Cal Fire: Poor maintenance of PG&E power lines contributed to 3 Northern California wildfires

In the first results of its investigations into the firestorms that swept through Northern California last October, Cal Fire on Friday said poor maintenance of PG&E power lines contributed to three of the four wildfires that broke out in Butte and Nevada counties.|

In the first results of its investigations into the firestorms that swept through Northern California last October, Cal Fire on Friday said poor maintenance of PG&E power lines contributed to three of the four wildfires that broke out in Butte and Nevada counties.

All four fires in Butte and Nevada counties were caused by trees coming into contact with power lines, Cal Fire said in a statement.

It did not release the results of its investigation into the cause of the wildfires in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. Previously, it has indicated the investigation would be concluded by the end of May.

The October 2017 Fire Siege involved more than 170 fires and charred more than 245,000 acres in Northern California. More than 11,000 firefighters from 17 states helped battle the blazes.

Cal Fire released the following summary of the four completed investigations:

- The La Porte Fire, in Butte County, started in the early morning hours of Oct. 9 and burned 8,417 acres, destroying 74 structures. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. Cal Fire determined the fire was caused by tree branches falling onto PG&E power lines. Investigators determined there were no violations of state law related to the cause of this fire.

- The McCourtney Fire, in Nevada County, started the evening of Oct. 8 and burned 76 acres, destroying 13 structures. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. Cal Fire determined the fire was caused by a tree falling onto PG&E power lines. Investigators found evidence that PG&E allegedly failed to remove a tree from the proximity of a power line, in violation of the state Public Resources Code section 4293.

- The Lobo Fire, in Nevada County, started the evening of Oct. 8 and burned 821 acres, destroying 47 structures. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. Cal Fire determined the fire was caused by a tree contacting PG&E power lines. Investigators found evidence that Public Resources Code section 4293, which requires adequate clearance between trees and power lines, was allegedly violated.

- The Honey Fire, in Butte County, started in the early morning hours of Oct. 9 and burned 76 acres. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters and no structures were destroyed. Cal Fire determined the fire was caused by an oak branch contacting PG&E power lines. Investigators found evidence that Public Resources Code 4293, which requires adequate clearance between trees and power lines, was allegedly violated.

The McCourtney, Lobo and Honey investigations have been referred to the District Attorney’s offices in Nevada and Butte counties for review.

This story will be updated.

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