FILE - A house burns on Platina Road at the Zogg Fire near Ono, Calif., on Sept. 27, 2020. A Northern California judge on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric for its role in the 2020 fatal wildfire sparked by its equipment that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people, including an 8-year-old child. REDDING, Calif.
In 2021, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. Shasta and Tehama counties sued the utility, alleging negligence. They said PG&E failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. The utility says the tree was subsequently cleared to stay.was criminally liableShasta Superior Court Judge Daniel E.
“We stand behind our thousands of trained and experienced coworkers and contractors working every day to keep Californians safe. We feel strongly that those good-faith judgments are not criminal,” said Patti Poppe, Chief Executive Officer of PG&E Corporation.