The United States government announced Thursday that it is suing Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the largest electric utility companies in the nation, for tens of millions of dollars for its alleged negligence in the Eaton and Fairview wildfires.

The deadly fires burned tens of thousands of acres of National Forest System lands, killed a total of 21 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in its news release.

“The lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence resulting in death, destruction, and tens of millions of federal taxpayer dollars spent to clean up one utility company’s mistakes,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli.

The lawsuit is seeking more than $40 million in damages caused by the Jan. 7,

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