PG&E, Sonoma County Reach $31M Settlement In Kincade Fire

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The County of Sonoma, the Town of Windsor and the cities of Santa Rosa, Cloverdale and Healdsburg reached a collective $31 million settlement with PG&E for damages from the Kincade Fire, the entities announced Wednesday.

The settlement is for damages to public and natural resources caused by the fire that started Oct. 23, 2019, at the Geysers Geothermal Field northeast of Geyserville. The Kincade Fire resulted in the largest evacuation effort in Sonoma County history, forcing more than 200,000 to flee their homes as more than 77,750 acres burned and 374 homes and other structures were destroyed.

Cal Fire investigators determined in 2020 that PG&E equipment caused the Kincade Fire, and the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against PG&E in April in connection with the fire.

PG&E confirmed Wednesday that through mediation, it reached agreements to resolve wildfire civil claims held by 10 local public entities affected not only by the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County but the 2020 Zogg Fire in Shasta County.

Under the agreements, PG&E said, a total of $43.36 million in payments will be made to Sonoma County, Shasta County, the Town of Windsor, the cities of Cloverdale, Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, Sonoma Water, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and the Sonoma County Community Development Commission.

"When I joined PG&E earlier this year, I said that I wanted to make it right and make it safe for
our customers and communities," said Patti Poppe, CEO of the PG&E Corporation. "We are pleased to have reached these resolutions, so that we can help our hometowns as they recover. Local cities and counties are critical to the fabric of our lives, and today’s resolution reflects our commitment to supporting them and all they are doing to rebuild after these two fires. We look forward to continuing to partner with these local entities as we work to strengthen our energy systems and deliver for our customers and communities."

Each of the public entities will receive settlement funds proportionate to damages experienced. In Sonoma County, where the Kincade Fire ripped through incorporated counties, the largest portion of the $31 million settlement will go to the county.

Claims included ecological damages, costs for staff and labor, damage to pavement and roads, lost revenue, and increased expenses directly related to the Kincade Fire, the Sonoma County entities said in a joint news release.

"The county and the cities worked together to recover these significant funds to reimburse public and natural resources lost in the fire," said Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. "Holding PG&E accountable becomes increasingly important as utility-caused wildfires continue to ravage the state and region."

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