PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — The Placer County Water Agency has filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for damages related to the Mosquito Fire.
The lawsuit alleges the Mosquito Fire damaged electricity transmission infrastructure and paused energy production along the Middle Fork American River Project. The water agency says in the lawsuit that the fire caused it to lose tens of millions of dollars in power sales, but the total amount of compensation for damages is undetermined.
"PG&E had actual knowledge about the significant risk of wildfires from its unsafe equipment, and/or aging infrastructure for decades before the Mosquito Fire began. PG&E knew that its Electrical Equipment could cause wildfires and that wildfire could result in the destruction of structures and property around its Electrical Equipment (including power poles and power lines)," according to the suit.
The Middle Fork Project provides water supplies, hydroelectric energy, public recreation and more, according to the water agency.
“The work to recover from the Mosquito Fire’s impacts will be significant, long-term and costly,” said PCWA General Manager Andy Fecko in a statement. “Our Board is committed to taking every measure possible to protect the interests of our citizens and the investments they have made in our infrastructure. Today’s filing is an important step in fulfilling our responsibility to those we serve and ensuring that we are in a position to recover damages associated with the Mosquito Fire as fully and quickly as possible."
Read the full lawsuit HERE.
PG&E had the following statement when asked about the lawsuit:
"We recognize the impact that Mosquito Fire has had on this community. PG&E filed an Electric Incident Report with the California Public Utilities Commission in September. There has been no official determination of cause of the Mosquito Fire and the U.S. Forest Service’s investigation is ongoing. We are cooperating fully with this effort. We remain focused on reducing wildfire risk across our service area and making our electric system more resilient to the climate-driven challenges we all face in California."
The Mosquito Fire burned nearly 77,000 acres in Sept. and Oct. 2022 in Placer and El Dorado counties.
A lawsuit filed in September in San Francisco Superior Court alleges PG&E is responsible for the destruction and damage of the Mosquito Fire in Placer and El Dorado counties.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of people who owned property or lived in Placer or El Dorado counties. The firm said that the blaze was ignited by PG&E's "poorly maintained utility infrastructure."
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