It took the jury only one day in a precedent-setting case to find two construction companies liable for starting a forest fire in 2002 that burned 18,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest in Southern California. The verdict, which calls for CB&I Constructors and Merco Construction Engineers to pay a combined $36.4 million, is said to be the largest amount ever awarded in a federal cost-recovery case related to firefighting. The U.S. Attorney who sued the companies said the money will reimburse the federal government for the expense of battling the fire.