No criminal charges in fatal 2018 California wildfire

Published August 13, 2021 5:46 PM

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Department of Justice will not bring criminal charges against a utility whose equipment sparked a 2018 fire that killed three people and destroyed more than 1,600 homes and other structures. The department said Friday that it found insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution against Southern California Edison for the Woolsey Fire. The fire forced nearly 300,000 residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties to flee. Investigators found that high winds blew a loose guy wire into electrified conductors, causing an electrical arc. But they say they couldn’t prove that the company knew it was causing a risk and ignored the danger.

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