Jan. 26--SANTA ROSA, CA-- Investigators are still "several months away" from determining the cause of a series of lethal infernos in the North Bay and nearby regions during October, a top state fire official told a legislative panel on Friday.
A number of critics of PG&E are wondering about whether the embattled utility, which is a convicted felon for illegal actions the company took before and after a fatal natural gas explosion in San Bruno that PG&E caused in 2010, might be responsible for one or more of the fatal fires in the North Bay in October.
Emergency crews were overwhelmed by 911 emergency calls that reported a slew of wildfires in the North Bay wine country and nearby regions of California during October Ken Pimlott, director of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the state Senate's Subcommittee on Gas, Electric and Transportation Safety.
"We had deployed, we were prepared" ahead of the deadly fires, Pimlott told the panel. "I don't think anybody could be prepared for the conditions that surfaced in California on that Sunday night, Oct. 8."
Pimlott said that he has scheduled a meeting in Sacramento on Friday with the investigators who are attempting to determine the cause and origin of the roughly 18 major fires that scorched Northern California and killed 44 people, he told the subcommittee, which was chaired by state Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat whose district includes portions of San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.
"Hopefully in the next several months" fire investigators will be able to determine the cause of the devastating blazes, Pimlott told the lawmakers. "The process is well along. We are hopeful that this is months and not years, and hopefully sooner."
Among the complications: 172 fires were reported at the outset of the October blazes.
"These are independent reports that will address each fire," Pimlott said. "The challenge is that many of the fires merged together."
The numerous coincident outbreaks, along with the merging of the infernos, could make it more tricky to for investigators determine the cause of each blaze.
The goal of the subcommittee, Sen. Hill said at the outset of the hearing, is to craft ways to prevent destructive wildfires.
"Are utilities and regulators doing enough to ensure that the risks associated with our electrical equipment are properly managed?" Hill said.
The lawmakers vowed to ensure that accountability is part of the subcommittee's work.
"We will not forget" the victims of the infernos, Sen. Hill said. "We will work to hold accountable any entity found responsible for these devastating fires."
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