2B Settlement in Deadly 2018 Wildfire

Woolsey Fire killed three people and damaged over 1,600 structures

 

FILE – In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, SoCal Edison trucks arrive at the site of a transformer tower in Sylmar, Calif., suspected of being responsible for starting the Saddleridge fire. Southern California Edison will pay $2.2 billion to settle insurance claims from a deadly, destructive wildfire sparked by its equipment in 2018, the utility announced Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa, File)

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California Edison will pay $2.2 billion to settle insurance claims from a deadly, destructive wildfire sparked by its equipment in 2018, the utility announced Monday.

See also  Wildfires Cause Evacuations in California, Oregon

Edison, which acknowledged no wrongdoing, said the agreement covers all claims in pending lawsuits from insurance companies related to the Woolsey fire, which blackened 151 square miles (391 square kilometers) of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Three people died in the November 2018 fire, and more than 1,600 homes and other buildings were destroyed.

In addition, Edison said it has finalized settlements from the December 2017 Thomas fire and mudslides a month later on land that burned.

“We have made another significant step toward resolving pending wildfire-related litigation,” Edison CEO Pedro Pizarro said in the statement.

Total expected losses for the 2017 and 2018 events are estimated to be $4.6 billion, the utility statement said.

See also  Initial Fire Attack in the 70’s

“The settlement was fair to all and consistent with prior cases against Edison and other utilities,” Craig Simon, co-lead counsel for the insurance companies, said in a statement to the Ventura County Star.

Investigations determined Edison equipment sparked both the Woolsey and Thomas fires. In recent years, utility equipment has been blamed for multiple wildfires across the state.

The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, was forced into bankruptcy in 2019 after facing liability for devastating blazes in Northern California.

All contents © copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Topics

Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletter

Stay in the loop with our wildland newsletter.

Woolsey Fire killed three people and damaged over 1,600 structures     LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California Edison will pay $2.2 billion to settle insurance claims from a deadly, destructive wildfire sparked by its equipment in 2018, the utility announced Monday. Edison, which acknowledged no wrongdoing, said the agreement covers all claims in pending […]

Get The Wildland Firefighter Newsletter

Related Articles

Feds Now Want Employees on Leave to Help Fight Wildfires

Feds Now Want Employees on Leave to Help Fight Wildfires

Bob Timmons - Star Tribune (TNS) Wary of wildfire threats, the U.S. Forest Service is asking as many as 1,400 employees who left the agency in recent months to help fight wildfires this summer. The request is to employees who resigned amid the Trump administration’s...

Cal Fire Sues PG&E Over Napa’s Old Fire

Cal Fire Sues PG&E Over Napa’s Old Fire

BARRY EBERLING - Napa Valley Register, Calif. Cal Fire in court papers said Pacific Gas and Electric owes it $1.8 million for dealing with the May 2022 Old Fire in Napa County, which it alleged was sparked by arcing wires. The state Department of Forestry and Fire...