In the previous four years alone: The California Public Utilities Commission began requiring utilities to track wildfires in 2014. Between 2014 and 2017, PG&E reported igniting 1,554 wildfires. Some were small; others were large enough to make the news. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Fire Incident Data Collection Plan, 2014–2017, accessed May 27, 2020, cpuc.ca.gov/uploadedFiles/CPUC_Website/Content/About_Us/Organization/Divisions/News_and_Outreach_Office/PGE_Fire%20Incident%20Data%202014-2017.pdf.
nearly sixty thousand customers: Johnson and Cabanatuan, “PG&E Power Shutdown.”
SDG&E, followed PG&E’s lead: Ibid.
had used shutoffs as many as twelve times: The first shutoff—known officially as a Public Safety Power Shutoff—by SDG&E occurred October 5–6, 2013. They also occurred January 14–15, 2014; May 14, 2014; November 24–25, 2014; September 21–22, 2017; October 20–21, 2017; October 23–25, 2017; December 4–12, 2017; December 14–15, 2017; January 27–29, 2018; October 15–16, 2018; and October 19–20, 2018. The thirteenth—and last—shutoff of 2018 was on November 16. SDG&E (@SDGE), “Hi Don, hopefully we can help clear up the confusion. Here is a chart of the public safety power shutoffs we’ve done since our first in 2013,” October 10, 2019, 11:45 a.m., twitter.com/SDGE/status/1182366579679354880.
parts of eight counties: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “PG&E Continues to Closely Monitor Weather Conditions Ahead of Possible Public Safety Power Shutoff in Parts of Eight Counties,” November 7, 2018, pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20181107_pge_c ontinues_to_closely_monitor_weather_conditions_ahead_of_possible_public_safety_po wer_shutoff_in_parts_of_eight_counties.
Lauren Gill sent out an email: Lauren Gill, Paradise town manager, email to Town Council, November 7, 2018.
more than 3,100 miles of lines: The distance from San Francisco to Boston is about 3,096 miles. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “PG&E Continues to Closely Monitor.”
More than seventy thousand customers: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Report to the CPUC, by Meredith E. Allen, November 27, 2018, accessed May 28, 2020, p. 1, pge.com/pge_global/common/pdfs/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/PSPS-Report-Letter-11.27.18.pdf.
“We have just been informed by PG&E”: David Copp, email to Doug Teeter, Butte County supervisor, November 7, 2018.
PG&E had plans to avoid such outages: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PG&E Adds More Weather Stations and High-Definition Cameras to Monitor Wildfire Conditions, December 11, 2019, pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20191211_pge_adds_more_weather_stations_and_highdefinition_cameras_to_monitor_wildfire_conditions.
the utility had activated its new Wildfire Safety Operations Center: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Report.
had only just opened eight months before: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “PG&E Opens New Wildfire Safety Operations Center, Marks California Wildfire Awareness Week with $2 Million for Fire Safe Councils,” May 8, 2018, pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20180508_pge_o pens_new_wildfire_safety_operations_center_marks_california_wildfire_awareness_week_with_2_million_for_fire_safe_councils.
A woman from the Bay Area had bought the ghost town: Betsy Ann Cowley, owner of Pulga, in discussion with the author, November 4, 2019.
The fifty-six mile Caribou-Palermo Line: Katherine Blunt and Russell Gold, “PG&E Delayed Safety Work on Power Line That Is Prime Suspect in California Wildfire,” Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2019, wsj.com/articles/pg-e-delayed-safety-work-on-power-line-that-is-prime-suspect-in-california-wildfire-11551292977.
considered for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places: As part of PG&E’s regulatory compliance obligations, the Caribou-Palermo Line was investigated for eligibility with the California Office of Historic Preservation in 2017. Federal permits for new or updated transmission lines trigger such reviews. While it is uncommon, other transmission lines have made it on the National Register, including the Palo Verde–Devers Transmission Line Corridor in Arizona and the Big Creek Hydroelectric System Historic District, which runs from Fresno County to Los Angeles. The Caribou-Palermo Line didn’t qualify because it didn’t possess “high or artistic value,” wasn’t associated with the lives of significant historical figures, and didn’t illuminate “our understanding of the past.” Its only historical associations were with the Caribou-Valona Line, which “lacks both significance and integrity as a cohesive representative of early twentieth century transmission development. Although the line, in its original configuration, was the first to run at 165 kV (15 kV higher than previously established lines), it held this record for only 6 months before being surpassed.” Paul Lusignan, historian, National Register of Historic Places, in email to the author, May 29, 2020. Dudek Environmental Consulting Firm, “Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for Pacific Gas and Electric Company South of Palermo 115 kV Power Line Reinforcement Project,” Application No. 16-04-023, May 2017, p. 225, cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/dudek/Palmero/SPRP_Draft_MND_Recirc_ May2017.pdf.
