DENVER (AP) — Xcel Energy said Wednesday it expects to pay about $640 million to settle lawsuits alleging it was responsible for starting Colorado's most destructive wildfire that killed two people and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in 2021.

The announcement came right before jury selection was set to begin in a trial combining lawsuits brought by homeowners and insurers over the fire in the heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder.

Minneapolis-based Xcel has maintained that its equipment did not cause or contribute to the fire. It said it does not admit any fault under the settlement.

Investigators found that a sparking power line owned by Xcel was one of the causes of the fire that was fanned by high winds. Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days before on a nearby property used by a Christian religious communal group was also found to have been another cause.

The smoldering fire at the Twelve Tribes property had been buried by residents a few days before in a way that was approved by firefighters who stopped by to investigate, authorities said.

The two fires combined into an inferno following months of drought amid a winter nearly devoid of snow. It spread rapidly in winds that gusted up to 100 mph (160 kph) in places, causing $2 billion in damage.

Killed in the fire were a 69-year-old man who lived near where the fire started and a 91-year-old woman last seen trying to rescue her dogs from her home in Superior.

Authorities spent 18 months investigating the cause of the Marshall Fire and determined criminal charges were not warranted for either Xcel or the Christian group.

Xcel said in a statement Wednesday that it and Qwest Corp., which leased space on Xcel's power poles for fiber optic cable, reached agreements in principle to settle all claims involved. But the company said homeowners and others who filed lawsuits against it still had to decide whether to opt into the agreement.

"We recognize that the fire and its aftermath have been difficult and painful for many, and we hope that our and the telecom defendants' contributions in today's settlement can bring some closure for the community," Xcel CEO Bob Frenzel said.