PacifiCorp Agrees to Pay out $299 Million in Labor Day Fire Lawsuit

PacifiCorp has agreed to pay millions in a civil lawsuit settlement alleging the company bares some responsibility for the 2020 wildfires in Oregon.

Firefighters watch the Bear Fire approach in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region.They work 50 hours at a stretch and sleep on gymnasium floors. Exploding trees shower them with embers. They lose track of time when the sun is blotted out by smoke, and they sometimes have to run for their lives from advancing flames. Firefighters trying to contain the massive wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington state are constantly on the verge of exhaustion as they try to save suburban houses, including some in their own neighborhoods. AP Photo/Noah Berger

Electricity company PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $299 million to some of the victims affected by the 2020 wildfires in southern Oregon, ending one of several lawsuits alleging the utility is partly responsible for the destruction.

In a Dec. 5 press release, PacifiCorp said it had reached a nearly $300 million settlement agreement with 463 plaintiffs impacted by the 2020 Archie Creek fire in Douglas County, Oregon. In an accompanying statement, the company said the “safety of our employees, customers and communities remains our top priority.”