Faced with billions of dollars in potential liability for its alleged role in causing the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, Pacific Gas & Electric announced on Jan. 14, 2019 that it was filing for bankruptcy. The move is designed to help the company remain in business while it pays for damages.

Billions in Claims

PG&E filed paperwork stating it was planning to file for bankruptcy on January 29, 2019. In a public filing, the company announced that it was facing at least $7 billion in claims from the fire, which was the deadliest in California history. The Camp Fire claimed 86 lives and destroyed more than 18,000 structures.

While an investigation is still underway, it appears there is a high likelihood that PG&E equipment contributed to the cause of the fire. The company reported an outage on a PG&E line approximately 15 minutes before the fire began. The company later found a downed power line in the area where the blaze started.

This is not the first time PG&E equipment has been linked to deadly California wildfires. In 2017, several fires claimed a total of 44 lives and caused an estimated $10 billion worth of damage. State investigators found that PG&E failed to sufficiently clear brush from its power lines, a failure that contributed to the fires.

Why You Need to Talk to a Lawyer

Wildfire Recovery Attorneys have extensive experience in these types of cases. If you have suffered losses due to the Camp Fire or other California wildfires, give us a call at (866) 504-7321 or contact us online. We will let you know how the PG&E bankruptcy may affect your case, and will also let you know other ways in which we may be able to help.