Southern California Edison agrees to $80 million settlement over 2017 Thomas Fire ignitions

LOS ANGELES, Calif.– Southern California Edison has agreed to an $80 million settlement to resolve claims connected to the 2017 Thomas Fire the Justice Department announced on Monday.

Southern California Edison agreed to pay the settlement without admitting wrongdoing or fault and will pay the total within 60 days of the effective date of the agreement, Feb. 23 detail the settlement provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

The settlement that was finalized on Friday is the largest wildfire cost recovery settlement by the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California state the Department of Justice.

The Thomas fire burned more than 280,000 acres including 150,000 acres of National Forest System lands in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and the intent of the settlement is to recoup damages and costs on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service explain the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

On Dec. 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire ignited in two locations, one in Anlauf Canyon north of Santa Paula and at the top of Koenigstein Road in Upper Ojai detail the Department of Justice.

The United States filed its lawsuit against Southern California Edison in 2020 to recover costs from fighting the fire and the extensive damage to the Los Padres National Forest state the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

The lawsuit alleged that Southern California Edison (SCE) owned, maintained, and operated power lines that caused both ignitions.

In Anlauf Canyon, the Department of Justice alleged in the lawsuit that SCE power lines made contact with each other during a high-wind event which then caused heated material to ignite dry vegetation below the conductors.

According to the lawsuit, the Department of Justice alleged that an SCE power pole transformer failed and caused an energized power line to fall into dry vegetation on the ground causing the second ignition.

“This record settlement provides significant compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the Thomas Fire and for the widespread damage to public lands,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue compensation from any entity that causes harm to our forests and other precious national resources.”