PG&E Campfire

California, a state known for its varied landscapes and beauty, has had more than their share of wildfires. Often, these wildfires are not an accident, but due to the negligence of someone starting these disasters.

PG&E Campfire

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PG&E Campfire Lawsuit

PG&E is thought to be responsible for many of the devastating wildfires that started over a year ago. Lawsuits, filed by people seeking compensation for property damage, personal injury, and business losses caused by the wildfires are starting to flood the court system in the fires that include:

Atlas Fire (Napa and Solano County)
Cascade Fire (Yuba County)
Cherokee Fire (Butte County)
Highway 37 Fire (Sonoma County)
La Porte Fire (Butte County)
Lobo Fire (Nevada County)
Nuns Fire (Napa and Sonoma County)
Pocket Fire (Sonoma County)
Redwood Valley/Potter Fire (Mendocino County)
Sulphuric (Lake County)
Tubs (Sonoma and Napa County)

Evidence is mounting that a systematic and isolated failure on the part of PG & E to maintain their equipment and protect the vegetation around it could have caused the wildfires.

You or someone you know may have been affected by the wildfires that have caused damages to home, rental property, business, or you have been the victim of other damages that are beyond what your California homeowner’s insurance police will cover.

If you or a loved one live in the above counties, you should know all the facts surrounding PG&E’s alleged involvement in causing these extremely destructive wildfires.

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WHAT THE PG&E LAWSUIT IS ABOUT

A multitude of explanations have been offered for the most recent fires in California. These explanations say that high winds and dry conditions have furthered the devastation. However, there is significant evidence that may show that the officials at PG&E were negligent in overseeing and manage the policies regarding their fire safety.

In May of 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission published a report that indicated that the aging foundations in PG&E’s equipment and products contained serious safety issues, especially in poor weather.

Ten years of collected data shows that seasonal winds affect the areas of California where wildfires are more apt to take place. PG&E should have known about this data and taken the proper precautions when setting up their equipment in these wildfire-prone areas.

Between 2011 and 2015, CAL FIRE records show that electrical equipment is to blame for over 136 fires in Sonoma and Napa county.

However, the California government regulators didn’t put PG&E on notice that the North Bay Area of California had a significantly higher risk for power line and electrical failures because of high winds, dry vegetation, and other environmental factors that increase California’s chances for wildfires.

Even though all this data was readily available to PG&E, Government audits of PG&E’s Sonoma area, showed that over 2500 requests for maintenance and/or repair were not attended to, which puts many Californian’s in extreme danger.

Additionally, PG&E is well-known for taking funds from tree trimming and other necessary maintenance programs that are vital for maintaining a safe work environment around their electrical equipment. It shouldn’t come as a shock then to learn that PG&E’s profits surpassed $1.4 billion dollars in the past year.

It’s obvious to many people that PG&E would rather be negligent than cut into their profits. One particular practice that includes using reclosers, or ACR’s, to restart automatically after an interruption in power. A recloser sends an electrical impulse through the power lines when service interruption happens. This creates a risk when the overhead distribution network is used, because the risk of fire is always greater when overhead conductors, instead of underground conductors are utilized.

When overhead power lines make contact with trees or other plant growth, a surge can be created by the ACR’s that could start a blaze immediately that quickly goes out of control. Other power companies in California including San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, have stopped this practice because of fire safety. So why hasn’t PG&E?

Going down the rabbit hole even further, PG&E failed to turn off the power in spite of well-known weather forecasts of high winds, low humidity, and dry conditions, which all can contribute to heighten the risk of a fire. Even when the fires began, PG&E still didn’t turn off the power.

Emergency personnel around California soon began to get telephone calls regarding electrical outages, explosion of transformers, and sparking/arching power lines that set off even more fires. All of these events occurred near PG&E’s equipment. To make matters worse, PG&E didn’t report the electrical outages until hours after the fires grew to burn 245,000 acres of land, 9,000 homes, and the loss of 44 lives.

In January, California state regulators uncovered many unredacted reports from PG&E that identified many damaged pieces of utility equipment at the origin of the fires in Nuns, Patrick, Atlas, and Tubbs.

CAL FIRE released their findings that showed 16 of the wildfires in the area were caused by trees and limbs falling onto PG&E power lines which is in violation of state law. PG&E blatantly ignored these safety precautions that resulted in their poles and power lines ending up on the ground which separated them from their conductors. Further damage was caused when PG&E attempted to re-energize their power lines while they were still on the ground, causing the lines to ignite more vegetation and further the fire.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time PG&E has been caught being negligent in their safety precautions which has led to high amounts of damage and fire from various explosions. Incidents in 1994, 2003, 2008, 2011 and 2014 and 2015 in Butte County, have all been documented resulting in $98 million in fines and damages.

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Here’s what you, as a victim of the PG&E lawsuit may be able to collect as it applies to a personal injury lawsuit.

Negligence:

Based upon the fact that PG&E ignored and/or violated many safety regulations and failed to maintain their equipment. This is on top of PG&E attempting to restart their power lines after they were downed and laying on vegetation.

Inverse Condemnation:

PG&E was responsible for the destruction of Californian’s personal property and didn’t offer any type of relief.

Pubic Nuisance:

PG&E did business in a way that ignored the safety of the public and the health of the people in the area.

Private Nuisance:

If you live in a PG&E territory, you have the right to live without the threat of a private company destroying your life due to their negligence.

 

Premises Liability:

PG&E’s blatant failure to properly maintain their equipment and materials was a risk for the property that PG&E’s equipment was placed.

Trespassing:

Because of the negligence of PG&E, they trespassed on the land of the victims that lead to unauthorized damages.

Public Utilities Code Section 2106:

Because PG&E didn’t maintain their equipment, they violated this code and caused the destruction of the property of many Californians.

Health and Safety Code Section 13007:

Because PG&E allowed the fires to burn after their equipment caused them, and destroyed the property of many people living in California, they were in violation of this code.

Emotional Distress:

If you or a loved one was a victim of a wildfire caused by PG&E’s negligence, you may have suffered trauma, anxiety, and other stressors that could be present after losing personal property, suffering a personal injury, or had to endure the loss of a loved one.

You Could Be Owed Monetary Compensation

Call Ryan Sargent Today

Whether you own rental property, a business, or live in the areas around the California wildfires, you could be owed monetary compensation for your damages. Contact attorney, Ryan Sargent who is knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced in representing victims of wildfires. Your first consultation is free.

Free Case Review

All of our initial consultations are 100% FREE & Confidential. Fill out this form to request a FREE Consultation.

By submitting this form, you consent to being contacted by The Wildfire Lawyers via phone, text, or email. 888.501.6083