An investigation by California authorities has determined that energy supplier Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) is not financially liable for damages resulting from the Tubbs Wildfire, which burned through more than 36,000 acres in the north of the state in October 2017.
After thorough review, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) announced that the official cause of the fire was a private electrical system adjacent to a residential structure.
Investigators did not identify any violations of state law related to the cause of the Tubbs Wildfire.
The Tubbs Fire became the most destructive in California’s history at the time, destroying 5,636 structures and causing 22 civilian casualties.
This record was supplanted by the Camp Wildfire this year, which burned through 153,336 acres of Butte County in November, destroying 18,804 structures and resulting in 86 deaths.
PG&E equipment continues to be under investigation as a cause for the Camp Fire, and the company recently announced that it intends to file for bankruptcy protection due to the potential $30 billion of California wildfire costs that it faces liability for.
The announcement followed a series of lawsuits from insurers, including Allstate, State Farm and USAA, as well as from victims of the fire, who argued that PG&E should face criminal charges if investigators determine that reckless operation or maintenance of power equipment caused the blaze.
If it is determined that PG&E equipment was the cause of the Camp Fire, under California law the company will assume full financial liability for all damages.
PG&E equipment was found liable in at least 17 major wildfires in 2017, after which California lawmakers refused to change the legal standard or reduce PG&E’s liability. They did, however, allow the company to pass on costs to its customers in order to spare it from bankruptcy.
The company previously entered bankruptcy in 2001 following a drought that limited hydroelectric energy production in California.
