PG&E Fire Victims Fight FEMA Over Multibillion-Dollar Payout (3)

Victims of wildfires blamed on PG&E Corp.’s power lines and government agencies that provided them disaster relief are tussling over a payout from the bankrupt utility.

PG&E reached a settlement with fire victims to pay a total of $13.5 billion for damages tied to catastrophic blazes. California’s emergency services office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, want more than $6 billion -- payouts that victims’ attorneys said Thursday would leave less money for those directly affected by the fires.

Every dollar that FEMA and California’s agency receive “is one less dollar available to pay victims,” ...