US power company charged over deadly California forest fireThe Zogg Fire burned 56,000 acres and killed four people after it was sparked by a power line in September 2020LOS ANGELES - A US power company whose cables sparked a devastating California fire that killed four people has been charged with manslaughter, prosecutors said Friday. Prosecutors said the company knew the tree in Shasta County was dangerously close to a powerline and should have removed it three years earlier. PG&E is one of California's biggest power companies, and is responsible for maintaining large swathes of the state's creaking electricity infrastructure. PG&E has already been found guilty of causing the Camp Fire in 2018, the deadliest fire in recent California history. This year the company said it would bury 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) of powerlines in an effort to keep them away from vegetation.

Source: Bangkok Post September 25, 2021 01:07 UTC