View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2011/06/22/203635.htm
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has agreed to pay $26 million in penalties after acknowledging safety violations in a fatal natural gas explosion that destroyed one home and damaged several others in a Sacramento suburb on Christmas Eve 2008.
The California Public Utilities Commission announced the proposed resolution Monday. If approved by the full commission, it would be the largest safety-related fine assessed by the PUC in more than 10 years.
The explosion killed 72-year-old Wilbert “Bill” Paana and injured five others in Rancho Cordova. Investigators found PG&E installed incorrect pipe and was slow responding to a leak report.
PG&E did not immediately return a call seeking comment. It has faced intense scrutiny over the 2008 blast and another in 2010 that killed eight people in San Bruno.