New York Times Article: What One Old Tower Says About PG&E’s Lax Safety Culture

According to a recent New York Times article, the tower that caused the Camp Fire was a 99-year old transmission tower. PG&E noted in a form filed with federal regulators that the useful life of such towers expired at 75 years.

PG&E kept the tower in operation, despite warnings about aging equipment and the threat that powerful winds would pose. Supervisors and executive management ignored concerns and warnings about the vulnerabilities of the system and its equipment.

The article emphasizes that this wasn’t a one-of-a-kind incident with PG&E. Over and over, investigations show the practices at PG&E are not driven by safety but by the company’s focus on its bottom line.

About Northern California Fire Lawyers

Northern California Fire Lawyers is a team of more than 30 attorneys from a coalition of three Northern California law firms: Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle, Danko Meredith and Gibbs Law Group.  Collectively, our fire lawyers have more experience investigating and bringing claims against PG&E than any law firm in California.  Our attorneys have been appointed by California judges to leadership positions in some of the largest fire and disaster cases, including the Butte Fire Cases, 2017 and 2018 PG&E Fire Cases, and San Bruno Explosion lawsuits.

We have earned hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and members of our team have been honored for their work with numerous awards, including “Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California,” “Trial Lawyer of the Year,” and “Top Women Lawyers in Northern California,” among others.