It is the latest action against the nation’s largest utility, which pleaded guilty last year to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in a 2018 blaze ignited by its long-neglected electrical grid that nearly destroyed the town of Paradise and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.
In a news conference, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett announced the 31 charges, including 11 felonies, against the company. She said in July that her office had determined that PG&E was “criminally liable” for last year’s Zogg Fire, which burned near the city of Redding.
Pushed by strong winds, the fire began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through the rugged Sierra Nevada and communities, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) of land...
Zogg Fire
The Zogg Fire was a wildfire that burned in the towns of Igo and Ono in southwestern Shasta County, California and northwestern Tehama County in the United States. The fire burned 56,338 acres, with four deaths and 204 buildings destroyed.
Fire
The fire was first reported at 2:51 PM PDT on September 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from an initial estimate of 100 acres to 7,000 acres by the night of September 27. By the morning of September 28, the fire had more than doubled to 15,000 acres . The fire grew further on September 28 to over 31,000 acres . As of October 13, the Zogg fire had burned 56,338 acres and was fully contained.
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Impact
The fire, which started at Zogg Mine Road and Jenny Bird Lane, has destroyed 204 buildings, including multiple historic buildings in the Ono, and killed four people as of October 13, 2020.
Most of Shasta County west of Clear Creek between Whiskeytown Lake and Highway 36, including Igo, Ono, Platina, Happy Valley, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, were evacuated.
Investigation
On October 8, 2020, equipment from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company was seized as part of an ongoing investigation into the company’s role in the fire. On October 13, a judge asked the PG&E to explain their role in the fire.
It was announced on November 23, that remains of a grey pine tree that was near the area that the fire began had been seized by state fire investigators as evidence whether the tree was a part of the start of the fire. The tree reportedly had been potentially identified for removal, but had not been removed after the Carr Fire in 2018.
In March 2021, investigations concluded the fire began when a grey pine tree fell on power lines belonging to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company .
Aftermath
A mobile registration van was set up at the Igo Ono School in November 2020, to help victims register for FEMA disaster relief. The van also provided victims with information and Right of Entry forms to help begin the clean up process for their homes.
Three orphaned mountain lions were released from care and moved to an exhibit at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in December 2020. The cubs had been discovered separately by firefighters, during the fire and at least one was mistaken for a household cat.