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The Bay

The PG&E Fire Victim Trust Owes Billions to Survivors — and Most Are Still Waiting

Devin KatayamaLily JamaliEricka Cruz GuevarraShaylyn MartosAlan Montecillo
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PG&E workers cut damaged power lines near Paradise on Nov. 13, 2018, five days after a PG&E transmission line sparked the Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in modern California history.  (Anne Wernikoff/KQED)

The vast majority of the nearly 70,000 fire survivors are waiting for the compensation they’re owed as a result of PG&E’s bankruptcy settlement — while the trust responsible for managing the money racked up over $51 million in operating costs in 2020. 

Many families who have been displaced by fires caused by PG&E’s  equipment are living in precarious situations. Some live unhoused or with relatives, and many have been forced to dip into savings while also experiencing the trauma of living with fear of fires.

So why are so many survivors still waiting?

Guest: Lily Jamali, Co-host and correspondent at KQED’s The California Report

Episode transcript here.

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