Healdsburg Joins County, Cities In Lawsuit Against PG&E

Healdsburg CA

17 November, 2020

2:39 PM

Description

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The County of Sonoma, City of Santa Rosa, Town of Windsor, City of Cloverdale, City of Healdsburg, Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Sonoma County Water Agency and Community Development Commission have filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for damages to public resources resulting from the 2019 Kincade Fire, the local entities said in a joint news release. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sonoma County Superior Court, the local entities claim PG&E negligently caused the Kincade Fire and is legally responsible for the damages to local government agencies. The Kincade Fire started Oct. 23, 2019, near John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road northeast of Geyserville, and burned 77,758 acres over a 13-day period. The wildfire destroyed 374 structures and damaged 60 structures. Four first responders were injured battling the Kincade Fire. "The legal allegations include inverse condemnation and negligence, among others, and seek damages for injury to and loss of public resources, including but not limited to land, roads, and environmental resources," according to the news release. In July, Cal Fire announced the findings of its investigation into the Kincade Fire: That PG&E equipment, specifically electrical transmission lines northeast of Geyserville owned and operated by PG&E, caused the Kincade Fire. Cal Fire said tinder, dry vegetation and strong winds combined with low humidity and warm temperatures contributed to extreme rates of the fire's spread. At the time, Cal Fire said its investigation was submitted to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office to decide whether to file criminal charges in the fire. In response to a request for comment Tuesday on the lawsuit, PG&E sent the following statement to Patch: "PG&E's most important responsibility is the safety of our customers and the communities we serve. We are grateful to the first responders who fought the 2019 Kincade Fire and helped make sure that no lives were lost. "While we are continuing to conduct our own investigation into the events that led to the Kincade Fire, PG&E does not have access to CAL FIRE's report, or any of the physical evidence that was collected as part of their investigation. The transmission tower in question was inspected multiple times in 2019 as part of our Wildfire Safety Inspection Program—inspectors both climbed the tower and performed an inspection by reviewing photographs taken by an aerial drone. All issues that were identified on the tower in question were resolved prior to the Kincade Fire with the exception of one, which related to the painting of the tower. "At PG&E, we remain focused on reducing wildfire risk across our service area while also limiting the scope and duration of Public Safety Power Shutoffs."