A settlement awarded $20 million to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to remedy the damage caused by the 2011 Bastrop wildfires that destroyed over 1,500 homes and killed two people, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced Wednesday.
The wildfires that burned over 96% of Bastrop State Park were caused by the failure of Asplundh Tree Expert to properly manage vegetation growth, Paxton said.
"The Bastrop wildfire was unquestionably a tragedy that took a terrible toll on the local community, Bastrop State Park, and the unique ecology of the Lost Pines," said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director. "This landmark settlement will go a long way to help recover the state park and its wildlife and plant communities."
The 2011 fire shaped how firefighters respond to fires today, according to NBC's Austin affiliate KXAN.
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After a minor, 25-acre wildfire was contained in Aug. 2020, KXAN reported that firefighters learned from the fire of 2011.
