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- California regulators approved a $22 million fine against PG&E for the Mosquito Fire.
- PG&E must pay $21 million to California and $1 million for an independent review.
- The Mosquito Fire burned 76,788 acres and destroyed 78 structures in 2022.
California regulators have approved a settlement that results in a $22 million fine for PG&E for a 2022 wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in Placer and El Dorado counties and burned nearly 77,000 acres.
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The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved the settlement that penalizes the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for the Mosquito Fire.
PG&E will pay a penalty of $21 million in shareholder funds to California’s General Fund and $1 million for an independent expert third-party review of PG&E’s Transmission Centralized Inspection Review Team’s operations, CPUC officials said in a news release.
“Having personally experienced the fear and uncertainty of evacuating during the Eaton Fire, I know that wildfire safety is not an abstract issue, it is about protecting people, homes, and communities,” CPUC Commissioner Christine Harada said in the news release. “This resolution holds PG&E accountable while requiring an independent review of its inspection and maintenance practices. We owe it to Californians to learn from these fires, strengthen safety, and do everything we can to prevent the next tragedy.”
CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division investigated the Mosquito Fire and the involvement of PG&E’s infrastructure. The CPUC said the investigation found violations of a regulation that sets safety factors and strength requirements in the design, construction and maintenance of overhead electrical lines and communications facilities.
The settlement requires PG&E, an investor-owned utility company, to conduct a detailed review of its inspection team’s program at its shareholders’ expense.
The cause of the Mosquito Fire remains listed as under investigation on Cal Fire’s website. Lawsuits, including ones filed by both counties and the Placer County Water Agency, alleged that faulty PG&E equipment caused the fire.
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In response to Thursday’s settlement with the CPUC, PG&E released a written statement.
“We share the California Public Utilities Commission’s commitment to improving safety. PG&E remains focused on reducing wildfire risk to protect our customers and communities,” PG&E officials said in the statement. “While no official cause of the Mosquito Fire has been determined, settling this matter now will allow us to keep focusing our time, resources, and efforts on continuing to make our system safer throughout California.”
The Mosquito Fire started on Sept. 6, 2022, near the Oxbow Reservoir at the Middle Fork American River and burned 76,788 acres, or nearly 120 square miles.
About 11,000 residents were ordered to evacuate until firefighters were able to get the blaze under control. Those evacuated included residents from the towns of Georgetown and Foresthill, as the wildfire jumped the American River in each direction during its wind-swept runs.
The Mosquito Fire destroyed 78 structures, including dozens of homes in the Placer County community of Michigan Bluff and the El Dorado County town of Volcanoville, before being contained Oct. 27, according to Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service.
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