Mercury News: SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric has told state regulators that it found damage — a broken hook that supports high voltage wires — and “wear” on a nearly 100-year old transmission tower where the devastating Camp Fire started in the early morning of Nov. 8.
“A suspension insulator supporting a transposition jumper had separated from an arm on the tower,” PG&E stated in a letter sent to the California Public Utilities Commission Tuesday night. A “C hook” used to support the insulator broke away and “wear was found at the connection point.”
PG&E previously notified the PUC that the transmission tower, located high on a ridge along the North Fork of the Feather River, had malfunctioned about 15 minutes before the blaze was first reported, but the utility’s latest filing provides details of why the equipment failed.
A lawyer suing the utility said the admission shows that a lack of proper maintenance is to blame for the fire that killed 86 people, destroyed the town of Paradise and burned nearly 19,000 structures. It was the most destructive blaze in state history. read more
But can the state be sued for it’s disastrous policies which let tinder build up for decades, exacerbating the fire to the point of being unprecedented?
Ambulance chasers are salivating but there is now evidence that the tower was shot at.
If we’re going to jump to conclusions I say it was muslims. They’ve been instructed by immans to start wildfires.
They don’t build things like they used to, this electrical tower only lasted for 100 years?
@anonymous: go to the head of the class.
@Anonymous: My theory is that pot farmers shot at the towers because PG&E threatened to shut power down due to winds and high fire danger. People up here get pissed when PG&E threatens to shut off the power. Everyone living up in that area are on wells. Pot growers started the Wall fire here last year which burned up homes. One pot grower was pissed at the other for business, and so it began. Expect this every year. Lake County this year is arson suspected as well. I don’t think it’s muzzies, I think it’s the Mexican cartel.
Lightning strike cause more forest fire by far than anything else. In my mind ignition is not nearly as important as cleaning up the forests. We’re up in the El Dorado National Forest at least twice a month shooting. And it’s loaded full of burn piles, dead standing trees, and thick under brush. Nothing but fuel.
Shooting, Bad_Brad? Turn yourself in before you get to the point of mass murder…….
Too late