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(Newser)
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In a long-awaited report, state investigators said Thursday that a forest fire that killed 22 people in the wine-growing region of northern California was caused by a private electrical system and not by equipment of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The state fire fighting agency concluded that the fire started next to a residence. The agency has not found any violation of state law, reports the AP. "During my investigation, I eliminated all other causes of the Tubbs fire, with the exception of a fire caused by an electrical event from an event unknown affecting a driver or private equipment, "wrote John Martinez, chief of the CalFire Battalion. Some details about the property, including its owner and address, have been obscured in the report.
The fire was among the 170 people that ravaged the state in October 2017. It destroyed more than 5,600 buildings spread over more than 57 square miles in Sonoma and Napa counties. The cause has been a relief for PG & E, which plans to file for bankruptcy next week, citing billions of dollars in potential damages and lawsuits for other deadly fires for which it is responsible. A witness reported seeing a transformer explode. Another reported seeing the fire approaching a PG & E electrical pole. A witness, Charlie Brown Jr. of Calistoga, said the electrical wiring from the property where the Investigators concluded that the fire had begun had not been used for years. (Why Erin Brockovich wants to save PG & E.)
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