Dozens of businesses and property owners have filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company claiming the utility’s negligence led to the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California, which destroyed nearly 78,000 acres.

The lawsuit was filed in state court in Sonoma County on July 8, about a week after PG&E emerged from bankruptcy necessitated by its liability in previous fires and roughly a week before the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced it found PG&E to blame for the Kincade fire. PG&E is the nation’s biggest utility.

Kincade Fire Overview

The Kincade Fire started during a windstorm on Oct. 23 in the Mayacamas Mountains near the town of Geyserville. Flames traveled down the hills over Alexander Valley the first night, burning several homes and large estates, according to the Press Democrat, the daily newspaper in nearby Santa Rosa, California.

Dry conditions on the ground and in the air, coupled with the strong winds, propelled the fire down to the valley and through Sonoma County for two weeks. Before it was finally put out, the fire damaged or consumed 374 homes and buildings, displaced almost 200,000 residents and injured four people.

The owners of many of those homes and businesses are now participating in the PG&E lawsuit.

Investigators Determine PG&E Equipment Was to Blame

In the nine months following the Kincade fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, investigated the blaze to determine a cause. On July 16, the department announced that PG&E’s high-voltage power lines carrying electricity generated by The Geysers geothermal field sparked the wildfire. According to reports by the local NBC affiliate NBC Bay Area, lines northeast of Geyserville were responsible.

Details about the investigation have not yet been released, but CalFire officials said they have shared their findings with the county district attorney’s office. Prosecutors there will decide whether criminal charges will be filed against PG&E.

Previous Problems with PG&E Equipment

PG&E pleaded guilty in June to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter for causing the 2018 Camp Fire that devastated the city of Paradise. That fire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in the last century, was sparked by a high-tension power line that snapped.

Charges were filed against the power company after a grand jury issued a report saying PG&E had ignored warnings about its deteriorating power lines and focused on profits instead of inspecting and maintaining its equipment, NBC Bay Area reported.

PG&E was fined $4 million, but no individuals were sentenced to serve time for the crimes.

PG&E Goes Through Bankruptcy

The utility filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2019 as it was facing more than $30 billion in potential liabilities over wildfires ignited by its equipment in 2017 and 2018, a report by Reuters said. A judge approved plans for PG&E to emerge from that bankruptcy in early July.

During the bankruptcy, PG&E agreed to pay out some $13.5 billion in damages to those affected by the wildfires the utility caused.

PG&E Lawsuit Over Kincade Fire

Two dozen residents and nearly the same number of local businesses affected by the Kincade fire filed the latest PG&E lawsuit. They are seeking unspecified damages from the power company, as business interruption insurance only covers so much. The businesses include the Mayacama Golf Club, Starry Skies and Buckeye Creek ranches, four wineries, several hotels and a bakery.

In their complaint, the plaintiffs call PG&E’s safety record “an abomination” and claim the utility “developed a regular pattern of placing its own profits before the safety of the California residents it serves and shows no intention of changing this behavior.” The lawsuit points to 19 explosions and fires caused by the utility’s equipment between 1981 and 2018.

The PG&E Lawsuit is Mayacama Golf Club, et al. v. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, et al.,  Case No. SCV-266679 in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Sonoma.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.