Preliminary hearing begins for Zogg Fire lawsuit in Shasta County

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. — Should PG&E be tried for manslaughter in the deaths of four people during the Zogg Fire?

That question will be answered in a preliminary hearing that started on Wednesday in a Shasta County courtroom.

Four people were killed, 204 structures destroyed, and over 56,000 acres burned in the Zogg Fire that started in September of 2020. It was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell into a power line—on a day when Cal Fire Investigator Darren Stewart said the temperature was above 90 F. The fire then grew rapidly to the south pushed by strong north winds.

In opening arguments, attorneys for PG&E said the utility did not commit a crime and was not being reckless, or negligent, spending millions of dollars on vegetation management every year.

However, Shasta County Chief Deputy District Attorney Ben Hanna said PG&E failed to ensure vegetation was safe around power lines and the tree that started the fire had been marked for removal two years before the fire but never was.

District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett says there has been a pattern of negligence.

“This is something that PG&E has had an issue with for a very long time. They have a duty to the public to provide their services in a very safe manner. And they’re not doing that,” explained Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie A. Bridgett. “And, because of that, fire’s are starting and people are dying. And, it’s got to stop.”

PG&E issued this statement:

"The loss of life and impact to the communities affected by the Zogg Fire is tragic. We continue our work to make it safe and make it right, both by resolving claims stemming from past fires and through our work to make our system safer every day. As we have stated previously, we accept Cal Fire’s determination that a tree falling into our powerline caused the 2020 Zogg Fire. However, we believe PG&E did not commit any crimes. We believe the conduct of our coworkers and contractors reflects good-faith judgment by qualified individuals."

The preliminary hearing is expected to last until at least early February. At the end, Judge Bradley Bockman will determine if there's enough evidence to proceed with a trial.

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