SANTA ROSA (KPIX 5) — It has now been almost two and half years since the Kincade Fire burned down from the Geysers and across Sonoma County, destroying more than 170 homes. That fire was traced back to PG&E equipment – a faulty transmission line up in the hills. This week, county prosecutors announced a $20 million deal that settles criminal charges against the utility, but that money doesn’t go directly to fire victims – they still have to make their own claims.
“The fire came through October 27th, Saturday night into Sunday morning,” explained Cheryl LaFranchi of Oak Ridge Ranch. “Then we basically had five houses and all eight barns burned to the ground and collapsed. So we had nothing left at that time.”
Cheryl LaFranchi’s family has worked their Angus ranch for more than 100 years. With the exception of a few sheds, it was all reduced to foundations in about an hour. The rebuilding process, done in part with debris from the fire, has been a slow one.
“This barn here that is full of cattle, we just got that rebuilt about two weeks ago,” LaFranchi said.
It has also been costly. The family had to burn through their savings to keep the ranch going in the wake of the fire. Insurance only covered about $.30 on the dollar for their rebuilding costs.
“Like in 2020, our feed bill was upwards of almost $800,000. Usually, it’s $130,000,” LaFranchi said. “So it was that much of a difference in just feed for the cattle. Just the fencing, rebuilding the fencing was about $400,000. And we haven’t even rebuilt all of it. Maybe a third of it.”
The settlement reached by the county this week ends the criminal case for the Kincade Fire, and it comes with payments of more than $20 million, money that will go to the county and an assortment of county nonprofits.
“So we sought what we could. I believe that these nonprofits will serve assorted members of our community,” Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch said Monday.
The settlement does not include money for people who lost homes or businesses. Those victims are filing their own claims with PG&E, and some think the end of the criminal case might speed up that process. LaFranchi says the utility actually reached out this week, to talk about looking at her property.
“So we’ll see, I guess,”.she said. “They’re going to come out at the end of April.”
There is still a civil case against PG&E for the Kincade Fire. That is set for trial in November. As the legal gears move, victims are hoping that some kind of compensation is on the way.
“There better be,” LaFranchi said. “I sure hope so. You’d think if they can pay the banks all the more they owe them. So yeah, I certainly hope there’s something in there.”
In a statement, PG&E addressed the pending claims, saying it is “committed to making it right and making it safe for our hometowns. We continue to actively engage with the claimants seeking damages from the 2019 Kincade Fire. As this work continues, we remain focused on preventing major wildfires and are committed to our mission to safely deliver power to our customers and communities.”
