SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. (KXTV) — A criminal manslaughter hearing against Pacific Gas and Electric continued on Thursday. New evidence about the Zogg Fire indicates the energy company bears responsibility for being the source of the fire that killed four people in the hills above Redding, California.
The evidence shows that the fire was started when a windstorm blew a damaged tree into a PG&E power line. Prosecutors say PG&E had a duty to remove that tree. PG&E admits that the fire started with damage to its power line, but pleaded not guilty to any crimes, arguing that it did what it could to try and prevent the fire.
To some who lost people in the Zogg Fire, it feels like the company simply isn't coming clean.
A father and two grandparents walked into the courtroom Thursday wearing shirts printed with photos of 8-year-old Feyla McLeod and her mother Alaina, both of whom lost their lives together trying to escape the fire.
For Suzie Bewley, Feyla McLeod's grandmother, being in the same room as PG&E's lawyers was tough.
"You look my son in the face and tell him how come you didn't cut that tree down?" Bewley addressed the company's lawyers directly.
To Bewley, PG&E's defense feels like a series of excuses to cover up how her grandchild and daughter-in-law died.
"Honor it by saying 'Yes, we are guilty. Yes, it was because of our neglect that your family is not here anymore.' That's honor," said Bewley.
The new photo evidence presented in court showed the 100-foot tall gray pine that fell onto PG&E's power line in a windstorm. PG&E's legal team declined to be interviewed and the judge has prohibited recording in the courtroom for this case, but PG&E portrays the Zogg Fire as an unfortunate tragedy that it tried hard to prevent.
Prosecutors in the case worked to show the opposite, pointing out that the tree had a large open wound which should have been a "huge red flag" that it had health problems, according to arborist Joseph McNeil who worked on CalFire's arson investigation of the Zogg Fire.
The court heard similar testimony from Larry Lacunza, who was a PG&E contractor hired to double-check which trees other contractors had marked for removal. Lacunza said the hollow cavity in the tree would be reason enough to have it cut down regardless of the tree's other health problems.
The families of the victims argued that PG&E knew what it needed to do, but just didn't do the safety work and demanded the company admit guilt.
PG&E spokesperson Lynsey Paulo said in an emailed statement, "We believe PG&E did not commit any crimes. We believe the conduct of our coworkers and contractors reflects good-faith judgement by qualified individuals."
Lacunza is one of the sources a federal judge used to deciee that PG&E had marked the tree that caused the Zogg Fire during PG&E's probation. He is expected to give testimony about that when he goes back on the stand Tuesday.
The preliminary hearing is expected to be longer than most trials, going perhaps 4 or 5 weeks.
