The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
Less than a month after emerging from bankruptcy triggered by a string of devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018, PG&E Corp has now been found responsible for California’s biggest blaze of 2019.
The California energy giant’s power lines sparked the Kincade fire which burned 77,758 acres and destroyed 374 structures in Sonoma County wine country, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said.
Investigators have sent a report on the incident to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, only a month after PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for a 2018 conflagration that was the most deadly in state history.
Brandon Gilbert, an assistant to Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, said his office recently received the reports and will start reviewing them. PG&E said it doesn’t have access to Cal Fire’s report or the evidence it collected.
“We look forward to reviewing both at the appropriate time,†PG&E said in a statement.
PG&E’s equipment was long suspected of causing the Kincade fire that started on October 23, as the utility had reported that one of its transmission lines malfunctioned near the location and time of the start of the blaze.
The company said in May that it could book a loss of at least $600 million stemming from damages tied to the wildfire.