Sept 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. government sued Southern

California Edison on Thursday, seeking damages for a 2022

wildfire it blamed on a sagging power line operated by the

utility.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, the U.S.

Department of Justice said the unit of Edison International ( EIX )

should pay for suppression costs and rehabilitation of

lands within the San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside

County, California.

The lawsuit stemmed from the Fairview wildfire, which

ignited on September 5, 2022 and burned nearly 14,000 acres of

National Forest System lands, the Justice Department said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)