Nearly 200 plaintiffs have filed a pair of lawsuits against PG&E, alleging the company caused the Dixie Fire, the second-largest wildfire in California history.
Singleton Schreiber McKenzie & Scott, a leading fire ligation firm, represent the plaintiffs who allege the massive fire was sparked on July 13 by several blown fuses and PG&E equipment malfunctions off Highway 70 in Northern California in Feather River Canyon. The plaintiffs further contend the Dixie Fire was caused by a Douglas Fir tree leading into PG&E’s high voltage distribution line, which the blown fuses were designed to protect.
“It’s clear that PG&E started this fire,” SSMS attorney Gerald Singleton, said in a statement by the law firm. “We’re committed to helping our clients get the resources they need to rebuild their homes and their lives, and we look forward to advancing these cases and serving as their advocate in court."
The complaint states PG&E admitted its equipment malfunctions may have started the Dixie Fire, and the company announced a $15 billion plan to underground 10,000 miles of power lines to reduce the risk of future wildfire.
But as of this publication, PG&E had not received notification of the lawsuit and directed inquiries to the following statement: “PG&E’s most important responsibility is the safety of our customers and the communities we serve,” the statement read. “We continue to support the firefighters and first responders working to contain the Dixie Fire. Cal Fire has not made a determination on the cause of the fire, and we have not been able to review the evidence Cal Fire collected. We remain focused on reducing wildfire risk across our service area and are committed to doing everything we can to keep our customers and communities safe.”
The complaint says a power outage in the area where the fire started was indicated at 7 a.m. on the PG&E outage system. But a PG&E technician didn’t arrive to check the cause of the outage until after 4 p.m.
During a federal court hearing on Sept. 13 in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge William Alsup questioned the technician why he didn’t shut off the power line and said PG&E “is a convicted felon that poses a safety hazard to the state of California.”
The plaintiffs consist of homeowners, renters and business owners impacted by the fire. The complaint is not a class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs have elected to join their individual lawsuits into a single action.