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Tag: Fly Fire

Judge orders PG&E to provide information about possible role in starting the Fly and Dixie Fires

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 1 Comment on Judge orders PG&E to provide information about possible role in starting the Fly and Dixie Fires

The Fly Fire merged with the Dixie Fire which also appears to have been started by the company’s equipment

firefighters Dixie Fire
Firefighters near the site of a venting propane tank on the Dixie Fire. August 4, 2021. Jay Walter photo.

12:58 p.m. PDT August 8, 2021

The Washington Post reported August 7 that a federal judge ordered PG&E to explain the utility company’s role in starting the Dixie and Fly Fires. The official causes of the fires are still under investigation, but U.S. District Judge William Alsup asked the company in an order issued late Friday to give details, by August 16, about the equipment and vegetation in the area where the fires started. Alsup oversees PG&E’s criminal probation for felony convictions stemming from the deadly 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion.

On July 18 Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) told the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that on July 13 the company’s equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire which at 453,000 acres has grown to become the second largest single fire in the recorded history of California.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

PG&E also said in another filing with the PUC on August 2 that its equipment may also be to blame for starting the Fly fire which eventually merged with the Dixie fire.

The Fly Fire was reported Thursday, July 22 near Keddie in Butterfly Valley about four miles north of Quincy. At first there was a question whether it was a spot fire from the Dixie Fire several miles away, or if it was unrelated. A fire behavior analysis determined the spot fire possibility was unlikely.

PG&E said that at about 5:01 p.m. on July 22 activity on SmartMeters, a line recloser, and alarms reported a problem, and the Gansner 1101 circuit was deenergized. Later PG&E assisted the U.S. Forest Service with moving and examining a tree that was resting on a conductor on the circuit.

Photos of Fly Fire approaching fire monitoring camera

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 4 Comments on Photos of Fly Fire approaching fire monitoring camera

Near the Dixie Fire north of Quincy, California

4:46 p.m. PDT July 24, 2021

The AlertWildfire camera on Indian Ridge photographed the Fly Fire Saturday afternoon as it spread vigorously toward its location. The camera is north of the community of Keddie and northwest of Mt. Hough and Crystal Lake.

These first four pictures were shot during a five-minute period, 2:22 p.m. to 2:26 p.m. on July 24, 2021.

Judging from the photo below taken from the same camera almost two hours later at 4:10 p.m., the camera survived but the lens needs a little cleaning.

Fly Fire
Fly Fire as seen from Indian Ridge at 4:10 p.m. PDT July 24, 2021. AlertWildfire.

The Fly Fire was reported Thursday, July 22 near Keddie in Butterfly Valley about four miles north of Quincy. At first there was a question whether it was a spot fire from the Dixie Fire several miles away, or if it was unrelated. A fire behavior analysis determined the spot fire option was unlikely, but at times this year the behaviors of wildfires are off the charts. Regardless, the cause is being investigated and it is being suppressed by the Dixie Fire Incident Management Team. As of early Saturday morning it had burned more than 4,000 acres.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

The Fly Fire is in the lower-right section of the map below.

Dixie Fire map
Map of the Dixie Fire. The white line was the perimeter at 2:30 a.m. PDT July 24, 2021. The green line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 4:00 a.m. PDT July 24, 2021.