What Caused The Northern California Fire?

Evan Walker

8 years ago

Fire knows nothing of mercy.

-Proverb

What caused the 2017 Northern California fire?

Here’s what’s currently being reported:

People have reported cases of damaged infrastructure like wires down and broken poles according to The LA Times;
There have been reports of downed power lines and exploding transformers by The Mercury News;
Downed power lines were also cited as a possible cause by The New York Times;
Falling power lines and exploding transformers were being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection according by KCRA;
The California Public Utilities Commission sent a letter to Pacific Gas and Electric requiring them to preserve “all evidence” in relation to the fire; consequently Pacific Gas and Electric’s stock plummeted per CNBC;
Downed power lines and other equipment failures were cited as potential causes by KOLO;
Blown transformers and downed power lines were reported by emergency radio traffic according to Fox News; and
Yesterday The Mercury News reported that Pacific Gas and Electric power lines were linked to the fire. And here’s a map of reports regarding electrical problems the night of the fire.

Pacific Gas and Electric has caused fires before. The 2015 Butte fire in Northern California burned for 2 weeks, killed 2 people, burned 900 structures including 550 homes, and caused $300 million dollars in losses. 4 months ago Pacific Gas and Electric was found liable for the damages. It was also fined $8.3 million by California regulators.

The state of California has a dedicated website for information related to the individual fires and their progress at CALFire.ca.gov

Here’s a quick video of the devastation caused by the Santa Rosa fires: