San Diego Utility Pays City $27 Million For Fires

An electric utility said Tuesday that it agreed to pay the city of San Diego, Calif. $27 million to settle claims over 2007 wildfires that devastated wide sections of the city. San Diego Gas & Electric Co.’s payment will reimburse the city for costs of firefighting, property damage and loss of lease revenue, the city attorney’s office said. It does not affect pending claims by homeowners and businesses. The settlement, announced as wildfires spread in the drought-stricken West, removes one of the utility’s highest-profile plaintiffs but represents only a tiny fraction of total claims.