Question
"California’s Catastrophic Wildfires in 3 Charts"
by Isabella Isaacs-Thomas
State investigators found Pacific Gas and Electric did not regularly inspect or maintain its aging power lines which led to the deadly campfire last year.
In a nearly 700-page report, the California Public Utilities Commission said they found systemic problems within the company.
Investigators already concluded PG&E was responsible for the fire, but this investigation reveals more details about the build-up to the fire and the scope of the company's violations.
For instance, one claim involves the tower that started the campfire.
The report found PG&E employees hadn't climbed the tower for inspection since 2001.
It goes on to say PG&E inspectors would have been able to spot the worn hook before it broke and
sparked the campfire, which killed 85 people.
PG&E told Newsy it accepts the investigation's findings and offered its condolences to the victims of the campfire.
But the company also said that since the 2017 and 2018 fires, it started carrying out additional precautionary inspections.
It says it performed 18 months worth of inspections in just four months time.
by Isabella Isaacs-Thomas
State investigators found Pacific Gas and Electric did not regularly inspect or maintain its aging power lines which led to the deadly campfire last year.
In a nearly 700-page report, the California Public Utilities Commission said they found systemic problems within the company.
Investigators already concluded PG&E was responsible for the fire, but this investigation reveals more details about the build-up to the fire and the scope of the company's violations.
For instance, one claim involves the tower that started the campfire.
The report found PG&E employees hadn't climbed the tower for inspection since 2001.
It goes on to say PG&E inspectors would have been able to spot the worn hook before it broke and
sparked the campfire, which killed 85 people.
PG&E told Newsy it accepts the investigation's findings and offered its condolences to the victims of the campfire.
But the company also said that since the 2017 and 2018 fires, it started carrying out additional precautionary inspections.
It says it performed 18 months worth of inspections in just four months time.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The report on California's wildfires highlights serious shortcomings in the practices of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) regarding the maintenance and inspection of their power lines. Following a thorough investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission, it was revealed that PG&E had not inspected the tower implicated in the deadly Camp Fire since 2001. This oversight contributed to conditions that led to the fire, which resulted in the tragic loss of 85 lives.
The report emphasizes systemic failures within the company, pointing out that PG&E's inspectors could have identified critical wear on the equipment had they conducted regular checks. While PG&E accepted the findings of the investigation and expressed condolences towards the victims, they also noted that they have since implemented more stringent inspection processes, managing to conduct 18 months' worth of inspections in a much shorter timeframe in the wake of the catastrophic fires in 2017 and 2018.
The report emphasizes systemic failures within the company, pointing out that PG&E's inspectors could have identified critical wear on the equipment had they conducted regular checks. While PG&E accepted the findings of the investigation and expressed condolences towards the victims, they also noted that they have since implemented more stringent inspection processes, managing to conduct 18 months' worth of inspections in a much shorter timeframe in the wake of the catastrophic fires in 2017 and 2018.