Investigators: Private Electrical System, Not PG&E, To Blame For 2017 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.

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The Tubbs Fire started in Oct. 2017 and, helped by strong wind gusts, exploded in size in a matter of hours.

By the time it 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."