Pacific Gas and Electric Company, commonly called PG&E, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 29, 2019, amid enormous liabilities connected to California wildfires.
PG&E is a major investor-owned utility serving much of northern and central California. Investigations linked its equipment to several destructive fires, including the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp Fire. The Camp Fire devastated the town of Paradise and became California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire at that time.
The bankruptcy allowed PG&E to reorganize while addressing wildfire claims, insurance disputes, and billions of dollars in debt. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2020 after establishing a compensation trust for wildfire victims and reaching major settlements.
PG&E’s case was not simply a conventional corporate failure caused by weak sales. It was closely tied to legal responsibility, infrastructure safety, climate-related fire conditions, and the financial consequences of utility equipment failures.