Dixie Fire criminal investigation continues
Plumas County District Attorney David Hollister has received a 48-page investigation report Jan. 4 from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), in which the CalFire expresses the opinion that Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is criminally responsible for the Dixie Fire.
The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres (1,505 square miles) impacting Butte, Lassen, Shasta, Tehama and, primarily, Plumas County. The fire actively burned from July 13 to Oct. 25 destroying at least 1,329 structures and decimating the Plumas County communities of Greenville, Indian Falls and Canyon Dam.
The Plumas County District Attorney’s Office will review and evaluate CalFire’s report in light of the other reports and items of evidence collected during a criminal investigation originating shortly after the fire’s ignition.
DA Hollister is partnering with the district attorneys from Butte, Lassen, Tehama and Shasta counties in this criminal investigation. This group has been led by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey who has provided invaluable resources and insight earned from his successful prosecution of Butte County’s 2018 Camp Fire which killed 84 people.
“We will do our absolute best to make sure a fair and balanced evaluation occurs concerning whether criminal charges are appropriate in addressing the origin of the Dixie Fire,” Hollister said. “If the evidence warrants such a prosecution, I will make sure the interests of Plumas County, approximately half of which was decimated by this fire, are at the forefront of any prosecution. I will endeavor to keep the public updated on these efforts while respecting the restraints created by the delicacy, complexity and wide-range of this criminal investigation.”
