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PG&E says its equipment probably started California's deadliest wildfire

Source(s): Guardian, the (UK)
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The bankrupt Pacific Gas & Electric inched closer to taking responsibility for the deadliest US wildfire in a century, saying on Thursday it was “probable” that one of its transmission lines sparked the blaze last year that killed 85 people and destroyed most of the city of Paradise.

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The cause of the fire, the deadliest in California history, is still under investigation. But firefighters located its start near a tower on PG&E‘s Caribou-Palermo transmission line.

PG&E has previously acknowledged that that transmission line lost power right before the fire and was later found to be damaged. It also included the blaze among the more than $30bn in potential wildfire liabilities it said it was facing when it announced plans to file for bankruptcy in January.

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“We are taking action now on important safety and maintenance measures identified through our accelerated and enhanced safety inspections and will continue to keep our regulators, customers and investors informed of our efforts,” [said John Simon, interim CEO of PG&E].

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Hazards Wildfire
Themes Private sector Risk identification and assessment Critical infrastructure
Country and region United States of America

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