CALIFORNIA BRIEFING
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A federal jury Wednesday ordered two construction companies to pay nearly $36.5 million to reimburse the government for costs connected with a 2002 wildfire that scorched the Angeles National Forest.
The bulk of the money -- $28.8 million -- is to compensate the federal government for environmental damage.
The award is the largest ever in a federal firefighting cost-recovery case and marks the first time that a jury has awarded damages for environmental damage caused by a wildfire, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
The weeklong trial stemmed from a lawsuit filed last year by the U.S. attorney’s office against two Texas-based firms -- CB&I; Constructors and the now-defunct Merco Construction Engineers. The 23,400-acre Copper fire near Saugus was started by sparks from a welder’s torch. Nine homes were lost in the blaze.
-- Robert J. Lopez
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