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PG&E confesses to killing 84 people in 2018 California fire

Bill Johnson
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Bill Johnson, chief executive officer and president of PG&E Corp., standing right, lowers his head after admitting the company's guilt in the deaths of 84 people in a 2018 wildfire, during a hearing in Butte County Superior Court in Chico, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Johnson entered guilty pleas on behalf of the company for 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the fire which was blamed on the company's crumbling electrical grid the wiped out the town of Paradise in November of 2018.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
Bill Johnson
Posted at 4:17 PM, Jun 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-16 19:17:51-04

(AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in a devastating Northern California wildfire.

The dramatic court hearing was also punctuated by a promise from the company's outgoing CEO that nation's largest utility will never again put profits ahead of safety.

PG&E CEO Bill Johnson appeared on the company's behalf in Butte County Superior Court to plead guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter.

They stem from a November 2018 wildfire ignited by the utility’s crumbling electrical grid. In total, the Camp Fire burned through 153,336 acres and almost completely destroyed the town of Paradise.

Johnson solemnly looked at photos those who died while acknowledging the company's responsibility for the fire.

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