Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing utility Xcel Energy for “blatant negligence” that caused the largest wildfire in the Lone Star State’s recorded history.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire in February 2024 burned more than a million acres, killing cattle, wildlife and three people, and it caused more than a $1 billion in economic losses across the northeastern Texas Panhandle. Xcel has publicly acknowledged the wildfire started because of its utility pole.
Paxton, a Republican, said the “unfathomable destruction” of the fire was preventable.
“The company made false representations about its safety commitments and ignored warnings that its aging infrastructure needed immediate repair and to be updated. This created a substantial wildfire risk, which Xcel did nothing about,” said Paxton in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