average tower near Jarbo Gap was sixty-eight years old: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “Electric Overhead Steel Structure Strategy Overview,” June 2017, s1.q4cdn.com/880135780/files/doc_downloads/wildfire_updates/1078.pdf.
a contractor painting a tower: According to an internal spreadsheet, PG&E safety specialist supervisor Eric Matthew Rubio considered the incident a “near miss.” He said that the contractor had “reached to reposition himself grasping a piece of flat cross bracing when the J hook hardware used to secure the flat bracing to the tower leg failed and broke at the J part of the J hook hardware.” The bolt had been corroded to about 20 percent of its original thickness. Rubio’s advice: “Crews working on these towers need to use caution when working on or near towers.”
they assumed any damage would occur during a wet winter storm: An internal PG&E email explains that the Caribou-Palermo Line scored under 300 for a pole replacement project. The rationale for its low score was that “there is no likely large environmental event (if structures fail, it will likely be due to heavy rain and no wildfires are possible then). Also no likely public safety issue with live wires down because it is in a remote area. Reliability score is not that high because although the likelihood of failed structures happening is high, the affected customers are likely in the order of >1K.” Manho Yeung, email to Carlos Gonzalez et al., February 26, 2014.
knocked down five steel towers: The memo from PG&E reads: “Five towers collapsed and were removed on the powerline in December 2012, and the line is currently supported on wood poles that PG&E installed to temporarily restore service. After transferring the line to the new towers, PG&E will either remove the wood poles or leave them in place for distribution use.” Replacing the towers triggered the Caribou-Palermo’s candidacy for the National Register of Historic Places. Brian K. Cherry, PG&E vice president, regulation and rates, email to Edward F. Randolph, director, CPUC Energy Division, September 6, 2013.
It had been designed in 1917: The line was installed between 1919 and 1921 by the Great Western Power Company. Mike Ramsey, Butte County district attorney, in discussion with the author, November 7, 2019.
put into service on May 6, 1921: California Public Utilities Commission, Safety and Enforcement Division, Electric Safety and Reliability Branch, “Incident Investigation Report,” E20181108-01, November 8, 2019, p. 8.
shortly after World War I ended: By way of perspective: World War I ended on November 11, 1918, after Germany formally surrendered. Warren G. Harding became president on March 4, 1921. The first Miss America Pageant was held on September 8, 1921. Prohibition began in 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote, was ratified on Aug
ust 18, 1920.
posted fifteen tweets: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Report, p. 4.
Gill dispatched a final email to her colleagues: Lauren Gill, Paradise town manager, email to Town Council, November 7, 2018.
THE FIRE: THE CARIBOU-PALERMO LINE
Interviews: Butte County district attorney Mike Ramsey; fire scientist Michael J. Gollner.
The 143-pound, 115-kilovolt braided aluminum wire: California Public Utilities Commission, Safety and Enforcement Division, Electric Safety and Reliability Branch, “Incident Investigation Report,” p. 11.
reaching temperatures up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit: Michael J. Gollner, associate professor at the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering, in discussion with the author, August 29, 2019.
Droplets of molten metal: About 28,000 fires occur annually in the United States because of molten metal from power lines, railroads, and equipment. The Witch and Guejito fires (SDG&E) also ignited this way. The 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire in Texas is another. The study of how hot metal sparks ignite fires is still relatively new—and fascinating. James Urban, Casey Zak, and A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello, “Cellulose Spot Fire Ignition Caused by Hot Metal Particles,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, December 2015; Yudong Lui et al., “Temperature and Motion Tracking of Metal Spark Sprays,” Fire Technology, April 2019.
