A federal judge overseeing the probation of utility giant PG&E Corp. is demanding information on a power line that failed minutes before a massive wildfire broke out last month in Northern California, Bloomberg News reported. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered PG&E to respond to several questions about so-called jumper cables after the San Francisco utility giant disclosed that one had broken where the Kincade fire erupted in Sonoma County on Oct. 23. The blaze is still burning north of San Francisco and has damaged or destroyed almost 450 structures. PG&E’s equipment has already been tied to wildfires that devastated parts of Northern California in 2017 and 2018, saddling the company with an estimated $30 billion in liabilities and forcing it into bankruptcy. Last year, a loose PG&E jumper wire was found to have contributed to the Camp fire, which killed 86 people and destroyed the California town of Paradise. PG&E said that it’s reviewing the judge’s order and will respond by a Nov. 29 deadline.
