PG&E Will Plead Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Camp Fire

But Karen Gowins, who lost her home in the Camp Fire, criticized the plea agreement on Monday and said that the company may never be fully held to account for its failings.

“I don’t see this as a win for the victims no matter which way it all goes,” said Ms. Gowins, who is a member of a committee that represents wildfire victims in PG&E’s bankruptcy case. “Basically, they’re just going to slap them on the hand. I keep saying, ‘Only the Lord can open a door now.’”

Ms. Gowins fears that people like her will ultimately receive little from the utility for their losses. Half of the $13.5 billion settlement PG&E reached with wildfire victims will be in the form of company stock, which has fallen sharply since mid-February when stock markets began tumbling because of the expanding coronavirus outbreak.

“I’m just not sure how Paradise is going to be able to stand back up on its feet,” she said.

Kirk Trostle, who also lost his home in Paradise, said the deal was inadequate and called on prosecutors to bring charges against PG&E officers. He said most of his two dozen family members who lived in the town have scattered across the state.

“They decimated my entire town,” Mr. Trostle said. “To me, this is just a drop in the bucket for what should be happening to PG&E.”

Mike Ramsey, the Butte County district attorney, said the penalty was the maximum allowed under California law. He added that other government agencies could seek bigger damages from PG&E, including a roughly $2 billion proposed fine by the utilities commission.

PG&E will plead guilty to unlawfully causing a fire and 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter. That is one less than the Camp Fire’s total toll because officials have ruled one death a suicide, Mr. Ramsey said.