Downed PG&E line sparks tree fire in Sonoma’s ‘Diamond A’ neighborhood

Despite heavy rains, vegetation was still dry enough to catch fire when it came into contact with PG&E power lines. With VIDEO.|

PG&E has still not determined what caused a live power line to break free from its pole and come to rest in a stand of high trees in Diamond A on Dec. 3. The downed power line ignited vegetation at several spots along a 50-foot span, despite the heavy rains of the previous week.

'We are still looking at it and conducting an investigation,' said PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras. 'We are working to determine what caused the wire to fail.'

Thanks to the quick thinking of resident Bart Hansen, 53, the incident was under control before any serious damage occurred.

'I was sitting at my desk working. It was five or six a.m. The power started flickering, sort of browning out, and I walked outside to check my breakers. I stood there for a minute, and a guy drove by and mentioned that he thought there was a wire down. Sure enough there was. I saw multiple smoking trees right across the street,' said Hansen, who lives near the bottom of Grove Street.

Hansen called 911, and then repurposed his cell phone to shoot video of the scene.

Hansen's video showed four different areas where a slack power line was igniting tree foliage though, according to Hansen, there were six or seven points of contact where smoldering vegetation was observable.

Once the situation was under control, Hansen showed the video to his wife, who put it on Facebook where it gained immediate traction.

'Imagine this video one month ago in dry conditions!' read one post from a concerned neighbor.

'We were lucky that everything had been rained on,' Hansen agreed.

Just a year after Sonoma County's calamitous fires, and mere weeks after the deadly fires that all but destroyed the town of Paradise, area residents are understandably jittery, mindful of wildfire threat even as winter approaches.

In the aftermath of Hansen's 911 call, PG&E cut power to 360 homes to make repairs. Power was restored to the area by 1 p.m., after PG&E replaced 'about 50 feet of conductor line with new conductor to restore power to customers safely and efficiently,' according to Contreras.

Diamond A, a 1,220-acre neighborhood on the eastern face of Sonoma Mountain, contains 240 roomy lots. The only way in or out is by way of Grove Street. Cal Fire, aware of the potential for bottleneck, recommends that subdivision residents not use Grove Street to evacuate in case of fire, but that they seek shelter at the Diamond A Community Center instead, where a large open space provides protection of sorts.

'We're all told to go to the Rec Center. Theoretically, they could land a helicopter or two there. But I don't know how you're going to fit 150 families in there,' Hansen said. 'It's scary for us because we have one way in and one way out, unless you have bolt cutters. I have a pair, and I'm throwing them in my truck now.'

Beyond the locked gate at the top of Grove Street is a jeep trail to Petaluma and, according to Hansen, taking the trail to escape fire is a more sensible emergency plan than hunkering down at the Community Center.

A PG&E lineman repairing the downed line on Monday reported to one resident that wild turkeys may have been responsible for dislodging the wire. But Contreras said that there was no evidence of wildlife interference, and no carcasses were found on the scene. 'Usually they see a dead animal or bird, and there is no evidence of that,' said Contreras. 'Even though they may see that all the time in that area, I wouldn't say yet that an animal caused it.'

With 81,000 miles of overhead wires to maintain, PG&E inspectors are in constant motion. 'We have a maintenance and inspection program for all of our assets,' Contreras said. 'The program consists of regular patrols, detailed inspection, testing, repair and replacement if needed.'

'Nothing is more important to us than keeping our customers and communities safe,' Contreras told the Index-Tribune last week. 'We're bolstering wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts, putting in place new and enhanced safety measures, and doing more to upgrade and harden our electric system across the highest fire-risk areas.'

But some Sonoma residents consider even those bolstered measures inadequate. 'I don't think it's nearly well-enough maintained,' long-time resident Richard Cooper said of vegetation near power poles in Diamond A.

Hansen agreed, but believes property owners bear responsibility as well.

'Cal Fire says vegetation 6 feet and down should be clean. Some of these properties up here aren't well-maintained.'

One online commenter, who identified himself as a fireman on Facebook, reminded people to stay well clear of suspected downed lines.

'Please know that energized electrical lines can arc, jump and dance around when least expected,' he wrote. 'As first responders, we NEVER put ourselves close to any electrical line, and until we see a PG&E lineman physically holding a wire, they are all considered live. I've seen supposedly dead lines come to life violently and turn sidewalk concrete to molten glass in an instant!'

Contreras agreed. 'Definitely call 911. The gentleman did the right thing. Whenever you see low hanging or downed lines, assume they are energized, stay away, and call 911. Then call PG&E at (800) PGE-5000.'

Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com

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