A Californian electricity supplier whose facilities caused a forest fire that killed four in 2020 will face criminal charges for homicides, the prosecutor for the county devastated by the disaster announced Friday, September 24.
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"We have sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the company Pacific Gas & Electric
(PG&E)
is criminally responsible for the Zogg Fire and the deaths and destruction it caused,"
said from a press conference with Shasta County District Attorney, Northern California, Stephanie Bridgett. She intends to prosecute PG&E on a total of 31 counts, including homicides in connection with the deaths of four people in the blaze, including an eight-year-old child.
The Zogg Fire broke out on September 27, 2020 in a wooded area in northern California. An investigation by firefighters established that the incident was triggered by a tree branch that came into contact with a power line operated by PG&E. According to the Shasta prosecutor, the firm had neglected for years to prune in this place, a behavior
"negligent and criminal"
according to her. In a statement reacting to the accusations, the company acknowledged the findings of the firefighters' investigation and admitted responsibility for starting the fire, but denied any criminal liability in this case.
“We haven't committed any crime,”
protests PG&E Managing Director Patti Poppe.
Read alsoA Californian electricity supplier will bury its cables to prevent fires
The company has already dealt with numerous compensation claims from Zogg Fire victims and
"is still working to find solutions for the remaining claims
," she added.
Based in San Francisco, PG&E supplies electricity to five million customers in northern and central California.
The company has for years been accused of putting profits and its shareholders ahead of public safety, with outdated facilities and repeated failures to maintain its overhead power lines.
In 2018, a PG&E line sparked the deadliest fire in recent California history: 86 dead and 18,000 buildings destroyed around the small town of Paradise.
This tragedy resulted in the bankruptcy of the group, forced to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages.
He also pleaded guilty to 84 manslaughter.
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