June 15, 2018
The end of 2017 was a difficult time for many Californians as fire ravaged thousands of homes and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. Many months later, ash and rubble continue to mar hundreds of thousands of acres of land and countless people are still trying to rebuild their lives. On June 8, 2018, CAL FIRE officially announced that the 12 Northern California wildfires, which started towards the end of October 2017, were “caused by electric power and distribution lines, conductors and the failure of power poles” which puts the blame fully in the hands of the state’s largest utility company, PG&E. According to the recent CAL FIRE report, here are the damages and causes of the recent fires:
- The Redwood Fire, Mendocino County - 36,523 acres were destroyed along with 543 structures. There were nine fatalities. Cause of fire was in two locations and occured due to tree limbs falling on power lines.
- The Sulphur Fire, Lake County - 2,207 acres and 162 structures were destroyed and no injuries were reported. The fire was apparently started by the failure of a PG&E power pole in which the power lines and equipment came into contact with the ground.
- The Cherokee Fire, Butte County - 8,417 acres and six structures were destroyed with no injuries reported. Cause of fire was attributed to tree limbs coming into contact with power lines.
- The 37 Fire, Sonoma County - 1,660 acres and three structures were destroyed and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was electrical due to faulty PG&E distribution lines.
- The Blue Fire, Humboldt County - 20 acres were burned, no damaged structures or injuries reported. A power line conductor separated from a connector causing the fire.
- The Norrbom, Adobe, Partrick, Pythian and Nuns were a series of connected fires that occurred in Sonoma and Napa counties - 56,556 acres and 1,355 structures were destroyed. Three civilians were killed. All of these were attributed to trees coming into contact with power lines with the exception of the the Pythian Fire which was caused by a downed powerline.
- The Pocket Fire, Sonoma County - 17,357 acres and 6 structures were destroyed with no reported injuries. An oak tree coming into contact with power lines caused this fire.
- The Atlas Fire, Napa County - 51,624 acres and 783 structures were destroyed. Six civilians died in this fire which was caused by trees falling on power lines.
If you lost your home or your property was damaged due to one of the above fires, you may be able to make a claim against PG&E. Clearly PG&E put millions of Californians in harm’s way with their failure to ensure that foliage growth was a safe distance away from their power lines. Furthermore, PG&E neglected to create a detailed plan to deactivate reclosers, reactivate lines, and to shut down their power lines during fire season. Contact Periscope Group today to see if we can help you get the financial compensation you need to rebuild.
Further Information
For more information about the California fires, click here now. For interviews or to tell your story, contact Jennifer Stanich-Banmiller at (925) 964-1485 or at info@periscopegroup.com.
