SCE wildfire fund to pay millions, fast-track death claims

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By Tim McLaughlin

(Reuters) -Southern California Edison said on Wednesday it would pay several million dollars each to families who lost loved ones in the January wildfires that scorched 14,000 acres in greater Los Angeles and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

The utility, owned by Edison International, said eligible individuals and businesses can now submit claims to receive payments and resolutions that include loss of life and property related to the Eaton Fire through its Wildlife Recovery Compensation Program.

The Eaton fire ripped through southern California in January 2025, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 single-family homes and other buildings.

Putting a figure on the loss of life proved to be one of the most challenging aspects to the program, Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“That’s a very challenging one because we know that life is precious,” Pizarro said.

SCE said the death claims will include payments for pain and suffering, economic losses and a direct claim premium of $5 million per decedent.

After getting input from the community, SCE expanded payment eligibility to properties damaged by ash and smoke, Pizarro said. Initially, there were about 12,000 properties eligible, but nearly 6,000 were added to that number, he said.

Another major change to the compensation program was a 50% increase in payments for each child affected by a destroyed home. Residents whose primary home was destroyed will receive $115,000 per adult and $75,000 per child.

Through the utility’s voluntary program, eligible residents will receive a settlement offer within 90 days of making a claim. Payments will be made within 30 days after all the conditions in the settlement agreement are satisfied.

There has been no official ruling on the cause of the fire. But SCE has acknowledged that circumstantial evidence suggests that one of the utility’s idled high-voltage transmission lines could have ignited the Eaton blaze amid winds that topped 100 mph in early January.

SCE has $1 billion of customer-funded self-insurance coverage available for Eaton-related claims. Losses in excess of that amount would be reimbursed through California’s Wildlife Insurance Fund, which has an estimated $22 billion.

SCE consulted with Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, and his colleague Camille Biros, on the design of the company’s wildfire fund.

Biros said the goal of the program is to get money to families as quickly as possible without additional imposition and problems.

“They’re already going through enough,” Biros said in a telephone interview. “With this program we reasonably get the money to a family that may be very much in need.”

(Reporting By Tim McLaughlin, Editing by Nick Zieminski)