NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – After a thorough investigation, Cal Fire said Thursday that it has determined that the 2015 Butte fire was sparked by a tree that came into contact with a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power line.
Cal Fire and the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors also said Thursday that they will pursue millions of dollars in compensation from PG&E as a result of the fire.
The Butte fire began Sept. 9 – three days before the Valley fire was sparked in Lake County – and burned for 22 days, spreading into Calaveras County before the blaze was fully contained at 70,868 acres.
The fire became the seventh most destructive wildfire in California’s history. Two civilians lost their lives and more than 900 structures were destroyed by the fire.
At its peak, nearly 5,000 firefighters battled the blaze. Resources included 519 fire engines, 18 helicopters, 8 airtankers, 92 hand crews, 115 bulldozers and 60 water tenders.
Cal Fire investigators were dispatched as part of the initial response to the Butte fire and immediately began working to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
The ensuing investigation uncovered evidence that contact between a tree and a PG&E power line near Butte Mountain Road in Amador County, near the city of Jackson, sparked the fire.
Under California’s Health and Safety Code, Cal Fire has the ability to seek recovery of costs incurred battling wildfires that are determined to be sparked due to negligence or violations of the law.
Cal Fire said it will seek to recover firefighting costs in excess of $90 million from PG&E.
In addition, Cal Fire has submitted the Butte fire investigation report to the district attorneys of Amador and Calaveras counties for their review.
The final report can be found at http://calfire.ca.gov/fire_protection/fire_protection_firereports .
Asked when Cal Fire may have a determination on the cause of the Valley fire, spokesman Daniel Berlant told Lake County News that Cal Fire has not yet completed that investigation.
After the announcement, PG&E responded with a statement in which it thanked Cal Fire and the first responders, and said its thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims and the communities that suffered losses as a result of the Butte fire.
“We are committed to doing the right thing for them and to promptly resolving their claims. We have already begun to address many claims,” the company said.
PG&E said it cooperated fully with Cal Fire's investigation of the fire and that it appreciated the thoroughness of its report.
“Based on our preliminary review, we accept the report's finding that a tree made contact with a power line, but we do not believe it is clear what caused the tree to fail or that vegetation management practices fell short,” the statement said.
PG&E said it monitors approximately 50 million trees a year and trim or remove more than one million trees annually.
“Our vegetation management program is among the very best in the industry and was expanded in 2014 in response to California's historic drought to include special air and foot patrols, funding for lookout towers and cameras for early fire detection and funding for fire fuel reduction and emergency access projects and public education,” the statement said.
“Despite these efforts, we recognize the hardships that this terrible fire caused and we are committed to helping our friends and neighbors recover,” PG&E added.
In response to Thursday's announcement by Cal Fire, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors said it will pursue all legal avenues and seek hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from PG&E.
The county said it also will seek an investigation, penalty and fines from the California Public Utilities Commission for PG&E’s responsibility for the fire’s devastation and damage.
“We are shocked and dismayed by the extent of PG&E’s negligence and will actively seek justice for Calaveras County and its citizens,” said Cliff Edson, chair of the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors. “We will work tirelessly to secure rightful compensation for the County and our residents who are still grieving from the loss of loved ones, their livelihoods, homes, belongings and mementos, and all destroyed and taken from them because of PG&E’s carelessness and negligence.”
“We hold PG&E management and executives responsible for what happened here,” added Edson. “We want to acknowledge the hard work and assistance of PG&E’s excellent field staff for all their efforts and dedication in response and the recovery in Calaveras County. The working men and women of PG&E have made a difference and we thank them.”
County officials were informed by Cal Fire, California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, that its investigation determined the fire was a direct result of PG&E’s "negligent maintenance" of electrical infrastructure and the surrounding vegetation.
“PG&E continues to raise our citizens’ utility rates at an alarming level,” Edson said. “But the company is also cutting risk management and safety expenditures at the same time. What does that say about their ‘commitment to safety’? What does PG&E have to say to the people of Calaveras County today?”
In addition, officials said many Calaveras County residents still complain of residual complications from smoke inhalation and physical injuries as a result of the fire.
Efforts to clean up the debris in the wake of the fire took months due to treacherous conditions and dangerous terrain. The county sent teams of experts in to clean up affected areas as a free service for residents, adding to the total cost of the disaster.
PG&E has already begun offering $50,000 checks to victims without insurance. However, this only touches on PG&E’s liability for the irreparable harm it has caused county residents, officials said.
“Some residents have left our community and are not rebuilding because of the fire. It has not only changed their lives forever – it has changed our community forever. Because of the fire, the county has lost – and will continue to lose – millions in tax dollars, property tax income, and other revenues because of PG&E’s fire. Our county has been forever scarred and socially and economically damaged because PG&E executives put their profits over our citizens’ safety,” added Edson.
“It is PG&E’s responsibility to make this right,” said Edson. “We want PG&E to recognize the extent of their fault in this tragedy and pay just compensation so that Calaveras County has the best possible chance to rebuild and recover from its devastation.”
In October, a group of more than 70 Butte fire victims also filed suit against PG&E, alleging that PG&E failed to keep vegetation trimmed and maintained so as to prevent contact with power lines, as Lake County News has reported.
STATE: Cal Fire investigation blames power lines for Butte fire, agency to seek $90 million from PG&E
- Lake County News reports
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