THE FIRE: DESCENDING INTO CONCOW
Interviews: Professors Don Hankins, Scott Stephens, and Crystal Kolden.
the water and sap stored in tree trunks began to boil: Don Hankins, professor of geography and planning at California State University, Chico, in discussion with the author, August 7, 2019.
Their shriveled roots carried fire laterally: Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley, in discussion with the author, December 10, 2019.
melted and hardened to slivers: Don Hankins, 2019.
now visible to two satellites: Robert Sanders, “New Satellite View of Camp Fire as It Burned Through Paradise,” Berkeley News, November 15, 2018, news.berkeley.edu/2018/11/15/new-satellite-view-of-camp-fire-as-it-burned-through-paradise/; Crystal Kolden, associate professor of fire science at the University of Idaho, in conversation with the author, August 13, 2019.
CHAPTER 4: CODE RED
Interviews: Cal Fire captain Matt McKenzie; Pulga owner Betsy Ann Cowley; Cal Fire battalion chief Curtis Lawrie; Paradise Fire chief David Hawks; Cal Fire Emergency Command Center staff Beth Bowersox, captain Marcus Ekdahl, Jennifer Burke, Shannon Delong, and captain Stacer Harshorn; Butte County analyst Mike Thompson; California Department of Water Resources guide Jana Frazier; Cal Fire captain Miguel Watson; Paradise Police dispatcher Carol Ladrini; Cal Fire battalion chief Gus Boston; Cal Fire division chiefs John Messina and Garrett Sjolund; contract pilot David Kelly; CodeRed spokespeople Sue Holub and Troy Harper; Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott; Brad Meyer; Shem Hawkins; Todd Derum; Beth Bowersox; Terrie Prosper; Cindi Dunsmoor.
a young man who had been inside the bar: “This guy just came out of nowhere and came out with a gun and shot people in Thousand Oaks, California,” Holden Harrah said. “And that’s what’s really blowing my mind, it’s a really safe area.” Faith Karimi and Joe Sutton, “At Least 12 Killed In Shooting at a Bar in Thousand Oaks; Gunman Also Dead,” Action News Now, November 8, 2018, actionnewsnow.com/content/news/At-least-12-killed-in-shooting-at-a-bar-in-Thousand-Oaks-gunman-also-dead-500018092.html.
six wildland firefighters: The six firefighters killed were Cal Fire heavy equipment operator Braden Varney, Arrowhead Hotshots captain Brian Hughes, Cal Fire heavy equipment mechanic Andrew Brake, contract bulldozer operator Don Ray Smith, Redding Fire Department inspector Jeremy Stoke, and Draper City (Utah) fire chief Matthew Burchett. Lizzie Johnson, “Bringing Home Braden,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 12, 2019, projects.sfchronicle.com/2019/bringing-home-braden/.
his phone blinked with a notification: The exact time was 6:29:55.
The hook had fallen forty-seven feet: Using the area beneath the J hook as a reference point, investigators found that before it broke, it had hung forty-seven feet above the ground. Tower 27/222 is on a steep incline, so the precise distance it fell varies depending on the reference point. United States of America v. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Case 14-CR-00175-WHA, United States District Court, Northern District of California, 2019, p. 4.
The town, which a geologist had built in 1904: Pulga was known as Big Bar until 1916. Its name changed because of confusion with a neighboring town, which was also dubbed Big Bar. In 1994, Pulga was turned into a meditation and hypnotherapy institution called Mystic Valley. For more information on Pulga’s history, visit pulgatown.com/town-history.
a right-of-way consultant working for PG&E: The consultant was Steve Hertstein. Matthias Gafni, “PG&E Email: Work on Pulga Transmission Tower Different than Power Line Linked to Camp Fire,” San Jose Mercury News, November 14, 2018, mercurynews.com/2018/11/14/pge-email-work-on-pulga-transmission-tower-different-than-power-line-linked-to-camp-fire/.
On a cruise in the Dominican Republic: Betsy Ann Cowley, 2019.
