Did PG&E equipment spark the Dixie Fire?

The cause of the Dixie Fire that started July 13 has been under investigation, but filings this morning by Pacific Gas & Electric with the California Public Utilities Commission indicate that the utility’s equipment could have been the culprit.

PG&E reported in the documents that power was lost to the  Cresta Dam off of Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon the morning of July 13. A PG&E employee who responded to the outage noticed a blown fuse uphill from where he was conducting his inspection, as well as a healthy looking tree leaning on the conductor and a fire nearby.

Cal Fire crews responded to the fire and had air attack on the fire by 5:30 p.m. The start of the fire has been listed at 5:15 p.m. on all incident reports.

As of this morning the Dixie Fire was just over 30,000 acres.