Pacific Gas and Electric releases details on the likely cause of California’s deadliest wildfire

[rangerrebew]

 

Pacific Gas and Electric releases details on the likely cause of California’s deadliest wildfire

John SextonPosted at 1:01 pm on December 13, 2018

The Camp Fire in northern California is the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history, having killed 86 people and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures in the area around Paradise, CA. Insured losses from the fire now top $7 billion. The question that remains is what caused this disaster.

Even before the fire was contained last month there was a strong suspicion that it had started as a result of downed power lines operated by Pacific Gas and Electric. Tuesday the company released a letter revealing the initial findings of its own investigation.

https://hotair.com/archives/2018/12/13/pge-finally-releases-information-possible-cause-deadly-camp-fire/

[LaRueLaDue]

Interesting article. Also from the article:

In addition to the events on the Caribou-Palermo 115kV Transmission Line, on November 8, 2018, at approximately 6:45 a.m., the PG&E Big Bend 1101 12 kV Circuit experienced an outage. Four customers on Flea Mountain were affected by the distribution outage. On November 9, 2018, a PG&E employee on patrol arrived at the location of the pole with Line Recloser (“LR”) 1704 on the Big Bend 1101 Circuit and observed that the pole and other equipment was on the ground with bullets and bullet holes at the break point of the pole and on the equipment.

Possible terrorist attack?

[DB]

I would think it would take a 50 cal or so to take down a standard wooden power pole or a whole lot of shots with something smaller. That's a major crime scene.

[Elderberry]

The question now is whether PG&E, which has already been found responsible for several other deadly wildfires, will go bankrupt or find some way to bill customers over time for the damages.

[LaRueLaDue]

I would think it would take a 50 cal or so to take down a standard wooden power pole or a whole lot of shots with something smaller. That's a major crime scene.

I think what was damaged were wiring insulator mounting brackets and the insulators themselves. That can be done with a normal rifle. These are essentially the weakest link on a power transmission pole or tower.

[DB]

Who would buy them if they do go bankrupt. Who wants the liability of some remote power line with trees around it with high winds starting a massive fire. The state legislators put them further on the hook for that sort of thing. Their response to that legislation was to send out notices to everyone that in dry high wind conditions they're going to turn off the power over wide areas. The state is going third world.

They are already trying to raise rates for the costs of closing Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. A closing state law makers pushed for.

The state has made choices and these are the consequences.

I moved out earlier this year after living there 49 years. I'm done paying for all this stupidity.

[DB]

I think what was damaged were wiring insulator mounting brackets and the insulators themselves. That can be done with a normal rifle. These are essentially the weakest link on a power transmission pole or tower.

Yes, but the quote from the article suggested it was the pole that broke and was on the ground. Breaking where it had been shot up. Taking out a power pole with a gun has to be pretty difficult with normal firearm weapons.

[roamer_1]

Yes, but the quote from the article suggested it was the pole that broke and was on the ground. Breaking where it had been shot up. Taking out a power pole with a gun has to be pretty difficult with normal firearm weapons.

That is actually pretty common... many years of target practice... the culprit is the high wind, not so much the rifle(s).

[DB]

That is actually pretty common... many years of target practice... the culprit is the high wind, not so much the rifle(s).

Ah, so using the pole for target practice in the same spot for years is the issue. Pretty stupid but it makes sense now.

PG&E will still be blamed then. They didn't "maintain" the damaged pole properly the lawyers will claim if the damaged accumulated over months or years...

[sneakypete]

Just a minute,here!

WHY is EVERYONE still calling this a CAMP FIRE if it was started by a shorted power line?

What happened to the earlier claim it was started by people camping in the forest due to their camp fires getting out of control? Of course,it goes unsaid that those "campers" were illegal aliens. Is this some sort of coverup engineered by the DNC?

[Elderberry]

Just a minute,here!

WHY is EVERYONE still calling this a CAMP FIRE if it was started by a shorted power line?

What happened to the earlier claim it was started by people camping in the forest due to their camp fires getting out of control? Of course,it goes unsaid that those "campers" were illegal aliens. Is this some sort of coverup engineered by the DNC?

@sneakypete

Butte County's deadly Camp Fire was named after Camp Creek Road, the location where the fire started.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Butte County's deadly Camp Fire was named after Camp Creek Road, the location where the fire started.

@Elderberry

That couldn't be more misleading if they had planned it that way.

[roamer_1]

Ah, so using the pole for target practice in the same spot for years is the issue. Pretty stupid but it makes sense now.

PG&E will still be blamed then. They didn't "maintain" the damaged pole properly the lawyers will claim if the damaged accumulated over months or years...

As a point of order, I don't know. I am just saying it happens. You get a line of powerpoles in an easement, with a clear downrange... you know they set the poles about 300 ft apart... A lot of folks might find that handy...

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Bankruptcy of the largest power company in California will not be a pleasant time for any in California.

Am certainly glad that I no longer live in that hellhole.

Will drive the entire place into the toilet like Venezuela.

The rest of us just need to not get sucked into the whirlpool.

[Elderberry]

As a point of order, I don't know. I am just saying it happens. You get a line of powerpoles in an easement, with a clear downrange... you know they set the poles about 300 ft apart... A lot of folks might find that handy...

I've shot parallel to a line of power poles so's to hear the "sonic crack" as the bullet passed by each pole.

[MeshugeMikey]

Interesting article. Also from the article:

Possible terrorist attack?

Al qaida posted threats of starting wildfires ... few years ago


a recent issue of Inspire magazine has surfaced on jihadi forums with one article titled “It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb”, which gives detailed instructions on how to build an “ember bomb” in a forest in the United States, and suggested Montana as a choice location due to the rapid population growth in forested areas.

https://wildfiretoday.com/2012/05/02/al-qaeda-magazine-encourages-forest-fire-arson-in-the-us/

[DB]

Al qaida posted threats of starting wildfires ... few years ago


a recent issue of Inspire magazine has surfaced on jihadi forums with one article titled “It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb”, which gives detailed instructions on how to build an “ember bomb” in a forest in the United States, and suggested Montana as a choice location due to the rapid population growth in forested areas.

https://wildfiretoday.com/2012/05/02/al-qaeda-magazine-encourages-forest-fire-arson-in-the-us/

With drone aircraft a whole lot of evil things can be done with virtually no evidence of what happened. In addition extremely remote locations can be accessed where people and equipment can't gain access to fight a fire once started. A recipe for disaster.