PG&E is sentenced to a fine of no more than $3,486,950, must reimburse the Butte County District attorney $500,000 for the costs of investigating the fire, and establish a $13.5 million trust to pay victims of recent wildfires.
It also has to pay hundreds to the town of Paradise, which was wiped out in the fire, pay Butte County, and cooperate with prosecutor’s investigation as part of the plea deal. The company is forbidden to appeal the case.
According to investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL Fire, PG&E was responsible for starting the deadly 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 and destroyed countless structures. Electrical lines owned by the company started the blaze which was fueled by bone dry brush, low humidity, and high winds.
PG&E had originally said their equipment probably caused the fire, but was unable to conclude the lines started a second fire, which Cal Fire alleges.
The power company filed for bankruptcy in January 2019 after being heavily pressured by multiple claims tied to deadly wildfires.
The main cause of the deadly fires is inadequate maintenance of PG&E lines. This helped lead to the deadliest fire in California history, according to state investigators.
An investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Safety and Enforcement Division, or SED, pinpoints specific things PG&E failed to notice during maintenance inspections.
CAL Fire investigators reported in May 2019 that PG&E electrical lines caused the deadly fire and the company conceded that a part separated from a transmission line tower, likely starting the fire near Pulga, California.
The report from November 8, specifically pinpoints a tower where a metal “C-hook” holding an insulator assembly in place failed. This allowed the assembly to fall. “The C-hooks from the incident tower show significant wear that was not detected as part of PG&E’s transmission infrastructure patrol and inspection program,” the report reads.
The failed C-hook's timely replacement "could have prevented the ignition of the Camp Fire," the report reads.
The report also accuses the company of 12 violations of state rules, some of which relate to the utility's alleged failure to maintain the C-hook, replace or reinforce it, and thoroughly inspect the tower.
The company failed to document factors and reasons, which led to delayed repair work on the tower.
Some of the other violations relate to inspection failures with other PG&E towers on the Caribou-Palermo transmission line, which investigators examined as well.
"SED's investigation of the Camp Fire identified shortcomings in PG&E's inspection and maintenance of the incident tower were not isolated, but indicative of a pattern of inadequate inspection and maintenance of PG&E facilities.
The report was an appendix to the SED's November 26 request for a judge to roll this investigation into an existing probe examining the role PG&E facilities had in igniting fires in 2017.
In response to the report, PG&E said it accepts SED's conclusion that PG&E transmission lines near Pulga were a cause of the deadly Camp Fire, reaffirming Cal Fire's earlier determination.
In a statement, PG&E said the loss of life, homes, and businesses is heartbreaking. The tragedy in Butte County on November 8, 2018, will never be forgotten.
"We remain deeply sorry about the role our equipment had in this tragedy, and we apologize to all those impacted by the devastating Camp Fire. Our most important responsibility must always be public and employee safety, and we remain focused on helping affected communities recover and rebuild, resolving victims' claims fairly and expeditiously, and further reducing wildfire risk."
The company has been criticized recently for the role its equipment was found to have played in series of catastrophic fires across the state, including the Camp Fire.
Hoping to avoid blame for more fires, the company has intentionally cut electricity service during high winds and dry conditions.
The report from SED says PG&E procedures require annual patrol inspections of transmission towers by walking or driving by them or flying over them. It also requires detailed inspections at least once every five years.
For the tower that triggered the Camp Fire, inspections should have identified visible wear on the original runner arms. This should have triggered a climbing inspection and a closer look. But company records do not show any climbing inspection since at least 2001.
"SED notes that a climbing inspection of the incident tower from 2001-November 8, 2018, could have identified the worn C-hook before it failed and a timely replacement could have prevented the deadly fire," the report reads.
Hopefully, PG&E will learn from this and be better about routine inspections on their equipment.
