PARADISE, Calif. (KGTV) -- Pacific Gas and Electric could face murder or manslaughter charges if it were found responsible for starting the deadly Camp Fire, according to CNN.
The company could face a range of criminal charges if any of the wildfires broke out as a result of improperly maintained power lines.
Potential charges range from misdemeanors related to clearing vegetation around power lines to "homicide offenses like implied-malice murder and involuntary manslaughter."
Attorney General Xavier Becerra has yet to come to a conclusion about the company’s responsibility in the recent fires.
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The company responded by saying it’s determined to do everything it can to reduce wildfire risk:
"PG&E's most important responsibility is public and workforce safety. Our focus continues to be on assessing our infrastructure to further enhance safety and helping our customers continue to recover and rebuild.”
The company reported an outage on a transmission line where the fire started 15 minutes before the flames began to tear through the forest.
This year, Governor Jerry Brown signed a measure allowing utilities to bill their customers for legal settlements stemming from the 2017 wildfires.
The deadly Camp Fire started on November 8 and claimed at least 85 lives. PG&E provides electricity to about 16 million Californians.
