More than 22,000 hectares were set ablaze when power lines operated by Pacific Gas and Electric came into contact with a tree in September 2020, igniting what became known as the Zogg Fire.
"We have sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Pacific Gas and Electric Company is criminally liable for their reckless ignition of the Zogg Fire and the deaths and destruction that it caused," the county's district attorney Stephanie Bridgett said. PG&E is one of California's biggest power companies, and is responsible for maintaining large swathes of the state's creaking electricity infrastructure.