Prosecutors up felony charges against PG&E to eight in Kincade fire case

Sonoma County prosecutors have added three new felony charges against Pacific Gas & Electric, while reducing the total number of charges against the company over its role in the 2019 Kincade fire to 30 from 33.

The felonies include three counts of recklessly and unlawfully starting a fire that caused “great bodily injury” to six firefighters and burned structures and forested land. The five other felonies are violations of air pollution laws. PG&E is charged with emitting contaminants in the form of wildfire smoke and ash that hurt both broad public health in the area and specifically caused great bodily injury to a minor and adults.

The Kincade fire, which began Oct. 23, 2019 and grew to 77,758 acres, burned for two weeks and triggered the largest mass evacuation in county history at more than 190,000 people. Flames threatened Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor and northeast Santa Rosa. The blaze destroyed 174 homes and a total of 370 structures, including winery and farm buildings.

An October 2021 report from the utilities commission’s enforcement division found that PG&E left a high-voltage transmission tower energized for over a decade after it should have been shut off and removed. “PG&E left abandoned equipment energized for thirteen years even though that equipment provided no benefit or convenience to the public,” the report concluded.

PG&E failed to properly maintain the line even after other fire starts and its own internal rules indicated operators should have known to do so, the report concluded. In addition, jumper cables were left unsecured and deteriorating over time. The fire began when one of the cables broke and arced against the tower during extreme winds, sending sparks down on parched vegetation below.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88.