Oregon’s forestry department has concluded that the state’s second-largest electrical utility, PacifiCorp, didn’t spark any of the Santiam Canyon fires that consumed hundreds of homes in 2020.
That’s despite federal fire responders reporting early on that the fires were sparked by electrical equipment — and despite a nearly unanimously jury verdict in 2023, which found the utility caused substantial damage during fires in the canyon, as well as fires in southern and coastal parts of the state.
The Oregon Department of Forestry released its report Wednesday in response to public records requests by multiple news outlets. It comes as PacifiCorp, which is owned by the trillion-dollar company Berkshire Hathaway, pushes for state legislation that would give it some protection against wildfire lawsuits, and a week before a trial begins in Multnomah County to determine how much the company owes additional plaintiffs. PacifiCorp is the parent company of electric utility Pacific Power…