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PULGA – The day before firefighter radio transmissions revealed to a malfunctioning PG & E power line may have triggered the state's most destructive wildfire, a business owner in this tiny town a sparking problem on a nearby power line.
In the email sent Nov. 7, the company said they would be coming to work on "These are having problems with sparks," said Betsy Ann Cowley, owner of Pulga, to form abandoned railroad town turned retreat. popular with techies.
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But on Tuesday, PG & E said that one of its contractors had felt that Cowley had a notification about upcoming work on a different line than it was under scrutiny in connection with the Camp Fire.
The utility said it had been noticeable that it had been de-energized and that it was not operational when it started. Thursday's deadly wildfire.
"We have not seen anything that includes a discussion on the subject of 'sparks' and PG & E infrastructure," the company said. "This is not the same line that PG & E identified in its Electric Incident Report on Nov. 8."
Firefighters found a fast-moving fire and high-tension fire when they arrived Thursday at the fire's place in the middle of Pulga, by one of PG & E's hydroelectric power dams.
The California Public Utilities Commission launched investigations into PG & E and the Southern California Edison Company reported that their electrical infrastructure has been impaired.
CPUC spokesperson Terrie Prosper said Monday. "The CPUC staff investigations may include an inspection of the fire sites.
Both utilities have reiterated that no cause of fire has been determined.
PG & E already faces trillions in potential liability because of the role of its destructive wildfires, including those last year in the Wine Country. The utility could have a significant impact on the lawfulness of the fire, but its financial risk has been diminished by a controversial law of the past. Circumstances.
Last week, PG & E was published in Butte County, about 15 minutes before the Camp Fire was first reported and reported. The utility said that it would be a further source of transmission to the Pulga "in the area of the Camp Fire."
That is the original location of the Poe Dam where initial radio transmissions of the fire – which has killed at least 48 people and destroyed more than 7,000 structures – indicate that it was damaged by firefighters who discovered the initial fire beneath the high-tension wires. About 48 hours before the fire started, the city had to be warned, Butte, that it would probably shut down. But, in the end, PG and E kept the power on.
The Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Friday that his office has been in talks with the US.
On Monday, guards blocked access to the road beyond Cowley's property, preventing anyone from continuing the final 3/4-mile to turn tower.
"I'm in charge of communication and communication," she said. The lines, she said, have been ignored for years, except for herds of goats on the slope.
Radio transmissions from the first firefighters on the scene said it was managed vegetation area that was fire initially, but high winds blew the flames to nearby brush and timber.
Michael Flautt, who often testifies to an electrical accident expert in short, said he would look at the malfunction in the 115 kV Caribou-Palermo transmission line.
"They should check if the original equipment was not set properly for a fault," Flautt said, stressing that he had not seen the equipment and was offering his expert opinion. "You'd rather have the equipment trip, rather than catch fire."
While metallic transmission towers are sturdier, they conduct electricity unlike wooden poles, which often carry the smaller, lower voltage in residential lines.
In March, PG & E said that during high winds it would periodically disable automated devices that would allow electrical power to continue flowing despite minor disruptions on the transmission or residential power lines. Other utilities shut down that equipment during high winds because they come down, they continue to drift up and down.
Incomplete in the area of malfunction, PG & E issued the following statement:
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve," said spokesman Paul Doherty. "The cause of the fire camp has not yet been determined. Right now, our entire company is focused on assisting and responding to customers and communities impacted by Camp Fire. "
A crew from Capstone Fire Management was on the dam inspecting the Monday area. The San Diego-based private firefighting company was hired by PG & E to cover its fire prevention operations, including engine crews and staff to staff operations centers.
Cowley said she had just returned home from home. Many of the other structures on the property, including the wall of a king snake, survived.
On Thursday, SoCal Edison issued an alert to the CPUC, which was sent back to the United States of America.
"Preliminary information indicates the Woolsey Fire was reported at approximately 2:24 p.m.," the company reported. "Our information reflects the Big Rock 16 kV circuit out of Chatsworth Substation relayed at 2:22 p.m."
SoCal Edison said this was not determinable.
A Cal Fire official said it would be reviewing "electrical equipment" as part of its probe into the Camp Fire.
PG & E stockholders have been in a massive sell-off since Friday. Trading in the utility was briefly halted Monday after losing 37 percent, before settling at 17 percent loss on the day. The plummeting shares marked the steepest since the power crisis more than a decade ago.
In Paradise, evacuees were upset with the utility.
"Seems like the responsibility is pointing towards them," said Travis Crockett, who lost his home on Winding Way in Paradise. "Even on our street, there's a bunch of power lines going through trees."
Staff writers Karl Mondon and David DeBolt, and the Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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