Lawsuit Alleges Utility Company Is Responsible For Deadly McKinney Fire

Residents in the McKinney fire burn area sued PacifiCorp this week, alleging that sparks from the utility’s high-voltage transmission lines and other equipment ignited the deadly blaze last month near the California-Oregon border.

The McKinney fire has burned more than 60,000 acres in rural Siskiyou County since it began on July 29. Four people died as the fire swept through the area, and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed, according to authorities.

The official cause of the fire, which is 95% contained, remains under investigation.

PacifiCorp, which is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy holding company, operates an electrical grid across Oregon, Washington and Northern California.

The utility company reported to California regulators that it operates a power line that runs near Highway 96 in Siskiyou County where the McKinney fire is thought to have started, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported.