Activists also want the commission to revoke PG&E's safety certificate, which is required to access the state's $21 billion wildfire insurance fund. The Dixie Fire has prompted progressives to renew calls for PG&E accountability, with members of the Reclaim Our Power campaign flooding the phone lines during Thursday's California Public Utilities Commission meeting to urge the agency to increase oversight and enforcement of the company. Earlier in the year, the Sonoma County DA hit PG&E with fire-starting and emissions charges in connection with the 2019 Kincade Fire that burned nearly 78,000 acres and injured four people. A formal complaint in that case is expected to be filed by the end of September.
Last week, the Shasta County district attorney said PG&E was "criminally liable" for the 2020 Zogg Fire that killed four people and burned over 56,000 acres. The latter was infamously caused by a man trying to plug a wasp's nest with a hammer and stake. The lightning-ignited 2020 August Complex burned over 1 million acres in seven counties, and the 2018 Mendocino Complex burned more than 459,000 acres in four counties. The blaze's overnight growth gave it the grim distinction of becoming the largest standalone fire in state history, but it still ranks behind two multi-fire conflagrations. Last summer, the utility pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges for the disaster.īy Friday morning, the Dixie Fire had burned 432,813 acres and was just 35 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze pushed PG&E to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Camp Fire leveled the towns of Paradise and Concow, destroying nearly 19,000 structures and killing 85 people. The two fires started less than 10 miles apart from each other in the Feather River Canyon, a heavily wooded area with decrepit transmission lines. The Dixie Fire is eerily similar to the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive blaze in state history - and sparked by PG&E.
Pacific Gas & Electric disclosed last month that its equipment may have caused the catastrophic blaze. "It's a chapter in my life that's over." CAPTION: Coach Wayne Fontes won 67 games in eight seasons as Lions coach, more than anyone in team history.The troubling development reflects not just the dire effects of climate change and neglected forest management, but also that the electric grid remains prone to sparking wildfires.
The Lions will honor the last year of Fontes's contract. If Minnesota's Dennis Green is let go after the playoffs, Holtz has been mentioned as a possibility for the Vikings.įord said Fontes's failures in playoff games were a significant reason for his firing, not to mention a 5-11 season after a 4-2 start by a team that included such potent offensive players as running back Barry Sanders, the NFL's rushing champion quarterback Scott Mitchell and wide receivers Herman Moore and Brett Perriman. Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz also may have some interest in the NFL. Michigan State's Nick Saban has been mentioned for several NFL jobs, but has said he's reluctant to leave after only two seasons coaching the Spartans. Other "hot" prospects are Oakland assistant head coach Joe Bugel, San Francisco defensive coordinator Pete Carroll and Arizona offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, who was interviewed yesterday by Giants General Manager George Young.įord also indicated he would not be opposed to hiring a college coach. Many of the candidates for the first five openings also have been mentioned for the Lions job, including Reeves and Mora.
Mora's replacement, interum coach Rick Venturi, likely will be let go by the Saints in the next few days.įord said he had no immediate replacement in mind for Fontes and was not inclined to make a quick decision. During the season, David Shula in Cincinnati and Jim Mora in New Orleans also left. Louis Rams, Dan Reeves of the New York Giants, June Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and Mike White of the Oakland Raiders. He became the sixth NFL coach to lose his job since the regular season ended, joining Rich Kotite of the New York Jets, Rich Brooks of the St. When we came here, we never had that."įontes, who had a 67-71 overall record, had the second-longest tenure among active NFL coaches, behind Marv Levy's 11-year stint with the Buffalo Bills. "I want to say it's been a great eight years," Fontes said, making a surprise appearance at the news conference during which team owner William Clay Ford announced his dismissal. All those losses, 11 this season, cost him his job yesterday after eight seasons. Wayne Fontes won more games than any coach in Detroit Lions history, but he also lost more games than any of his predecessors, including four defeats in five playoff games.