Sonoma County Government: Counties And Cities Affected By The Kincade Fire Reach $31 Million Settlement With PG&E

Press release from the Sonoma County Government:

May 26, 2021

For Immediate Release CA

In July 2020, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced that its investigation determined that PG&E equipment was the cause of the Kincade Fire. In April 2021, the Sonoma County District Attorney filed criminal charges against PG&E over the 2019 Kincade Fire, which forced nearly 200,000 residents to leave their homes in the largest evacuation effort in Sonoma County history.

“The county and the cities worked together to recover these significant funds to reimburse public and natural resources lost in the fire,” said Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chair Lynda Hopkins. “Holding PG&E accountable becomes increasingly important as utility-caused wildfires continue to ravage the state and region.”

The largest portion of the $31 million is attributable to damages suffered by the County of Sonoma as the fire ripped through its unincorporated areas. The public entities’ civil legal damages included ecological damages, staff and labor time, damage to pavement and roads, lost revenue, and increased expenses caused by the Kincade Fire. The funds will be allocated among the cities and county in a manner that is proportional to the damages each agency experienced.

For more information, please contact Baron & Budd Attorney John Fiske at Fiske@BaronBudd.com, who represented the public entities in the litigation.

This press release was produced by the Sonoma County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.