Southern California will pay a record price for the settlement of a lawsuit claiming that the utility caused a huge fire in Los Angeles Province.
Edison agreed to pay 82.5 million dollars, the largest settlement by the United States in the central region of California, for its role in the Boubakat fire, which burned more than 80 days and set 116,000 acres in the fall of 2020.
The federal government claimed that the fire arose on September 6, 2020, when the trees touched with SCE. Prosecutors accused Edison and his tree maintenance contractor of not maintaining these trees properly to prevent potential torches.
The fire burned about 175 square miles, primarily in the National Mountains of Angeles and San Gabriel Mountains, and caused widespread damage to public lands and habitats for several types of federal reserve.
The fire also destroyed 171 structures, 47 others were attached, and the total of 178 vehicles, and I explained thousands of the population while it was fixing a lot of southern California under a thick cloud of smoke.
More than 100 miles of corridors and multiple national forest camps have been closed for years by Bobcat Fire, which has grown to be one of the largest and most expensive fires in the history of the boycott.
The settlement with SCE will help the federal government to recover the costs of fire fighting, which is estimated at more than $ 100 million.
As part of the agreement, Edison did not recognize a mistake or any violations.
“We are grateful to receive these settlement funds, which represent an important step towards recovery and restoration,” said Tony Martinez, Deputy Supervisor of the National Forests in Angeles. “These resources will help us rehabilitate the burning areas, restore wildlife habitats, and enhance our forests to future forest fires.”
The settlement was agreed on May 14, and Edison will have 60 days from that date to complete its payments, according to the US Department of Justice.