A judge has paused testimony ahead of PG&E's criminal trial over its role in the Kincade Fire as Sonoma County prosecutors negotiate a settlement with the utility company.
Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Mark Urioste on Tuesday agreed to delay testimony in a pretrial hearing. PG&E faces 33 charges, including five felonies, stemming from the Kincade Fire, which CAL Fire and the California Public Utilities Commission said was started by the utility’s own equipment.
Prosecutors told Urioste on Tuesday morning they were "hopeful a resolution would be obtained," according to the San Francisco Chronicle and KXTV, among other outlets at the hearing. A Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson didn’t respond to KCBS Radio’s request for comment prior to publication.
PG&E agreed in December to pay $125 million, including $40 million to the California General Fund, for its role in the fire. The Kincade Fire burned nearly 78,000 acres in 2019, destroying 374 acres.
In a statement to KCBS Radio in November, the utility said it it accepted "CAL FIRE's finding that a PG&E transmission line caused the Kincade fire," but disagreed with state regulators' determination PG&E violated regulatory requirements for the maintenance of electrical lines.
"(The) settlement will assist in allowing all parties to move forward from the fire, and permit us to focus on compensating victims and making our energy system safer," PG&E said in a statement.
Sonoma County prosecutors and PG&E are scheduled to return to court on Monday, according to KXTV. The preliminary hearing will resume, or the sides will update Urioste on the settlement agreement, the outlet reported.
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