LOS ANGELES _ Victims of the Camp fire in Northern California filed a class action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric Company alleging the utility is responsible for sparking the deadly blaze that killed at least 77 people and destroyed more than 11,000 homes.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in a Butte County superior court by two law firms _ Garner & Associates and Franklin D. Azar & Associates _ alleges that PG&E has a history of disregarding safety regulations to maximize corporate profits.
Attorneys are asking that PG&E pay victims for their loss of property and other costs related to the fire.
The lawsuit alleges PG&E has failed in the past to trim trees near power lines or proactively shut off power in hazardous fire conditions, and that the fire was preventable. It references a report the utility filed that notified the California Public Utilities Commission of problems with a power line minutes before the Camp fire started.
"PG&E observed by aerial patrol damage to a transmission tower on the Caribou-Palermo 115 kV Transmission line ... in the area of the Camp fire," the utility said in the report.
The lawsuit also references radio transmission recordings of firefighters discussing a damaged transmission line near where the Camp fire started.
A spokesman for the utility said the report was preliminary.
PG&E had notified 70,000 customers that the utility may shut power off due to dangerous fire conditions, but no proactive power shutoffs were initiated. The lawsuit claims the company was negligent in failing to de-energize power lines in fire-prone conditions.
One of the plaintiff's attorneys urged people affected by the fire to report their claims against PG&E.
"We encourage people affected by the Camp Fire to not respond to robo-callers, but to contact the Butte County Bar Association or your local attorney first," said attorney Ivy Ngo.
A representative for PG&E said the company is aware of the lawsuits regarding the fire.
"The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our highest priority," said spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo in an emailed statement. "It's important to remember that the cause of the Camp fire has yet to be determined. Right now, our primary focus is on supporting first responders and positioning our employees to assess damage, restore service and rebuild infrastructure, and helping our communities."
On Wednesday, the utility said if it were found responsible for the fire, its liability would exceed its insurance coverage.
Officials have not yet announced findings on its investigation of what caused the Camp fire.