“Engine 2161 responding”: Karla Larsson, “Listen to 5 Hours of Camp Fire Scanner Traffic,” YouTube video, 5:00:52, November 27, 2018, youtube.com/watch?v=NQRQHFmzegY.
oversaw units in thirty-five of California’s counties: Some counties are grouped into a single “unit.” These units include Humboldt–Del Norte, Butte, Sonoma-Lake-Napa, Mendocino, San Mateo–Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Lassen-Modoc, Nevada-Yuba-Placer, Amador–El Dorado, Shasta-Trinity, Siskiyou, and Tehama-Glenn in Northern California, and Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Fresno-Kings, Madera-Mariposa-Merced, San Benito–Monterey, Tulare, and Tuolumne-Calaveras in Southern California. In total, this amounts to 802 fire stations, 42 conservation camps, 12 air attack bases, and 10 helitack bases. More information can be found at fire.ca.gov/media/4925/whatiscalfire.pdf.
an email from a PG&E public safety specialist: The public safety specialist was Rob Cone. In the email, Hawks said: “Obviously they are monitoring the weather and conditions may change, but Rob Cone told me this evening that as of now the models are showing that Butte County may receive the strongest of the forecasted winds.” David Hawks, Paradise Fire division chief, email to Marc Mattox, Lauren Gill, and Curtis Lawrie, November 6, 2018.
The email had nagged at Lawrie: Curtis Lawrie, Cal Fire battalion chief, in discussion with the author, April 1, 2019.
The community’s population numbered 710: Concow’s population had declined considerably after years of devastating wildfires. In 1990, it was home to 1,392 residents. By 2000, the number had dropped to 1,095. And in 2010, the population stood at 710—little more than half of what it had been two decades earlier.
The median household income was about $25,000: U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, 2010, data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=2010%20census%20data%20for%20Concow,%20CA&g=1600000US0616035&hidePreview=false&tid=ACSDP5Y2010.DP03&y=2010& vintage=2010&layer=VT_2010_160_00_PY_D1&cid=DP02_0001E.
There was one elementary school with six teachers: Concow Elementary is part of the tiny Golden Feather Union Elementary School District. “Concow Elementary School,” Public School Review, accessed June 1, 2020, publicschoolreview.com/concow-elementary-school-profile.
Lawrie’s radio crackled: Larsson, “Listen to 5 Hours of Camp Fire Scanner Traffic.”
dispatchers monitored the footage: The captain in charge of the Emergency Command Center is considered the “incident commander” on a wildfire until air or ground forces can arrive.
more than twenty thousand 911 calls annually: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Butte Unit, Butte County Cooperative Fire Protection Annual Report, Oroville: 2017, p. 4.
had alr
eady issued the first alert: The CodeRed alert was dispatched at 7:13 a.m., sending 29 emails, 15 phone calls, and 6 text messages to residents of Pulga. Ten phone numbers were reached; five were not. Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Code Red Alerts, by Michael Thompson, Oroville: November 8, 2018.
the one to suggest “Camp Fire” as the name: Beth Bowersox, Cal Fire Emergency Command Center dispatcher, in discussion with the author, January 2, 2020.
had developed it in 1974: “NIMS and the Incident Command System,” Federal Emergency Management Agency, accessed May 1, 2020, fema.gov/txt/nims/nims_ics_position_paper.txt.
causing blackouts for four customers: California Public Utilities Commission, Safety and Enforcement Division, Electric Safety and Reliability Branch, “Incident Investigation Report,” p. 80.
had arrived for her shift: Carol Ladrini, Paradise Police dispatcher, in discussion with the author, September 12, 2019.
wanted to know where the wildfire was burning: Ladrini and other dispatchers stuck to scripted answers. This recording at 7:11 a.m. was released by Paradise Police. It, and other calls, can be accessed at drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JzYtze0SfGDrRxXcl1nJLwvxTTlH4Idz.
A fellow battalion chief: The Cal Fire battalion chief was Gus Boston, husband of Shelby Boston, Butte County’s director of social services. Gus Boston, Cal Fire battalion chief, in discussion with the author, February 20, 2019.
a Cal Fire captain was corkscrewing along a ridgeline: The crew was led by Cal Fire captain Miguel Watson. As he led the engines down Rim Road, he remembered, “The wind was hitting the engine so hard it ripped open a compartment on top of the engine. If you ever stand up there, [you know] it takes a little bit of force to lift that compartment. It seals pretty well. It was crazy. It felt like the wind was going to knock the engine over.” Miguel Watson, Cal Fire captain, in discussion with the author, March 14, 2019.
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