Months after state investigators seized damaged Pacific Gas & Electric Co. equipment, reports now show some of the equipment was found near the suspected origins of the deadly October fires that killed 31 people in Napa and Sonoma counties.
The California Public Utilities Commission released reports from PG&E this week showing where Cal Fire seized the damaged electrical equipment. Previously, only the cities where the damaged equipment was found — rather than specific locations — had been publicly acknowledged.
The reports show that some of the pieces of equipment were located in areas where the fires may have started. In many cases, the PG&E equipment was damaged by falling trees. Weather reports show that there were unusually high wind speeds that night.
Cal Fire took the equipment as part of its investigation into the cause of the fires. But Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said it was too early to tell whether the equipment sparked the fires.
“It is an ongoing investigation,” he said. “They are very meticulous, they are very methodical. They have to be very thorough so they get the answers that the public needs.”
