SACRAMENTO >> State officials announce that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power lines coming into contact with trees is the cause of three Northern California wildfires in last year’s October Fire Siege. PG&E says its programs met the state’s high standards.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) investigators determined there were violations of state laws for the blazes that took place in Butte and Nevada counties. Investigations were conducted for the La Porte Fire, Butte County; Honey Fire, Butte County; McCourtney Fire, Nevada County; and the Lobo Fire, Nevada County. A total of 9,390 acres and 134 structures were destroyed as a result. No deaths were reported in the Butte and Nevada counties fires.
In some cases, fire officials said the utility failed to remove trees or provide adequate clearance between trees and power lines.
The 2017 Fire Seige involved more than 170 fires and charred more than 245,000 acres in Northern California, with over 11,000 firefighters from 17 states tackling each blaze.
PG&E said it would carefully review the Cal Fire reports to “understand the agency’s perspectives. Based on the information we have so far, we believe our overall programs met our state’s high standards.”
The utility said it inspects and monitors every PG&E overhead electric transmission and distribution line each year, with some locations patrolled multiple times. About 1.4 million trees are pruned or removed annually, PG&E added.
Following last year’s fires, the utility said it wants to work together to prevent and respond to wildfires and enhance climate and infrastructure resiliency.
In a statement, PG&E said, “…we are bolstering wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts, putting in place new and enhanced safety measures, and doing more over the long term to harden our electric system to help reduce wildfire risks and to keep our customers safe.”
These four incidents are the first fire investigations from last October to be completed, Cal Fire said. The Department added that the remaining fires in October and December would also undergo examinations and information will be released as it becomes available. Current findings are said to be sent to local prosecutors in the counties where each incident happened.
