Xcel Texas Wildfire Legal Reckoning to Take Years to Play Out

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(Bloomberg) — Xcel Energy Inc. will likely be wrangling for years with the legal fallout from the wildfires burning through the Texas Panhandle.

The experience of utility companies in California and Oregon sued over massive blazes sparked by downed power lines shows that litigation takes at least three years to play out. 

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That would put Xcel — which was hit last week with the first suit over the worst wildfire in Texas history — on track to still be fighting claims in 2027. RBC Capital Markets has estimated liabilities of less than $3 billion for the Smokehouse Creek Fire, which has charred more than 1 million acres and resulted in at least two deaths.