“Overwhelming” Evidence Links PG&E to Deadly California Fire

According to an attorney that is suing California utility company PG&E, there is “pretty overwhelming” evidence that the company is behind the deadly Paradise fire that is blazing in the state.

The lawyer, who is representing a group of victims in the Northern California fire that has been dubbed the “Camp fire” has allged this week that there is evidence that PG&E is at fault for it.

“In this case we know an awful lot,” said Bay Area attorney Michael Danko. Danko claims that the utility has a pattern of not turning off power to prevent fires.

“We have the neighbor who got the email concerning the sparking wires,” Danko said. “We have the witnesses who saw the fire start on a transmission line. And most importantly, we have the report that PG&E was required to make by law to the CPUC, reporting an outage minutes before the witnesses saw the fire start under the transmission lines. So the evidence already is pretty overwhelming.”

PG&E defended itself and said that the “safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our highest priority.” The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Shares of PG&E tanked after the company disclosed in a filing that it had an ‘electric incident’ just before the California wildfires.

An electric safety incident report filed November 8th by the company had indicated that the utility’s transmission line “experienced an outage” that morning. Then in the afternoon PG&E “observed by aerial patrol damage to a transmission tower” located roughly “one mile north-east of the town of Pulga, in the area of the Camp Fire.”

“Rather than spend the money it obtains from customers for infrastructure maintenance and safety, PG&E funnels this funding to boost its own corporate profits and compensation,” according to the complaint.
PG&E spokesperson Mayra Tostado stated, “It’s important to remember that the cause has yet to be determined.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) and have not been compensated for this article.