Officials: Power lines ignited fatal blaze in California
SAN FRANCISCO — Two sagging Pacific Gas & Electric power lines made contact, sparked and ignited a Northern California wildfire last year that killed four people and injured a firefighter, officials said Tuesday.
The finding adds to the growing financial liability of PG&E over wildfires in the state.
Its equipment has been blamed for starting 13 wildfires last year and the utility has told shareholders it expects to pay more than $2.5 billion in damages.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday that strong winds in Yuba County, near Sacramento, caused the lines to touch, creating an electrical arc that sent molten material onto dry vegetation last October.