My first thought was, "How can a utility company be found liable
for a forest fire?"
Then I found this.
Zim.
>>>
Fight over PG&E’s liability in Wine Country fires just beginning
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Fight-over-PG-E-s-liability-in-Wine-Country-12981642.php
Firefighters were still struggling to contain the flames scorching the North Bay last October when residents first started lining up to sue Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
State fire officials had already named PG&E’s power lines as possible ignition sources for the dozens of fires that erupted during a windstorm on Oct. 8, destroying more than 8,800 buildings across Northern California and killing 45 people. But they cautioned that their investigation was just getting under way.
Many survivors, however, were convinced that the culprit was PG&E. Eight days after the fires began, at least 175 people gathered at the Santa Rosa Hyatt to hear from three law firms preparing to take on the utility. In the months that followed, more than 150 individual suits would be filed against PG&E.
Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, are now finally releasing their reports on the causes of the fires. In every case so far, Cal Fire has traced the flames back to PG&E’s equipment.
Even more damning, in 11 of the 16 fires for which Cal Fire has issued reports, investigators found reason to believe that PG&E had broken state safety rules. They sent their findings to the district attorneys in the counties involved to explore possible prosecution.
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(Article does continue. Zim.)
Mad Poet Strikes Again.
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