Nevada's attorney general is recommending approval of a $25 million settlement with homeowners and others who sought more than $300 million in damages from the state after a prescribed burn escaped and destroyed 24 homes south of Reno.
Lawyers for 105 plaintiffs who sued the Nevada Division of Forestry told a judge last month they had reached a tentative settlement that would require approval by the three-member state Board of Examiners.
A trial to determine the amount of damages had been scheduled for December after a jury found the state guilty of gross negligence last year when strong winds reignited a smoldering prescribed burn in 2016.
Gov. Steve Sisolak, the board chairman, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske are expected to approve the $25 million settlement agreement when the panel meets Thursday in Carson City.
"Based on my investigation of the claims and my evaluation of the costs of litigation and a possible adverse outcome, the settlement is in the best interest of the state," Ford wrote in a memo included in the board's agenda packet.