THE LATEST TIMELINE AS PG&E STARTS TO RESTORE POWER. >> THIS IS KCRA3. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. >> THAT BREAKING NEWS COMES FROM THIS MASSIVE FIRE IN SONOMA COUNTY. THERE IS WHAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AT A PG&E TRANSMISSION TOWER NEAR WHERE A WILDFIRE STARTED LAST NIGHT. THAT IS COMING FROM A PG&E REPORT FILED WITH STATE REGULATORS. ALSO, PG&E CREWS REPORTED EQUIPMENT. IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE STILL HASN’T BEEN DETERMINED YOU CAN WATC. -- YOU CAN SEE THE GLOW. THE FIRE STARTED, AND THEY ARE REVEALING NEW CLUES ABOUT HOW IT MAY HAVE STARTED. >> BURNED MOUNTAIN ROAD AT JOHN KINCAID ROAD. YOU ARE GOING TO ENTER THROUGH THE PINE FLAT GATE. THERE IS A REPORT OF WIRES DOWN. >> TONIGHT, HUNDREDS OF -- >> FIRE LINES DOWN. UTILITY, 1453. ACKNOWLEDGE, THE POWERLINE LINE IS DOWN. >> AND NOW HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE UNDER EVACUATION ORDERS. THE GOOD NEWS IS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE IMPROVING. THAT WILL GIVE CREWS A CHANCE TO TRY AND CONTAIN THE FIRE. >> WE HAVE A LIVE LOOK FROM OVERHEAD AS WELL. OFFICIALS SAY AT LEAST 10,000 ACRES HAVE EARNED. IT IS LIKELY TO BE MUCH LARGER. YOU CAN SEE IN SOME OF THESE DRAWS, THEY ARE BURNING PRETTY STRONGLY. IT STARTED NORTHEAST OF GEYSERVILLE. IT STARTED MOVING TOWARD THAT COMMUNITY. EVERYONE IN GEYSERVILLE HAS BEEN TOLD TO EVACUATE. MANY PEOPLE LIVED THROUGH A SERIES OF FI
Report: Broken PG&E equipment seen near where Sonoma County wildfire sparked
There was a problem at a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. transmission tower near where a wildfire started Wednesday night in Sonoma County around the same time the blaze sparked, a report says. PG&E said it became aware around 9:20 p.m. of a transmission level outage in the Geysers area, according to a report the utility filed Thursday morning with the California Public Utilities Commission in response to the Kincade Fire. "This tower is 43 years old, which is pretty common in the industry -- that's not an old tower," said PG&E CEO Bill Johnson at a news conference. "It has been inspected four times in the last two years." Around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a PG&E worker noticed that Cal Fire had taped off the area around the base of a transmission tower. Cal Fire also pointed out a broken jumper on the same tower, the report says. Cal Fire has not determined the cause of the Kincade Fire, which has forced hundreds of people to evacuate and had charred an estimated 10,000 acres as of mid-morning Thursday. The fire started around 9:30 p.m. near John Kincade Road. The fire sparked in an area affected by Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which the utility is doing to reduce risk of its equipment sparking a fire.PG&E said power was shut off around 3 p.m. Wednesday for about 27,800 customers in portions of Sonoma County.Transmission lines, however, were operating in the area at the time the fire broke out. "As part of the PSPS, PG&E distribution lines in these areas were deenergized. Following PG&E’s established PSPS protocols and procedures, transmission lines in these areas remained energized," a PG&E statement says. "Those transmission lines were not deenergized because forecast weather conditions, particularly wind speeds, did not trigger the PSPS protocol. The wind speeds of concern for transmission lines are higher than those for distribution," the statement goes on to say. The fire jumped Highway 128 and headed west, and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office urged all residents of Geyserville to evacuate. AlertWildfire cameras captured the flames around 9:30 p.m.
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. —
There was a problem at a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. transmission tower near where a wildfire started Wednesday night in Sonoma County around the same time the blaze sparked, a report says.
PG&E said it became aware around 9:20 p.m. of a transmission level outage in the Geysers area, according to a report the utility filed Thursday morning with the California Public Utilities Commission in response to the Kincade Fire.
"This tower is 43 years old, which is pretty common in the industry -- that's not an old tower," said PG&E CEO Bill Johnson at a news conference. "It has been inspected four times in the last two years."
Around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a PG&E worker noticed that Cal Fire had taped off the area around the base of a transmission tower. Cal Fire also pointed out a broken jumper on the same tower, the report says.
Cal Fire has not determined the cause of the Kincade Fire, which has forced hundreds of people to evacuate and had charred an estimated 10,000 acres as of mid-morning Thursday.
The fire started around 9:30 p.m. near John Kincade Road.
The fire sparked in an area affected by Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which the utility is doing to reduce risk of its equipment sparking a fire.
PG&E said power was shut off around 3 p.m. Wednesday for about 27,800 customers in portions of Sonoma County.
Transmission lines, however, were operating in the area at the time the fire broke out.
"As part of the PSPS, PG&E distribution lines in these areas were deenergized. Following PG&E’s established PSPS protocols and procedures, transmission lines in these areas remained energized," a PG&E statement says.
"Those transmission lines were not deenergized because forecast weather conditions, particularly wind speeds, did not trigger the PSPS protocol. The wind speeds of concern for transmission lines are higher than those for distribution," the statement goes on to say.
The fire jumped Highway 128 and headed west, and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office urged all residents of Geyserville to evacuate. AlertWildfire cameras captured the flames around 9:30 p.m.