Flames from a backfire, lit by firefighters to slow the spread of the Kincade Fire, burn a hillside in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Authorities are fighting a Northern California blaze that forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A preliminary trial begins today over PG&E’s role in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire.
Sonoma County prosecutors have charged the utility with 30 felony and misdemeanor charges related to the fire and must now prove they have enough evidence to go to trial. The preliminary trial is expected to take up to 15 days. Catherine Sandoval, a former commissioner on the California Public Utilities Commission, says that the fire was a not a mistake as PG&E has previously claimed.
“That’s where the county is going to say it appears to be reckless and that PG&E should’ve known that because of its duties to provide safe service and reliable service under the California Public Utilities Code,” said Sandoval.
The Kincade Fire destroyed over 77,000 acres, displaced nearly 200,000 people, destroyed 174 homes, and injured six firefighters.