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Tag: PG&E

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.

PG&E says their equipment may have started the Dixie Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , , 5 Comments on PG&E says their equipment may have started the Dixie Fire

The fire has burned more than 30,000 acres 25 miles north of Oroville, California

4:08 p.m. PDT July 19, 2021

Dixie Fire 3-D map
Dixie Fire 3-D map July 18, 2021.

In a report to the California Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas and Electric explains that on July 13 the company’s equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire which has burned more than 30,000 acres along Highway 70. The fire is 25 miles north of Oroville. It has burned over or around the communities of Dixie, Merlin, Rock Creek, Storrie, Tobin, and Belden. Remarkably, CAL FIRE has not reported any burned structures, but says 810 are threatened.

PG&E said that at 7 a.m. on July 13 their system detected a loss of power in Feather River Canyon. From a distance their troubleman could see what looked like a blown fuse on a 12 kV power line. Because of challenging terrain and a closed bridge, the report said, another 9 hours and 40 minutes elapsed before he could access the site. He found that two fuses were blown and a live tree was leaning onto the power line. There was a fire on the ground near the base of the tree.

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

At that time the company called 911 to report the fire. The operator said they were aware of the fire and units were responding.

The Dixie Fire has burned 14 miles northeast through Feather River Canyon and stretches 5 miles northwest from the river.

Map of the Dixie Fire
Map of the Dixie Fire. The white line was the perimeter July 18. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 3:54 a.m. PDT July 19, 2021.

The fire was very active Saturday and Sunday moving to the east and north, becoming well established on the southeast side of the Feather River, mirroring what was happening on the other side of the canyon.

Firefighters are constructing direct fire lines to stop the spread and are building indirect contingency lines to protect the communities at risk. Much of the fire is in steep terrain.

Evacuation orders are in effect for some areas in Plumas and Butte Counties. A map is available, and CAL FIRE has other evacuation information.

Dixie Fire
Dixie Fire as seen from Jarbo Gap, looking northeast at 4:04 p.m. PDT July 19, 2021.

Resources assigned to the Dixie Fire Monday morning included 54 hand crews, 17 helicopters, 110 engines, 29 dozers, and 19 water tenders for a total of 1,918 personnel.

Below is very impressive video of pyrocumulus (the white cloud) forming over the intensely burning Dixie Fire Sunday afternoon.

California power company’s line clearance program criticized by the state

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 1 Comment on California power company’s line clearance program criticized by the state

Wall Street Journal reported PG&E’s power lines and equipment started more than 1,500 fires in a 4-year period

Vegetation power line cause faults fires electrically
File photo of vegetation near an electrical line. (Texas A&M Engineering photo)

The California Public Utilities Commission has ordered Pacific Gas and Electric to revise its plan to reduce wildfire ignitions caused by their power lines. The company provides electrical service to areas of Central and Northern California.

PG&E missed a deadline for submitting and gaining approval of their 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Plan. The PUC ordered the company to revise a version they prepared earlier and granted a one-month extension of the deadline.

The PUC’s Wildfire Safety Division says that PG&E is actually spending less money on clearing vegetation from power lines and other equipment, contradicting claims that they are hiring more people to do the work.

Other concerns in the report include quality control and verifying how money spent reduces wildfire risk.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reported that investigators attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware between June 2014 and December 2017.

CAL FIRE attributed 12 fires that started in Northern California on October 8 and 9, 2017 to PG&E power equipment.

A search through the Wildfire Today archives found numerous fires attributed to PG&E between 1999 and 2020.  Some of the larger ones are below; it is not a complete or comprehensive list.

