A California utility has agreed to pay the federal government $82.5 million stemming from an enormous 2020 wildfire that churned through mountains northeast of Los Angeles and into the Mojave Desert.

The U.S. government had filed a lawsuit against SCE in 2023, alleging negligence that caused the wildfire, which burned nearly 180 square miles (466.2 square kilometers) in one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County.

LOS ANGELES — Southern California Edison has agreed to pay $82.5 million to cover costs and damages from the 2020 Bobcat fire, what federal officials are calling a record settlement for one of the largest blazes in Los Angeles County.