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.
“This record settlement against Southern California Edison provides meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the Bobcat Fire and for the widespread damage to public lands,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue recovery for suppression costs and environmental damages from any entity that causes harm to the public’s forests and other precious national resources.”
The utility agreed to pay the settlement without admitting wrongdoing or fault.
SoCal Edison spokeswoman Gabriela Ornelas said public safety remains a company priority.
“Our hearts are with the people who were affected by the Bobcat Fire,” she told City News Service. “We are pleased to have resolved this matter and will continue to advance wildfire mitigation measures to further enhance public safety and resiliency.”
The U.S. filed suit on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service against SoCal Edison and Utility Tree Service to recover costs incurred fighting the wildfire and for the extensive damages caused to the forest.
The wildfire started on Sept. 6, 2020, and resulted in more than three times the acreage damage caused by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires combined.
The fire caused years of closure of more than 100 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds. It also had a detrimental impact on habitats and wildlife, including to the federally endangered wildlife-mountain yellow-legged frog, federally threatened fish and birds, and irreplaceable cultural and heritage resources, according to the DOJ.
The settlement is considered the largest-ever wildfire cost recovery by the U.S. in the region.