  • Zogg Fire, September, 2020, 56,338 acres, destroyed 204 structures, and caused the deaths of four people.
  • Kincade Fire, October, 2019, 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures.
  • Camp Fire, November , 2018, 154,000 acres, destroyed 18,000 structures, and caused the deaths of 84 people. The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
  • Cascade Fire, October 2017, 9,989 acres, destroyed 250 structures, and caused the deaths of five people, including one firefighter.
  • Redwood Valley Fire, October, 2017, 36,523 acres, destroyed 543 structures, and caused the deaths of 9 people.
  • Sulphur Fire, October, 2017, 2,207 acres, destroyed 162 structures.
  • Cherokee Fire, October, 2017, 8,417 acres, destroyed 6 structures.
  • 37 Fire, October, 2017, 1,660 acres, destroyed 3 structures.
  • Blue Fire, October, 2017, 20 acres.
  • Norrbom, Adobe, Partrick, Pythian and Nuns Fires,  October, 2017, burned together, 56,556 acres, destroyed 1,255 structures, and caused the deaths of 3 people.
  • Pocket Fire, October, 2017, 17,357 acres, destroyed 783 structures.
  • Atlas Fire, October, 2017, 51,624 acres, destroyed 783 structures, and caused the deaths of 6 people.
  • Butte Fire, September 2015, 70,868 acres, destroyed a total of 921 structures, including 549 homes, 368 outbuildings, and 4 commercial properties, and caused the deaths of two people.
  • Pendola Fire, October, 1999, 11,725 acres.

A list of some of the fires attributed to PG&E powerline equipment

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

Charges were recently filed against the company for their role in starting the Kincade Fire in Northern California

Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020 California
Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020. CAL FIRE photo.

In light of the charges recently filed against Pacific Gas and Electric for the role their equipment played in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California, we dug through some records showing the significant part the company has played in starting numerous wildfires over the last decade.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reported that investigators attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware between June 2014 and December 2017.

CAL FIRE attributed 12 fires that started in Northern California on October 8 and 9, 2017 to PG&E power equipment.

Below are some of the fires attributed to PG&E between 1999 and 2020. It is not a complete or comprehensive list.

  • Zogg Fire, September, 2020, 56,338 acres, destroyed 204 structures, and caused the deaths of four people.
  • Kincade Fire, October, 2019, 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures.
  • Camp Fire, November , 2018, 154,000 acres, destroyed 18,000 structures, and caused the deaths of 84 people. The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
  • Cascade Fire, October 2017, 9,989 acres, destroyed 250 structures, and caused the deaths of five people, including one firefighter.
  • Redwood Valley Fire, October, 2017, 36,523 acres, destroyed 543 structures, and caused the deaths of 9 people.
  • Sulphur Fire, October, 2017, 2,207 acres, destroyed 162 structures.
  • Cherokee Fire, October, 2017, 8,417 acres, destroyed 6 structures.
  • 37 Fire, October, 2017, 1,660 acres, destroyed 3 structures.
  • Blue Fire, October, 2017, 20 acres.
  • Norrbom, Adobe, Partrick, Pythian and Nuns Fires, October, 2017, burned together, 56,556 acres, destroyed 1,255 structures, and caused the deaths of 3 people.
  • Pocket Fire, October, 2017, 17,357 acres, destroyed 783 structures.
  • Atlas Fire, October, 2017, 51,624 acres, destroyed 783 structures, and caused the deaths of 6 people.
  • Butte Fire, September 2015, 70,868 acres, destroyed a total of 921 structures, including 549 homes, 368 outbuildings, and 4 commercial properties, and caused the deaths of two people.
  • Pendola Fire, October, 1999, 11,725 acres.

Charges filed against PG&E for starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 3 Comments on Charges filed against PG&E for starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California

The fire started October 23, 2019 northeast of Geyserville, burned more than 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures

Map showing in red the perimeter of the Kincade Fire at 12:49 a.m. PDT October 29, 2019. The white line was the approximate perimeter about 24 hours before.

The District Attorney of Sonoma County has filed criminal charges against Pacific Gas and Electric for the role their equipment played in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. The company was charged with five felonies and 28 misdemeanors, including “unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in great bodily injury, unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of inhabited structures, and unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of forest land, as well as various air pollution crimes,” according to the District Attorney’s office.

The fire started October 23, 2019 northeast of Geyserville, California, burned more than 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection sent a report to the District Attorney’s office in July of 2020 which concluded PG&E’s equipment was at fault.

On October 24, 2019 PG&E filed a required preliminary report with the California Public Utilities Commission that stated “at approximately (9:20 p.m.) on Oct. 23, PG&E became aware of a Transmission level outage on the Geysers No. 9 Lakeville 230kV line when the line relayed and did not reclose. At approximately (7:30 a.m.) on Oct. 24, a responding PG&E Troubleman patrolling the Geysers No. 9 Lakeville 230 kV line observed that CalFire had taped off the area around the base of transmission tower 001/006. On site CalFire personnel brought to the Troubleman’s attention what appeared to be a broken jumper on the same tower.”

jumper cable high voltage electrical transmission tower
File photo of a jumper cable on a high voltage electrical transmission tower.

PG&E told a judge on November 29, 2019 that it was investigating whether there was a systemic problem with a piece of hardware on their high voltage electrical transmission towers that can start wildfires, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Investigators with PG&E and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were looking at the possible failure of jumper cables on towers near the points of origin of two huge recent fires, the 2017 Camp Fire at Paradise, California and the Kincade Fire.

The video below shows the ignition of the Kincade Fire on October 23 as seen in near infrared from a camera at Barham near Geyserville, California. Keep your eye on the bright light on the horizon left of center. It disappears at about 21:19:55 and 15 seconds later the fire can be seen growing rapidly.

Investigators also determined that PG&E equipment started other fires in recent years. The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reported that investigators attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware between June 2014 and December 2017. CAL FIRE attributed 12 large fires that started on October 8 and 9, 2017 to PG&E power equipment.

We constructed a list of 18 of the larger fires linked to PG&E equipment.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Investigators determine tree contacting PG&E power line started Zogg Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 3 Comments on Investigators determine tree contacting PG&E power line started Zogg Fire

The fire caused four fatalities and burned more than 56,000 acres in Northern California last year

Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020 California
Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020. CAL FIRE photo.

CAL FIRE has determined that last year’s Zogg Fire was caused by a pine tree contacting power lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in Northern California.

The fire started in Shasta County near the community of Igo September 27, 2020 and burned 56,338 acres, destroyed 204 structures, and caused four civilian fatalities.

The Zogg Fire investigative report has been forwarded to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.

The fire spread quickly as strong winds out of the north-northeast pushed the fire toward Highway 36 where firefighters were able to stop it before it crossed the road. The blaze was burning while many other fires were being fought by thousands of firefighters in California and Oregon, causing resources to be stretched thin.

“The loss of life and devastation in the communities impacted by the Zogg Fire is tragic, and we recognize that nothing can heal the hearts of those who have lost so much,” PG&E said in a statement. “We also thank the courageous first responders who saved lives, protected property and worked to contain and put out the fire.”

From the Sacramento Bee:

The determination [of the cause of the fire] came as no surprise, as investigators zeroed in on PG&E as the fire was being fought. Investigators at the time seized PG&E’s power equipment, and the company disclosed in October that damages from the Zogg Fire could exceed $275 million.

Those costs would come on top of the $625 million in potential claims from the 2019 Kincade Fire, which investigators say was caused by a faulty PG&E transmission line. Separately, PG&E agreed to pay $13.5 billion to cover uninsured losses from the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2017 wine country fires.

The horrific fires of 2017 and 2018 drove PG&E into bankruptcy. It emerged from reorganization last summer after pledging to Gov. Gavin Newsom that it was overhauling its operations and leadership to put a greater emphasis on wildfire safety.

PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter on June 16, 2020 for the 84 people that were killed during the Camp Fire that devastated Paradise, California November 8, 2018. The fire burned 154,000 acres and destroyed more than 18,000 structures.

Map of the Zogg Fire
Map of the Zogg Fire October 9, 2020.