SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric reported substantial losses for the third quarter on Thursday, driven by catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the utility's outdated transmission lines. The company anticipates those costs could escalate to as much as $6.3 billion. PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January to...
Wildfire Erupts Near Reagan Library in Southern California
SIMI VALLEY — A new wildfire erupted Wednesday in wind-whipped Southern California, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts. The brush fire broke out just before dawn in the Simi...
Anger Rises as PG&E Imposes More Blackouts
SANTA ROSA — Frustration and anger mounted across Northern California as Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. began another round of fire-prevention blackouts Tuesday that could leave millions of people without electricity, some for five days or longer. The shut-offs, aimed at keeping windblown electrical equipment from sparking wildfires, came as...
PG&E Says Power Lines May Have Started 2 More Fires
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power lines may have started two wildfires over the weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, the utility said, even though widespread blackouts were in place to prevent downed lines from starting fires during dangerously windy weather. The fires described in PG&E...
Wildfires Erupt in LA, Grow in Wine Country
SANTA ROSA — Firefighters battled destructive wildfires in Northern California wine country and on the west side of Los Angeles on Monday, trying to beat back flames that forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Pacific Gas & Electric, cut off power to an estimated 2.5 million people in...
Blackouts Possible Again as Fire Danger Looms in California
Less than two weeks after blacking out much of Northern California, PG&E is warning that dangerous fire weather could prompt it to shut off power to about a half-million people. Pacific Gas & Electric began notifying customers Monday that it could begin precautionary shutoffs to parts of 16 counties as...
Opinion: Valley Should Not Be Held Captive to PG&E Failures
The residents of the Central Valley are faced with a utility service company that, in the past two decades, has become a tax collector forced to be under the protection of the federal bankruptcy court for the second time. In this situation, debtors and sophisticated investors seek to game the...
PG&E Faces Gripes Over Deliberate Blackouts
LOS ANGELES — Even as the winds gusted dangerously as forecast, California's biggest utility faced hostility and second-guessing Thursday for shutting off electricity to millions of people to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Pacific Gas & Electric and ordinary customers complained about the inconveniences caused by the...
Power Outages Begin in California Amid Hot, Windy Weather
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric shut off power to more than a million people Wednesday for what could be days on end, in the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines. The move came after two years of catastrophic fires sent...
California Faces Historic Power Outage Due to Fire Danger
SAN FRANCISCO — Two years to the day after some of the deadliest wildfires tore through Northern California wine country, a utility announced Tuesday it will shut off power to more than 800,000 customers in the largest preventive outage in state history — to try to prevent wildfires caused by...