Under a deal struck with state regulators, PGE would pay $22 million in penalties for the Mosquito Fire in Placer County, without admitting any liability. The fire, which stands as the last in a string of major wildfires involving PGE equipment, broke out near the Oxbow Reservoir on Sept. 6, 2022 . No one was injured, but the fire burned more than 75,000 acres and destroyed 78 structures – the largest single fire in the state that year. The cause of the fire has not been officially determined, but under the deal the utility reached with safety regulators — subject to approval by the state Public Utilities Commission — the utility would pay $21 million in regulatory fines and put up $1 million for an outside study of its inspection practices. california wildfires Sep 26, 2022 Feds Seize PGE Pole in Criminal Probe of Mosquito Fire: Utility California Sep 14, 2022 SJSU Scientists Study Mosquito Fire in Hopes of Predicting, Preventing Others The settlement resolves allegations that PGE disposed of a power pole after the fire that regulators said should have been preserved as evidence. Other allegations that would be settled in the agreement include vegetation clearance violations and unjustified canceling of pending repairs, according to the settlement agreement. The utility said in a statement that the settlement will allow it to concentrate on cutting wildfire risk and improving safety. “While no official cause of the mosquito fire has been determined,” PGE said, “settling this matter now will allow us to keep focusing our time, resources, and efforts on continuing to make our system safer throughout California.” ...read more read less