The U.S. government on Friday sued Southern California Edison, accusing the Edison International unit of negligence that contributed to the 2020 Bobcat wildfire in Los Angeles County, California.

In a complaint filed in federal court, the United States said the fire was caused by the failure of the utility and a contractor to properly maintain trees that came into contact with power lines.

The fire began on Sept. 6, 2020, and burned more than 114,577 acres (46,368 hectares) over the next 2-1/2 months, the complaint said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)