PG&E Says Faulty Power Lines May Have Sparked 2 California Wildfires

Topline: The beleaguered Pacific Gas & Electric Company said in a state filing on Monday that its power lines may have started two smaller wildfires in Northern California over the weekend, creating yet another problem for the utility since it already admitted to being responsible for other wildfires across the state and is currently contending with declining public confidence, bankruptcy and a plunging stock price.

• In two incident reports released Monday, PG&E said that a broken wire and a downed pole on a transformer may have caused two wildfires in Lafayette, California, on Sunday.
• The fires are among a dozen that have been scorching areas of both Northern and Southern California over the past week due to powerful winds and dry conditions, causing nearly 200,000 to evacuate their homes.
• No one was injured in the fires, but one damaged the main building and destroyed two outbuildings at the Lafayette Tennis Club, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
• PG&E had not shut off power in the areas of Lafayette where the fires started, despite cutting off electricity to millions of residents in other areas in an attempt to prevent wildfires from sparking, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 
• The new reports come after the company said last week that its equipment malfunctioned moments before the Kincade fire began, although the exact cause of that fire is still under investigation. 
• The Kincade fire in California’s wine country, which is about two hours north of San Francisco, is currently the largest of the dozen fires burning throughout the state.

Key background: Over the last three years, California has been devastated by wildfires that have razed entire towns, scorched people’s homes and killed hundreds. A deadly combination of malfunctioning electrical equipment and climate change have made the issue worse, and rising costs in California cities are pushing even more people out into fire-prone areas. 

News peg: PG&E is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings after the utility was found responsible for causing the deadliest wildfire in California history last year, which killed 85 people. In a move to prevent even more fires from sparking in the Northern California, PG&E has been cutting off power to millions of people, causing chaos and calls from cities like San Francisco and San Jose to buy PG&E’s assets and convert them to a consumer-owned co-ops.

Tangent: In Los Angeles, another fire broke out Monday morning, throwing the area into chaos as 10,000 buildings were placed under mandatory evacuation orders, including the homes of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lakers star Lebron James. 

Further reading: Read the full incident reports here.