LOS ANGELES—Southern California Edison has reached a record $82.5 million settlement with the United States to resolve claims stemming from the 2020 Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
The U.S. government sued SoCal Edison in September 2023, alleging in Los Angeles federal court that the Bobcat Fire—one of the largest wildfires ever in Los Angeles County—was caused by the failure of the utility and its tree maintenance contractor to properly maintain trees that came into contact with power lines and caused the blaze.
The Bobcat Fire ignited in September 2020 and scorched more than 114,000 acres—nearly 175 square miles—of which nearly 100,000 acres were in the Angeles National Forest….