Edison To Pay Federal Government $80 Million For Thomas Fire Costs And Damages

Monday February 26, 2024

(2017 file photos of Thomas Fire. Top is from VC Air Unit copter responding to fire, bottom is from KVTA's Alex Wilson)

     The United States Justice Department (DOJ) said Monday that Southern California Edison has agreed to pay the United States Government $80 million to resolve claims on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service to recoup costs and damages associated with the 2017 Thomas Fire in the Los Padres National Forest.

     The fire broke out at two locations in Santa Paula Canyon and the Upper Ojai on the evening of December 4, 2017 and burned more than 280,000 acres including more than 150,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest in both Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

     The DOJ lawsuit puts blame for the fire's "two starts" on SCE equipment.

     As part of the settlement, however, Edison does not admit wrongdoing.

     Edison has to pay the money in the next 60 days.

     This lawsuit and settlement does not involve any liability, costs, or damages caused by the fire to private property or any other government entity or public property outside of the Los Padres National Forest.

     More than 1,000 structures, most of them residences and other private property in Ventura County, were destroyed by the fire that also claimed two lives.

     And this does not address the deadly Montecito mud flow in January of 2018 that claimed almost two dozen lives and destroyed dozens of structures.