PG&E failed to maintain line that caused deadly fire, report says
A report concludes the company failed to maintain the high-voltage power line that fell and sparked the deadliest fire in Calif. history.
(Bloomberg) — Utility giant PG&E Corp. failed to maintain the high-voltage power line that fell during a wind storm in November 2018, sparking the deadliest fire in California history, according to a state investigation.
PG&E didn’t thoroughly inspect the transmission tower and hook that broke amid high winds, a California Public Utilities Commission probe found. If the San Francisco-based power company had properly maintained them before the blaze, it would’ve discovered that the so-called C-hook was worn down so much that it couldn’t support the load it was designed for, the agency said in a report made public Monday.
The hook had worn down over a “long period of time,” the safety and enforcement division of California’s utility commission said in the report. “PG&E failed to maintain an effective inspection and maintenance program to identify and correct hazardous conditions on its transmission lines.”
The deadly Camp Fire ultimately led to PG&E’s undoing. State fire investigators identified its power line as the cause of the blaze, which killed 86 people, all but destroyed the town of Paradise and saddled the company with billions of dollars in liabilities. The utility declared bankruptcy in January amid an estimated $30 billion in damages tied to that wildfire and a series of others that broke out across Northern California in 2017.
PG&E said in an emailed statement that it “accepts” the commission’s conclusion in the report that its power line caused the Camp Fire. “We remain deeply sorry about the role our equipment had in this tragedy, and we apologize to all those impacted,” the company said.
One nearby hook showed a “material loss of over 50%” in one section, according to the state’s report. Based on PG&E’s own maintenance manual, “this is a hazardous Priority A condition which requires immediate response and continued action until the condition is repaired.”
The district attorney’s office of Butte County, where the Camp Fire broke out, asked the state to collect the hook as evidence.
Related:
- PG&E is offering $13.5 billion in compensation to wildfire victims
- AI to improve proactive and reactive wildfire response
- Reducing wildfire risk is a collective effort
Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.