Lumber company agrees to pay over $200K for El Dorado County wildfire
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- Sierra Pacific Industries agreed to pay $204K for Cold Fire wildfire damages.
- Fire investigators traced the 2021 blaze to slash piles on company property.
- Federal prosecutors emphasized corporate accountability for wildfire damage.
A forest products company has agreed to pay the federal government more than $200,000 to resolve a claim for damages from a 2021 wildfire that burned 29 acres in El Dorado County, prosecutors said.
Sierra Pacific Industries agreed to pay $204,284.42 for damages from the Cold Fire, which burned acres that included land in the El Dorado National Forest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento announced Thursday in a news release.
The wildfire ignited on Jan. 19, 2021, on Sierra Pacific Industries land in El Dorado County. Prosecutors said U.S. Forest Service fire investigators determined the fire started in one of the company’s timber slash piles that escaped containment during windy conditions.
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Forester Jason Kuiken said these types of settlements for damages “are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires.”
The settlement reached are allegations only, prosecutors said, and there has been no determination of liability.
“Our office will continue to hold individuals and corporations responsible for damages caused by wildfires,” Acting U.S. Michele Attorney Beckwith said in the news release. “Every fire impacting federal lands, no matter the size, is a priority.”
