Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG  ) has announced that is has come to a settlement with the victims of California wildfires caused by PG&E's equipment. The settlement is set at $13.5 Billion.

Equipment owned and operated by PG&E was responsible for several devastating wildfires that have plagued California for the past few years. The California Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection both investigated PG&E and deduced that poorly maintained equipment was responsible for the devastating wildfires that have ravaged the state and left thousands of Californians homeless.

The bankrupt utilities giant came to the settlement after a tense two-year deliberation with lawyers representing the victims. The payout will be a combination of a cash payout and stock in the company, the latter causing dismay with many of the families. The decision to accept stock from PG&E is the only way that victims can be properly compensated without liquidating the company, which would result in little to no payout for victims. Lawyers for the families have stated, however, that the shares received from PG&E will be placed into a trust to be sold to third parties at a later date, and the proceeds distributed to the families. With regard to compensating the families, PG&E President Bill Johnson stated that "getting wildfire victims fairly compensated, especially the individuals, has been our primary goal."

The utilities giant filed bankruptcy in January after it was hit with over $30 Billion in claims from victims of wildfires sparked by its neglected equipment. Because PG&E filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, the $13.5 Billion payout will need to be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The announcement of the settlement is bringing only a modicum of relief to the families affected by the string of wildfires that have plagued California since 2015. For many victims, the financial relief is a far cry from feeling whole again, as many families lost loved ones and irreplaceable family mementos, in addition to losing their homes. "There's not really a dollar amount that they're going to be able to put that's going to make this OK" said Victoria Sinclaire in an interview with KCRA News. "Is it going to make it whole? And will that pay for the years of counseling we all need to be able to deal with this and the aftermath of what it caused in our communities?"

Sinclaire and her husband Travis were the first residents to receive a new home in Paradise, CA, after fleeing the wildfire eight months prior. The Sinclaires are far from alone, as many families share their sympathies, feeling incomplete and uncertain despite the forthcoming payout. Some of the uncertainty surrounds whether or not the individual payouts will be enough to cover the total costs of what some families lost in the fires, such as Suzanne Pasky-Fouts, whose ranch was totally destroyed in the fire. Pasky-Fouts is one of many who are skeptical over the prospect of being paid out in company stock, stating "I'm dumbfounded. Talk about a slap in the face. The very people who screwed us over think we want a part in their company."

Many of the victims, lawyers, and members of the press also worry about the future of PG&E's equipment in the face of bankruptcy. Equipment operated by PG&E was in extremely poor shape at the time of the fire; in one incident, a major fire was sparked by a century old transmission tower that had not been physically inspected in well over a decade. It is no secret that PG&E will face a lack of funds once the settlement is paid out, and many are questioning if the company will have the money to provide the essential maintenance needed to repair its equipment and prevent additional fires.