Cal Fire Investigators: PG&E Not Blamed For Tubbs Fire
SANTA ROSA (CBS13) – Investigators say a private electrical system that was next to a home is to blame for sparking the destructive Tubbs Fire in 2017. Cal Fire released their findings on Thursday.
"The investigator determined that there is no negligence here," said Deputy Director Mike Mohler with Cal Fire.
Just like that the question that has been hanging over the region was answered. But just as quickly it raises a host of other uncertainties. Who's at fault?
Investigators traced the origin back to a home in Calistoga caused by "a private electrical system."
"They are not uncommon," Mohler said.
The utility company supplies the power, but private property owners, generally in rural areas, take it from there.
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"They can then tap in with utility's permission and run their own infrastructure, which they are responsible for to power a residential structure, wells, anything that may be out there," he said.
While PG&E was the main power source, the company isn't responsible for those private lines or power poles, and in this case, neither is the property owner.
"There's some type of failure, but not enough evidence at the point of origin to see if it was or was not, so no charges were filed," Mohler said.
Instead, they are blaming mother nature.
"The conditions that we saw in that area, winds over 80 miles an hour, things are going to break and things are going to fail and that's what happened," he said.
It's hard to swallow for so many victims who've sued the now bankrupt PG&E but also complicates the situation with insurance companies.
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"We still haven't settled. They still owe me money. I don't know if it's gonna happen. All I want is for my house to be rebuilt. That's it," send Carlos Diaz who lost his home in the Tubbs fire.
By the time the fire was contained later in the month, 36,807 acres and more than 5,500 structures were burned. The fire burned into parts of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties and 22 people were killed.
Thousands of the structures destroyed were in Santa Rosa. One neighborhood, Coffey Park, was leveled by the fire.
PG&E released a statement in response to the findings Thursday:
"Without question, the loss of life, homes and businesses during these devastating wildfires is heartbreaking, and we remain focused on helping affected communities recover and rebuild. The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, and we are committed to assessing our infrastructure to further enhance safety and help protect all of the customers we serve from the ever-increasing threat of wildfires.
The devastating and unprecedented wildfires of 2017 and 2018 have had a profound impact on our customers, employees and communities. Regardless of today's announcement, PG&E still faces extensive litigation, significant potential liabilities and a deteriorating financial situation, which was further impaired by the recent credit agency downgrades to below investment grade. Resolving the legal liabilities and financial challenges stemming from the 2017 and 2018 wildfires will be enormously complex and will require us to address multiple stakeholder interests, including thousands of wildfire victims and others who have already made claims and likely thousands of others we expect to make claims."
