…[A] government whistleblower and other witnesses in a recent state trial alleged that cleanup operations after some of the largest fires in state history were plagued by mismanagement and overspending — and that toxic contamination was at times left behind in local communities. Steven Larson, a former state debris operations manager in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, failed to convince a jury that he was wrongly fired by the agency for flagging those and other issues to his supervisors. … [T]he little-discussed trial provided a rare window into a billion-dollar public-private industry that is rapidly expanding.

Other wildfire impact news:

• The Center Square: Feds sue Southern California Edison over Eaton, Fairview fires
• Utility Dive: Justice Department accuses SCE of ‘negligence’ in $77M lawsuits over wildfires
• KNAU (Flagstaff, Ariz.): NAU scientists to monitor water quality following Dragon Bravo Fire