PG&E Equipment Is Blamed for Starting Dixie Fire in Northern California

California fire investigators on Tuesday pinned the blame for the Dixie Fire — the second largest blaze in the state’s history — on equipment owned by Pacific Gas Electric and referred the case to prosecutors.

The Dixie Fire burned more than 963,000 acres in the Northern California areas of Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama Counties in July, destroying 1,329 buildings and damaging 95 others. The cause, investigators determined, was a tree that came into contact with PGE’s power lines near the Cresta Dam about 100 miles north of Sacramento.

Investigators at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, referred their findings to the Butte County district attorney, who previously brought charges against PGE for the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise.

In that case, PGE pleaded guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of illegally setting a fire. The utility also agreed to pay $3.5 million in fines as part of the criminal plea.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/business/dixie-fire-california-pge.html