California judge dismisses criminal charges against PG&E in 2020 fatal fire

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric for its role in a 2020 fatal wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people. Officials announced on Wednesday that the utility also reached a $50 million settlement agreement with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office. The wind-whipped blaze began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles of land in Shasta and Tehama counties.