LOS ANGELES – Edison, in southern California, has reached a record $82.5 million settlement with the United States to settle claims arising from the 2020 bobcat fire in the Angels National Forest, announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The US government in September 2023 claimed it was one of the largest wildfires ever in Los Angeles County, arguing that the tree maintenance contractors that contacted the power line and caused the flames were unable to properly maintain it.
The Bobcatfire caught fire in September 2020, burning more than 114,000 acres (usually 175 square miles), of which nearly 100,000 acres were found in the Angeles National Forest.
“This record-breaking settlement with Edison in Southern California provides meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the widespread costs of fighting the bobcat fire and widespread damage to public land,” said Bill Essay, the California Central District, in a statement. “My office will continue to actively pursue restraint costs and environmental damages from any entities that harm public forests and other valuable national resources.”
The utility agreed to pay the settlement without acknowledging fraud or negligence.
Gabriela Ornelas, a spokeswoman for SoCal Edison, said public safety remains a priority for businesses.
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“Our minds lie with people affected by Bobcatfire,” she told City News Service. “We are pleased to have resolved this issue and will continue to advance wildfire mitigation measures to further increase public safety and resilience.”
The US has recognised the U.S. Forest Service against SoCal Edison and Utility Tree Services to recover the costs of fighting wildfires and filed a lawsuit for large-scale damages caused by the forest.
The wildfire began on September 6, 2020 and caused more than three times the amount of planted acreage caused by the combined Eaton and Palisade wildfires.
The fire has closed over 100 miles of trails and numerous campsites for many years. The DOJ also said the federal government had detrimental effects on habitat and wildlife, including yellow-footed frogs in the endangered wildlife mountains, fish and birds threatened by the federal government, and irreplaceable cultural and heritage resources.
The settlement is considered the largest US wildfire cost recovery in history in the region.
The Forest Service maintained fire extinguishing costs of more than $56 million, resulting in more than $65 million in real estate and natural resources damage, according to the complaint.
“Forest Service Investigators have determined that a bobcat fire was ignited due to a tree that is in contact with power lines (conductors) owned and operated by SCE and maintained by UTS,” the lawsuit states. “The contact caused vegetation to ignite on the branches and fell onto the ground and spread out.”
The wildfires destroyed 171 structures and 178 vehicles, destroyed 47 structures, and led to extensive evacuation of homes. It took several weeks to put out the fire.
In 2021, the California Governor’s Office announced approval of refunds of more than $50,000 to cover the damages to Arcadia and Monrovia due to the fire.
The funding helped cover the costs of the construction of an engineering and parking lot at the entrance to Canyon Park in Monrovia, as well as the costs of the labor and equipment to remove nutrient debris from Wilderness Park in Arcadia, according to a statement from Cal OES.
SoCal Edison agreed to pay a $82.5 million settlement by July 14th.
“We are grateful to receive these settlement funds, which has taken an important step towards recovery and recovery,” said Tony Martinez, Associate Forest Director of Angeles National Forest. “These resources will help rehabilitate burned areas, restore wildlife habitats and strengthen forest resilience to future wildfires.”
