Chico officials on Wednesday announced the city was awarded $43 million in compensation for acting as a hub for authorities responding to the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 homes and other buildings.
The compensation award came from the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Fire Victim Trust, which was established in July 2020 to pay wildfire claims from the utility company’s bankruptcy.
In June 2020, PG&E pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in connection with the Camp Fire that ravaged the small town of Paradise about 15 miles east of Chico. Much of Paradise was left in ruins. It was the deadliest wildfire in California’s history and the costliest disaster anywhere that year with total damages estimated at more than $16 billion.
Chico officials said the Camp Fire compensation largely stems from the destruction of city roads by tens of thousands of vehicles driven by emergency responders, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, utility companies, debris removal services, lumber companies and construction companies.
Payments will be made according to Fire Victim Trust’s proportional payment schedule. Chico officials expect about $21 million will be received next month as dictated by the bankruptcy court, according to a Chico news release.
“This money will help Chico continue to support the residents of Chico and Paradise,” Chico City Manager Mark Sorensen said in the news release. “As the center of response and recovery, we were proud to support Paradise and its residents during the most destructive wildfire in California’s history.”
In the months after the Camp Fire, Chico served as a base camp for Cal Fire, emergency responders, FEMA, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the town of Paradise, Paradise Unified School District, PG&E, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, AT&T, Comcast and several other private and public organizations.
