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PG&E to plead guilty to deaths from Northern California wildfire

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SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) -- Pacific Gas & Electric is expected to plead guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter for a wildfire that wiped out most of a Northern California town.

In a court hearing Tuesday, the nation's largest utility will be confronted by the death and destruction caused by its history of neglect and greed.

The hearing before Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems comes nearly three months after PG&E reached a plea agreement in the November 2018 fire.

Investigators found the fire that destroyed the town of Paradise was ignited by PG&E's rickety electrical grid.

The company agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine and $500,000 for the criminal investigation.