Articles by Joel Rosenblat and Mark Chediak

PG&E Judge Won’t Rule Out California Fire Cost Claim

PG&E Corp. suffered another legal setback with a judge saying he won’t release the company from a key legal claim over the most destructive wildfires in California history. PG&E has been challenging a California law allowing private property owners to …

Big Batteries Could Pose Big Fire Risk for Cities

The new era of big batteries has already drawn scrutiny after fiery electric-car crashes across America and Europe. Now, U.S. city planners are worried about the same risk of hard-to-control blazes as these power-storage units make their way into basements …

Judge Tentatively Rejects PG&E Bid to Set Aside Liability in California Fire

PG&E Corp. tentatively lost a bid to inoculate itself from a finding of liability in a 2015 fire, a court decision that deals the company a potentially more serious setback in its strategy to shield itself from deeper losses in …

California Bill Would Shield PG&E, Edison from Some Wildfire Liability

Utility giants PG&E Corp. and Edison International could gain at least some protection against future wildfire damages under a bill that’s advancing in California’s legislature. An amended bill being weighed by California’s Senate would shield utilities that follow approved safety …

Southern California Edison Blamed in Lawsuit for 3 Los Angeles-Area Wildfires

Edison International’s Southern California Edison was blamed in a lawsuit for three wildfires that destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and killed a firefighter last month in the Los Angeles area. While no official findings about the cause of the fires …

Los Angeles Wildfires Close Roads, Threaten Crops, Force Evacuations

Wildfires raging across Southern California have shut a major commuter artery in Los Angeles, suspended filming, wiped out more than $3 billion of market value for regional utility Edison International and are threatening some of the state’s lucrative crops. Stretches …

Another California Utility Loses Billions in Value as Wildfire Rages

Once again, thousands are fleeing a wildfire in California. And, once again, the worry on Wall Street is that a major electric utility might end up on the hook for the damages. Shares of Edison International plunged the most in …

Fallout for PG&E from California Wildfire Could Have Been Limited by Vote

California regulators rejected a request by a San Diego utility to bill customers for a decade-old wildfire, even as they made clear their decision shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a precedent for last month’s deadly fires in wine country. San …

PG&E’s Possible Liability in California Wildfires Targeted by Investigators

PG&E Corp. at the end of last week capped its worst week in nine years on speculation that downed power lines may have played a role in deadly wildfires raging across California. And the rout is far from over. After …

Wildfires Ravage California’s Iconic Wine Country Region

Wildfires that tore through northern California’s iconic wine-growing regions have prompted evacuations of more than 20,000 people, killed 11 and damaged some of the most valuable vineyards and wineries in the U.S. Blazes are sweeping through one of the state’s …