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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 OcTOber 2019

Utility says power lines may have started 2 California fires

By DON THOMPSON and that it was considering dis-
JONATHAN J. COOPER connecting about 350,000
Associated Press more.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — PG&E is under severe fi-
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. nancial pressure after its
power lines may have start- equipment was blamed for
ed two wildfires over the a series of destructive wild-
weekend in the San Fran- fires during the past three
cisco Bay Area, the utility years. Its stock dropped 24
said Monday, even though percent Monday to close
widespread blackouts at $3.80 and was down
were in place to prevent more than 50 percent since
downed lines from starting Thursday.
fires during dangerously The company reported last
windy weather. week that a transmission
The fires described in PG&E tower may have caused
reports to state regula- a Sonoma County fire that
tors match blazes that de- has forced nearly 200,000
stroyed a tennis club and people to evacuate.
forced evacuations in La- PG&E told the California
fayette, about 20 miles Public Utilities Commission
(32 kilometers) east of San that a worker responded A firefighter hoses down a smoldering home destroyed by the Getty fire, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019,
Francisco. to a fire in Lafayette late in Los Angeles, Calif.
The fires began in a section Sunday afternoon and was Associated Press
of town where PG&E had told firefighters believed
opted to keep the lights on. contact between a power shutting off their power ear- getting electricity. said he plans to introduce
The sites were not desig- line and a communication lier this month during windy After that outage, work- legislation that would raise
nated as a high fire risk, the line may have caused it. weather. ers discovered 43 cases of PG&E's taxes if it pays bo-
company said. A worker went to another Before a planned black- wind-related damage to nuses to executives while
Powerful winds were driving fire about an hour later out, power companies are power lines, transformers engaging in blackouts.
multiple fires across Califor- and saw a fallen pole and required to notify custom- and other equipment. The Public Utilities Commis-
nia and forcing power shut- transformer. Contra Costa ers and take extra care to Jennifer Robison, a PG&E sion plans to open a for-
offs intended to prevent Fire Department person- get in touch with those with spokeswoman, said the mal investigation into the
blazes. More than 900,000 nel on site told the worker medical problems who company is working with blackouts within the next
power customers — an esti- they were looking at the may not be able to handle independent living centers month, allowing regulators
mated 2.5 million people — transformer as a potential extended periods without to determine how best to to gather evidence and
were in the dark Monday, ignition source, a company air conditioning or may serve people with disabili- question utility officials. If
nearly all of them in PG&E's official wrote. need power to run medical ties. rules are found to be bro-
territory in Northern and Separately, the company devices. The company faced a ken, they can impose fines
Central California. told regulators that it had PG&E said some custom- growing backlash from reg- up to $100,000 per violation
Southern California Edison failed to notify 23,000 cus- ers had no contact infor- ulators and lawmakers. per day, said Terrie Prosper,
had cut off power to 25,000 tomers, including 500 with mation on file. Others were U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, a a spokeswoman for the
customers and warned medical conditions, before incorrectly thought to be Democrat from Modesto, commission.q

Cranes arrive to remove bus partially

swallowed by sinkhole

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authori- when the bus plunged into damage to them could af-
ties say two cranes have ar- the hole Monday morning. fect communications in the
rived to remove a city bus Officials say the passenger tri-state area.
partially swallowed when was treated at a hospital Hissrich says setting up the
a sinkhole opened during and released. cranes and other prepara-
morning rush hour in down- Public Safety Director Wen- tion will take hours. After a
town Pittsburgh. dell Hissrich says the bus 300-ton crane lifts the 14-
The Port Authority of Allegh- is sitting on three power ton bus, the power and

Authorities investigate after a Port Authority bus was caught in a eny County says the driver lines, two of them 22,000- fiberoptic lines and pipes
sinkhole in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. and a 56-year-old female volt lines. He said there are below can be assessed
Associated Press passenger were aboard also fiberoptic cables, and and repaired.q