PG&E Knew About the Risk

Our complaint alleges that PG&E was aware of the risk of wildfires in Northern California and problems with its infrastructure. As described in the complaint, in 2013, an outside consulting group conducted an independent review of PG&E’s proposed expenditures. The report concluded that “several aspects of the PG&E distribution system present significant safety issues,” including PG&E’s use of “obsolete” wiring subject to “corrosion issues.” The Report specifically describes:

1. PG&E’s wiring is “more subject to breakage”
2. The vast majority of PG&E’s distribution system is ungrounded
3. As a result, a “wires-down situation” (a broken wire contacting an object or the ground) will often remain energized until a [PG&E employee] arrives and disconnects the power line source of the feed.” This has “contributed to a number of fatalities and injuries.”

According to the complaint, PG&E also has a long-standing practice of using reclosers throughout its system to automatically restart power after interruptions, even thought it knows these devices may cause wildfires. Reclosers are circuit breakers equipped with a mechanism that can automatically re-energize a power line after it has been “opened” due to a fault. PG&E’s Senior Vice President of Electrical Operations has stated that PG&E has the ability to reprogram its reclosers to not automatically restart power during fire season. He described the effect as “you take the reliability hit, but you gain the wildfire benefit.” According to the complaint, PG&E did not turn off a number of reclosers in the area of the Northern California Fires, but instead left them active until directed to turn them off by CalFire between October 12-15, 2017 (several days after the fires initially ignited).

Additionally, the government has warned PG&E about the risks. As described in the complaint, the California Public Utilities Commission (or “CPUC”) directed PG&E to take remedial measures in 2014 to reduce the likelihood of fires, and agreed to provide additional vegetation management funding to make sure these measures would be performed. In 2017, the CPUC again directed PG&E to continue increased efforts to reduce fire risk.

About Us

Northern California Fire Lawyers is a coalition of prominent Northern California law firms: Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle, Danko Meredith, and Gibbs Law Group. Our firms consist of seasoned trial lawyers, leading national personal injury attorneys, and experienced complex litigators. Attorneys on our team have been appointed by California judges to serve in leadership positions in a number of large, coordinated fire and disaster cases. We bring a deep knowledge of the systems and fire-prevention policies of major utility companies and are well-positioned to leverage the hard work from our previous cases to benefit our clients.

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Our wildfire attorneys are happy to answer any questions you may have. Call (707)562-0516, or email us at contact@norcalfirelawyers.com to speak with a wildfire attorney, free of charge