PG&E pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the 2020 Zogg Fire
REDDING, Shasta County -- PG&E pleaded not guilty Wednesday to four counts of involuntary manslaughter for their role in starting the deadly Zogg Fire.
In September 2020, the Zogg fire ripped through more than 50,000 acres in Shasta County killing four people and destroying 200 buildings.
In a statement, PG&E admitted the fire started when a tree fell on one of their power lines, saying:
"The loss of life and impact to the communities affected by the Zogg Fire is tragic. We continue our work to make it safe and make it right, both by resolving claims from past fires and through our work to make our system safer every day.
As we have stated previously, we accept CAL FIRE's determination that a tree falling into our powerline caused the 2020 Zogg Fire.
However, we believe PG&E did not commit any crimes, and that the conduct of our coworkers and contractors reflects good-faith judgment by qualified individuals. We have informed the court that we intend to defend ourselves against the remaining charges."
PG&E also pleaded not guilty to recklessly starting a fire. The utility is due back in court in May.
PG&E, which has an estimated 16 million customers in central and Northern California, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 after its aging equipment was blamed for a series of fires, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed 10,000 homes in Paradise and neighboring communities.
