Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE: PCG) said one of its lines may have ignited the 30,000-acre Dixie Fire burning in rugged terrain northeast of Paradise, Calif., a town destroyed by a PG&E-caused fire three years ago.
On July 13 at 7 a.m., “PG&E’s outage system indicated that Cresta Dam off of Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon lost power,” the utility said in an incident report filed Sunday with the California Public Utilities Commission. “The responding PG&E troubleman observed from a distance what he thought was a blown fuse [on a 12-kV distribution line uphill from him].”
The PG&E worker could not reach the pole until later that afternoon because of a road closure and rugged terrain, PG&E said. Once there, he found two blown fuses and “what appeared to him to be a healthy green tree leaning into the Bucks Creek 1101 12-kV conductor, which was still intact and suspended on the poles. He also observed a fire on the ground near the base of the tree,” PG&E told the CPUC.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) sent air support, which arrived by 5:30 p.m. and began dropping water and fire retardant. PG&E de-energized the line. But the fire grew from an acre or two to 10-15 acres that night. By Monday, the fire had exploded to more than 30,000 acres and was only 15% contained, Cal Fire said.
The fire is generally burning in remote areas to the north and east, away from Paradise. It has not caused any injuries or damage to structures, Cal Fire said.
On Sunday, Cal Fire investigators seized portions of the 12-kV distribution line “including conductor, jumpers, insulators, and fuse cutouts, as well as portions of the tree,” PG&E said.
“PG&E submits this report in an abundance of caution given Cal Fire’s collection of PG&E facilities in connection with its investigation,” the utility said. “PG&E is cooperating with Cal Fire’s investigation.”
The Dixie Fire is among a dozen large blazes burning in Oregon and California. The largest, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, has grown to more than 300,000 acres. Earlier this month, it caused the near shutdown of the Pacific AC and DC interties, major transmission pathways that supply Columbia River hydropower to California. (See CAISO Declares Emergency as Fire Derates Major Tx Lines.) Much of the capacity of the multiple 500-kV lines has since been restored.
PG&E equipment was blamed for starting major wildfires in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The worst was the Camp Fire that leveled Paradise in November 2018, killing at least 84 people and burning more than 14,000 homes. It was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history.