Judge orders PG&E to improve records, power line inspections

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2017, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. has received approval to establish a $105 million fund to help survivors of recent California wildfires started by the utility's power lines. A federal judge overseeing PG&E's bankruptcy case approved the utility's "wildfire assistance program" on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. A federal judge has ordered Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to better inspect inspects high-voltage power lines, hire more tree-trimming supervisors and upgrade records regarding the age of electrical equipment as part of efforts to prevent deadly and destructive wildfires and other disasters, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Saturday, Aug. 8. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)