At a Glance

A California utility company could face criminal charges for their role in wildfires over the last two years.Pacific Gas & Electric's maintenance of their infrastructure has been questioned in recent years.Twelve fires in 2017 were found to have been sparked by equipment owned by PG&E.Issues with a PG&E power line in the area where the state's deadliest and most destructive fire originated have linked PG&E to the cause of the fire.

California's Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest combined natural gas and electric companies in the United States, was the cause of any of Northern California's deadly fires since 2017, according to the state's Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

PG&E's maintenance of power lines and infrastructure has been questioned after being linked to sparking the state's deadliest and most destructive wildfire, the Camp Fire, in November 2018. The fire , including nearly all of the town of Paradise.

According to the attorney general's brief, prosecutors would have to judge PG&E's "mental state" before determining what charges would be placed, if any.

(MORE: 12 GIFs That Show How Weather Left Its Mark in 2018)

"These states range from ordinary negligence, which generally will not support a criminal conviction, to malice aforethought, which is the mental state for murder," the brief read.

Offenses could range from misdemeanor violations regarding the company's maintenance of vegetation near power lines to felony offenses for starting the fire, or homicide offenses for "implied-malice murder and involuntary manslaughter."

utilities to maintain and clear the area around power poles and lines to certain standards to reduce the risk of fires.

“PG&E’s most important responsibility is public and workforce safety. Our focus continues to be on assessing our infrastructure to further enhance safety and helping our customers continue to recover and rebuild," the company responded, according to the Associated Press.

"Throughout our service area, we are committed to doing everything we can to help further reduce the risk of wildfire.”

, conductors and failing power poles owned by PG&E.

The company was expected to pay out over $2.5 billion following the wine country fires that resulted in 44 deaths.

Additionally, PG&E stated in a report to California's Public Utilities Commission that they had recorded an issue on a power line near where Cal Fire determined the origin of the Camp Fire.

Betsy Ann Cowley, who owns the land where the faulty power line was reported, said the company had emailed her one day before the start of the deadly blaze stating ""

(MORE: PG&E Emailed Landowner About Sparking Power Line One Day Before Deadly Wildfire)

"If PG&E is found responsible for burning down the state again, at some point we have to say enough is enough and we have to ask should this company be allowed to do business in California?" State Sen. Jerry Hill told the Associated Press in November.

Becerra's brief was submitted to a federal judge who presided over a criminal case against PG&E in a deadly natural gas explosion in San Bruno in 2010, but any charges would likely be pressed by county district attorneys.