Xcel Energy and other defendants said Wednesday they are settling a massive lawsuit from victims of the 2021 Marshall fire just ahead of a major trial, with Xcel saying it will pay $640 million without admitting any fault. Xcel included Qwest Corp. and Teleport Communications America in announcing the settlement with plaintiffs, insurance companies and public entities hurt by the fire.
Hundreds of plaintiffs who lost their homes in the 2021 fire, as well as nearly 200 insurance companies, were set Thursday to try to prove in District Court in Boulder that a faulty Xcel Energy power line was a source of the blaze.
The Marshall fire was Colorado’s most devastating wildfire, as the Dec. 30, 2021, blaze burned 6,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and commercial buildings and left two people dead.
