Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Did PG&E Problem Spark Deadly Paradise Blaze?
By admin
Published 6 years ago on
November 12, 2018

Share

A utility is facing increasing criticism following a deadly blaze that leveled a Northern California town and killed at least 42 people.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. told state regulators last week it detected a problem on an electrical transmission line near the town of Paradise minutes before the Camp Fire broke out Thursday.

Resident Says He Was Kicked Out of Meeting

Paradise resident Jim Flint tells television stations KHSL/KNVN in the nearby city of Chico he was kicked out of a community meeting Sunday night after asking a PG&E executive if the company was responsible for the deadly fire.

Flint says he has lived in Paradise for 29 years and the threat of a wildfire has always been there but says “the issue has been electrical power lines.”

He adds that “we need answers from these people.”

The fire has killed at least 42 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes. A cause has not been determined.

Stock Price Plummets

PG&E’s stock price has plummeted since the company revealed the power line problem near Paradise. The stock dropped 15 percent Monday morning to $33.91 a share.

California fire officials say the blaze grew slightly overnight and that strong winds that could fan flames are again expected in the area by Monday afternoon. It remains 25 percent contained.

Officials say more than 4,500 firefighters are on day four of their battle against the blaze.

After a lull of strong winds that make for dangerous fire conditions, the area near Paradise will have wind gusts as high as 40 mph by Monday evening.

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Appeals Court Ruling on AP Journalists’ Re-Admission

DON'T MISS

Warriors Stunned by Spurs on Harrison Barnes’ Late 3-Pointer

DON'T MISS

Wonton Serves up a Big Dish of Playful Companionship

DON'T MISS

Egg Prices Increase to Record High Despite Trump’s Predictions and Bird Flu Outbreak Slowing

DON'T MISS

This Flour Makes Gluten-Free Baking So Good

DON'T MISS

Inflation Eased Sharply in March

DON'T MISS

Prada Agrees to Buy Rival Fashion House Versace in a Deal Valued at $1.4 Billion

DON'T MISS

Kings County Man Arrested After Allegedly Sexually Threatening Women

DON'T MISS

EU Pauses New Tariffs on US Goods After Trump Backs Down

DON'T MISS

US Stock Indexes Drop 2% Despite an Encouraging Inflation Update

UP NEXT

California Youth Soccer Coach Accused of Killing 13-Year-Old, Assaulting Other Teens

UP NEXT

New Plan to Accelerate CA High-Speed Rail Construction Deserves Attention, Support

UP NEXT

CA’s Big Pension Funds Lost Billions in Stock Market Selloff. Can They Recover in Time?

UP NEXT

Wood Has 2 Homers as Nats Win For First Home Series Victory Over Dodgers Since 2014

UP NEXT

Giants Suffer Second Straight Shutout Loss to Reds

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 25 as the Warriors Cruise Past the Suns in West Playoff Race

UP NEXT

It’s the First US Nuclear Plant to Use AI. Where Does Diablo Canyon Go From Here?

UP NEXT

‘World-Class Nightlife’: CA Lawmakers Try Again to Extend Last Call to 4 AM

UP NEXT

Border Patrol Said It Targeted Known Criminals in Kern County. But It Had No Record on 77 of 78 Arrestees

UP NEXT

Man Pleads Guilty to Trying to Assassinate Justice Kavanaugh

Egg Prices Increase to Record High Despite Trump’s Predictions and Bird Flu Outbreak Slowing

18 minutes ago

This Flour Makes Gluten-Free Baking So Good

27 minutes ago

Inflation Eased Sharply in March

36 minutes ago

Prada Agrees to Buy Rival Fashion House Versace in a Deal Valued at $1.4 Billion

53 minutes ago

Kings County Man Arrested After Allegedly Sexually Threatening Women

57 minutes ago

EU Pauses New Tariffs on US Goods After Trump Backs Down

1 hour ago

US Stock Indexes Drop 2% Despite an Encouraging Inflation Update

1 hour ago

California’s Effort to Hold Oil Companies Liable for Natural Disaster Damage Stalls

16 hours ago

Trump: Israel Would Be ‘Leader’ of Iran Strike if Tehran Doesn’t Give Up Nuke Program

16 hours ago

California Families Question if College Benefits Outweigh Increasing Costs

16 hours ago

Trump Administration Appeals Court Ruling on AP Journalists’ Re-Admission

The Trump administration said Wednesday it would appeal a federal court decision that ordered it to re-admit Associated Press journalists to...

12 minutes ago

FILE - The Associated Press logo is shown at the entrance to the news organization's office in New York on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP File)
12 minutes ago

Trump Administration Appeals Court Ruling on AP Journalists’ Re-Admission

16 minutes ago

Warriors Stunned by Spurs on Harrison Barnes’ Late 3-Pointer

Wonton, GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, April 9, 2025
18 minutes ago

Wonton Serves up a Big Dish of Playful Companionship

A carton of eggs sit on a counter in the kitchen inside of 5 Rabanitos restaurant in Chicago, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP File)
18 minutes ago

Egg Prices Increase to Record High Despite Trump’s Predictions and Bird Flu Outbreak Slowing

28 minutes ago

This Flour Makes Gluten-Free Baking So Good

Shoppers come and go at a Costco in Marina Del Rey, Calif., April 4, 2025. The Consumer Price Index climbed 2.4% in March compared to a year earlier, a far slower pace than February’s 2.8% increase. Policymakers and economists say the latest data is only a temporary reprieve as tariffs risk stoking higher inflation. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)
36 minutes ago

Inflation Eased Sharply in March

A logo of Prada is seen at a store in Hong Kong Sunday, June 12, 2011. (AP File)
53 minutes ago

Prada Agrees to Buy Rival Fashion House Versace in a Deal Valued at $1.4 Billion

Anthony Lee Maldonado, 40, of Hanford, was arrested Wednesday, April 9, 2025, after allegedly making sexually threatening remarks to two women near the Kings County Government Center. (Kings County SO)
57 minutes ago

Kings County Man Arrested After Allegedly Sexually Threatening Women

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend