FIRE - POWER - MONEY
With California’s wildfires growing deadlier and bigger than ever, ABC10 examines the connection between wildfires, PG&E and its influence on California politics.
ABC10 / KXTV
With California’s wildfires growing deadlier and bigger than ever, the state’s largest power company admitted to the largest corporate homicide in American history. PG&E killed 84 people by when it's power lines started the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise. Our investigation will take you behind the scenes of the criminal prosecution and look into how PG&E and the California state government are avoiding accountability.
Chapter one Episode One: It Was A Crime
As California wildfires break records due to a combination of overgrown forests and climate change, the state faces another crisis: our biggest power company is a criminal enterprise with a tendency to spark wildfires. PG&E is now guilty of America’s largest corporate manslaughter. Experts say PG&E hasn’t cleaned up its act and worry it will kill again.
Chapter two Episode Two: Criminal Thinking
PG&E owns and operates the biggest machine in California: our electric grid. To prevent the machine from sparking wildfires, PG&E implemented planned blackouts during windstorms. But are these blackouts really working? PG&E is already the subject of a new homicide investigation.
Chapter three Episode Three: Killer Corporation
PG&E pleaded guilty as charged to the manslaughter of 84 people, but it tried to avoid being charged at all. We take you inside the criminal investigation and reveal never-before-shared details about the struggle to bring PG&E to justice. The prosecution team shares that one state agency got in their way.
Watch Season 1:
As California’s wildfires continue to break records due to overgrown forests and climate change, the state faces another crisis. The biggest power company is a convicted felon with a tendency to spark new fires. PG&E is guilty of America’s largest corporate manslaughter case. Experts say PG&E has avoided accountability for its crimes and worried the power company will kill again. But how did we get here? Can anyone force PG&E to be safer?
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To contact the team with tips, email Investigative Reporter Brandon Rittiman at brittiman@abc10.com or fill out our form below.