PG&E Power Outage: Autopsy reveals Northern California man dependent on oxygen did not die because of PG&E outages

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Saturday, October 12, 2019
Officials say NorCal man dependent on oxygen did not die because of PG&E outages
Authorities now say an autopsy indicates an El Dorado County man who relied on medical equipment for his survival did not die because his power had been shut off.

POLLOCK PINES, Calif. -- Authorities now say an autopsy indicates an El Dorado County man who relied on medical equipment for his survival did not die because his power had been shut off.

According to the autopsy the man's cause of death was determined as Severe Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis.

The man has been identified as 67-year-old Robert Mardis.

RELATED: PG&E CEO Bill Johnson apologizes, responds to criticism of Public Safety Power Shutoff

Mardis lived in the town of Pollock Pines, about an hour from Sacramento. He died about 12 minutes after PG&E cut his power on Wednesday.

El Dorado County Fire Chief Lloyd Ogan said Friday that fire personnel responded the call which came in after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. He said crews arrived to find an unresponsive man in his 60s and were unable to revive him.

The utility started turning off electricity early Wednesday in Northern and Central California in advance of strong, dry winds.

Mardis had a severe case of COPD and had oxygen equipment that required power.

For the latest stories about PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff go here.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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