Southern California Edison has reached an $80 million settlement with the US Forest Service concerning the 2017 Thomas Fire, once California‘s largest modern wildfire.
The federal lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that the utility’s power lines sparked the blaze, which scorched over 280,000 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, claiming two lives and destroying over 1,000 structures.
The settlement, finalized on Friday, requires Southern California Edison to pay the amount without admitting wrongdoing. It aims to compensate for firefighting expenses and damage inflicted on Los Padres National Forest, with over 150,000 acres of National Forest System land affected.
Joseph McNally, First Assistant US Attorney, highlighted the significance of the settlement, emphasizing compensation for taxpayers and acknowledging the extensive costs incurred in combatting the Thomas Fire.
Southern California Edison echoed this sentiment, describing the resolution as reasonable while reaffirming its commitment to wildfire mitigation through grid hardening and operational improvements.
The utility had previously acknowledged the possibility of its equipment igniting the Thomas Fire in 2018. Despite being California’s largest wildfire at the time, the Thomas Fire now ranks eighth on the state’s list of largest wildfires since 1932, according to state fire officials.
This settlement adds to a series of multimillion-dollar agreements and penalties involving utilities and wildfires. In 2019, Southern California Edison agreed to a $360 million settlement for wildfires, including the Woolsey Fire, while PG&E faced fines for the Dixie Fire and the 2019 Kincade Fire.
As California grapples with increasingly severe wildfires, these settlements underscore the accountability utilities face for their role in fire incidents while also highlighting the ongoing efforts to mitigate wildfire risks in the state.
