Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and two of its subcontractors have agreed to pay $29.5 million to settle lawsuits over fires in national forests in Trinity County and El Dorado County.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento confirmed the settlement to the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday. It stems from two 2004 fires, one in the Six Rivers National Forest in Trinity County and the other in the El Dorado National Forest in El Dorado County.
Federal officials blamed the fires on downed PG&E power lines. In the Six Rivers fire, they said PG&E had failed to remove a decaying tree.
In the El Dorado fire, prosecutors said PG&E had been negligent in supervising a contractor whose workers were cutting down a tree.
A PG&E spokeswoman says the company has made changes to its vegetation management program.
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