PG&E Power Lines Caused Last Year's Kincade Fire That Destroyed 374 Homes
Pacific Gas & Electric transmission lines sparked a wildfire in Northern California wine country last year that destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee, fire officials said Thursday.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said investigators determined that lines northeast of Geyserville were responsible for igniting the Kincade Fire last October that ripped through a wide swath of Sonoma County. Tinder-dry brush and strong winds combined with warm temperatures and low humidity helped the fire spread at extreme rates, the agency said in a statement.
Cal Fire did not release details of its investigation but said its report had been sent to the county district attorney's office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges. The fire burned 374 homes and other buildings and injured four people before it was doused two weeks later.
PG&E said Thursday it did not have access to the agency's investigative report or the evidence collected, and that it looked forward to reviewing both. The utility told regulators last year that its lines were the likely cause of the fire. PG&E is the nation’s largest utility and recently emerged from bankruptcy caused by the financial fallout from its role in several devastating wildfires that destroyed more than 27,000 homes and other buildings in 2017 and 2018.
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https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/utilitys-power-lines-caused-huge-2019-california-fire-71831315
