![]() ![]() “These fires were predictable and preventable and devastated the lives of thousands of Oregonians,” Rosinia told jurors. Nicholas Rosinia, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, asked jurors to hold PacifiCorp accountable for its failure to shut off power on Labor Day 2020. The lawsuit no matter the outcome is likely to reshape the way Oregon’s electric utilities respond to increasing wildfire risks amid climate change, consistent drought conditions and a spike in the average number of acres burned annually. Jurors in the Multnomah County trial will determine PacifiCorp’s responsibility, if any, in four of those blazes: the Santiam Canyon fires east of Salem the Echo Mountain Complex near Lincoln City the South Obenchain fire near Eagle Point and the Two Four Two fire near the southwest Oregon town of Chiloquin. Its lines have been implicated in multiple blazes, one of which started in its California service territory and burned into Oregon. ![]() The Portland-based utility, Oregon’s second largest, didn’t shut off power to its 600,000 customers during the windstorm. PacifiCorp is the primary defendant in litigation stemming from the fires, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The fires in 2020 killed nine people, burned more than 1,875 square miles (4,856 square kilometers) in Oregon and destroyed upward of 5,000 homes and structures. – A trial connected to a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon started Tuesday in Portland.
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