California utility pays $22 million to settle federal claims over 2016 wildfire

Southern California Edison and two other companies have paid $22 million to settle U.S. government claims that they caused a 2016 wildfire that burned thousands of acres of national forest. The Department of Justice announced Friday that the money agreed to in May has been paid by Edison, Frontier Communications and a tree-trimming service that Edison used. The companies didn't admit any wrongdoing. The money covers costs of and damage from the Rey Fire, which was sparked when a tree knocked down a power line and communications lines. The fire burned more than 50 square miles of land north of Santa Barbara, much of it in the Los Padres National Forest.