Defective Electrical Panel Caused 2017 Butte County Wildfire
/ CBS Sacramento
OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — An investigation has determined that a July 2017 wildfire that destroyed more than 40 homes in Northern California was sparked by a defective electrical panel at a Butte County home.
The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday that prosecutors have reviewed the case and decided not to file charges in the matter.
The blaze broke at a home southeast of Oroville and spread to more than 6,000 acres before being contained more than a week later. It destroyed 41 homes, damaged 36 others and was the first of Butte County's four major wildfires in 2017.
David Hawks, chief of CalFire's Butte County unit, said the fire serves as a reminder to residents to keep electrical and other ignition sources in good repair and clear of flammable materials.
Swipe below to see photos of the Wall Fire.
TOPSHOT - A car and house are engulfed in flames as the "Wall Fire" burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)TOPSHOT - A car and house are engulfed in flames as the "Wall Fire" burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A car is engulfed in flames as the "Wall Fire" burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)TOPSHOT - Firefighters remove a US flag as flames from the "Wall Fire" close in on a luxury home in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)TOPSHOT - In this long exposure photograph, embers fly off smouldering trees after flames from the 'Wall fire' tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville, California on July 9, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A plume of smoke rises as impending flames from the 'Wall fire' approach Forbestown Road near Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A spotter plane flies above a smoke plume to help fight the 'Wall fire' near Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)Firefighters scramble to halt the forward progress of the "Wall Fire" as flames are seen along Forbestown Road in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)TOPSHOT - Motorists drive past flames from the "Wall Fire" along Forbestown Road in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A structure is engulfed in flames as the "Wall Fire" burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)An inmate firefighter cooks a burrito on a burning log during the 'Wall fire' near Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A car and house are engulfed in flames as the "Wall Fire" burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A barn explodes in flames as the 'Wall fire' burns through a residential area in Oroville, California on July 9, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A melted swing set is seen along a burned out residential property after the Wall fire tore through the area and burned dozens of homes and structures in Oroville, California on July 09, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A chunk of burned telephone pole hangs on felled power lines near a burned out vehicle after the Wall fire tore through the area and burned dozens of homes and structures in Oroville, California on July 09, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A washing machine is seen at a burned out residential property after the Wall fire tore through the area and burned dozens of homes and structures in Oroville, California on July 09, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)A burned out vehicle is seen near some felled power lines at a residential property after the Wall fire tore through the area and burned dozens of homes and structures in Oroville, California on July 9, 2017.
The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)Firefighters save a US flag as impending flames from the Wall fire close in on a luxury home in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017. (Photo credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)PARADISE, CA - NOVEMBER 09: A firefighter knocks down a wall in a burning home as he tries to keep flames from spreading to a neighboring apartment complex as they battle the Camp Fire on November 9, 2018 in Paradise, California. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading Camp Fire ripped through the town of Paradise and has quickly charred 70,000 acres and has destroyed numerous homes and businesses in a matter of hours. The fire is currently at five percent containment. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
