Lawsuits demanding the PG&E pay for damages from wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lon Walker blames Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for starting a wildfire that killed his wife Ellen and destroyed their home near the California city of Paradise.

Butte County cites PG&E for the same Nov. 8 fire that destroyed parks, schools and myriad other public property and amenities. And State Farm insurance company also blames the utility for the fire that compelled it to pay millions of dollars to policyholders who lost homes and businesses in the blaze.

They are among the people, companies, cities and counties that have filed roughly 1,000 lawsuits since late 2017 demanding PG&E pay for damages caused by wildfires.

PG&E lawyers have filed denials of responsibility in the courts, but when the company sought bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, it cited at least $30 billion in potential liability from those and other lawsuits.

State investigators have yet to determine the cause of the Nov. 8 fire that killed 86 people and destroyed 15,000 homes in the Paradise area, but PG&E equipment is suspected in the most destructive wildfire in the U.S. in at least a century. Some $8.4 billion in insurance claims have been filed involving that fire.

State investigators blame PG&E equipment for 17 major fires since late 2017. Under California law, utilities are required to pay for wildfire damage caused by their equipment even if the companies weren't negligent.

Those fires killed a combined 18 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses.