12 blazes blamed on PG&E
Power lines: Cal Fire probe points to violations of state law in 8 cases
At least a dozen wildfires that ripped through Northern California last October, including the deadly Atlas and Nuns fires in the North Bay, were caused by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power lines, state officials said Friday.
The findings by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are the first to lay out an official source of ignition for any of the Wine Country blazes, which killed 41 people and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes in a wind-driven inferno. The most destructive of the burns, the Tubbs Fire that hit Santa Rosa, remains under investigation.
The completed investiga-
tions show that downed electric lines or trees and branches coming into contact with power equipment sparked eight fires in Sonoma and Napa counties, which resulted in eight fatalities, as well as Mendocino County’s Redwood Fire, which left nine dead. Three smaller blazes, in Lake, Humboldt and Butte counties, were also ignited by PG&E equipment, according to Cal Fire.
The finding of responsibility “is great news,” said Clifford Rainey, a glass sculptor who lost his life’s work in Napa County’s Atlas Fire and is among many victims suing PG&E for damages. “It’s definitely worth a glass of wine tonight.”
In eight of the 12 fires, Cal Fire officials said PG&E violated state law, though investigators did not specify which laws were broken.
Friday’s announcement has major ramifications for the utility, which has warned of an unprecedented financial hit as victims take to the courts.
In pointing to electrical mishaps, the investigation’s findings echoed those in recent probes into four fires in the Sierra foothills that started around the same time as the Wine Country conflagrations. Extraordinarily strong winds fanned dozens of ignitions across Northern California on Oct. 8 and 9, sparking the most devastating series of wildfires in state history.
Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties were the hardesthit areas. While a source of ignition has not yet been cited for the Tubbs Fire, which killed 24 people and destroyed 5,636 homes, businesses and other structures, power equipment also has been suspected in that blaze.
PG&E released a statement Friday saying the company was saddened by the losses from the wildfires, but distanced itself from responsibility.
“Based on the information we have so far, we continue to believe our overall programs met our state’s high standards,” the company said.
Cal Fire officials are forwarding the completed investigations of the eight fires in which PG&E is alleged to have violated state law to district attorneys in the counties that burned. These fires are the Atlas, Norrbom, Partrick, Pythian, Adobe and Pocket fires in Sonoma and Napa counties as well as the Sulphur Fire in Lake County and Blue Fire in Humboldt County.
District attorneys have the authority to pursue criminal charges or civil suits. The Sonoma County district attorney’s office confirmed Friday that it had been in touch with Cal Fire about the investigations, as had district attorneys in Napa and Lake counties and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Bill Brockley, Sonoma County assistant district attorney, said his office was reviewing Cal Fire’s findings before deciding how to move forward.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates state power companies, also can issue fines.
October’s unprecedented blazes burned more than 245,000 acres across Northern California. Some 170 separate ignitions were counted, according to Cal Fire.
In the Wine Country, gusts of up to 70 mph drove several fires across wooded mountaintops and rural vineyards and into small towns and welltraveled tourist routes. The brunt of the destruction was in the Santa Rosa area, where the Tubbs Fire reduced whole neighborhoods to ash.
Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said the extent of damage in the Tubbs Fire made it more difficult to investigate. He did not offer a timeline for when the probe would wrap up.
“It’s quite complex compared to the other ones,” he said.
The other big October fires include the Atlas Fire, which burned 51,624 acres in the hills east of the city of Napa, killing six and destroying 783 structures. Cal Fire investigators said the blaze started in two locations where a tree and a tree limb fell onto the same power line in separate spots.
The Nuns Fire, which merged with a handful of smaller fires and tore along the ridge between Napa and Sonoma counties, burning 56,556 acres and razing 1,355 structures, ignited after a tree limb hit a power line, Cal Fire said. Investigators did not cite any breach of state law in that case.
The Redwood Fire, which burned 36,523 acres and destroyed 543 structures in Mendocino County, started after parts of a tree fell onto power lines at two distinct points, Cal Fire said. No violation of state law was found in this case, either.
Even when the fires were still hot, Cal Fire investigators began scouting for the causes along PG&E transmission lines. Dozens of lawsuits have since been filed against the utility. Statewide damage estimates from the firestorm stand at more than $10 billion.
California law allows utilities to be held liable for fire costs, even in instances where the electric company is not found to have violated state law.
PG&E, which is investorowned but heavily regulated, has sought to raise rates to cover the potential expense of litigation. The utility, though, is limited in how much it can adjust prices. Officials have said privately that legal costs may prove unaffordable and require financial restructuring.
Downed and damaged power lines are among the top causes of wildfires in California. Among the 20 largest fires in state history, electrical problems rank alongside runaway campfires as the most common human sources of ignition. More than 80 percent of the wildfires in the West are caused by humans.
The four small Sierra fires that last month were blamed on PG&E equipment include the La Porte and Honey fires in Butte County and the McCourtney and Lobo fires in Nevada County. There were no fatalities in those blazes, though dozens of homes burned.
Investigators said the utility had not properly cleared vegetation in all but the La Porte Fire.