PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions
At about
"We've got eyes on the vegetation fire. It's going to be very difficult to access,
As firefighters rushed to
The utility, which already has been criticized and sued in a number of other large and deadly fires across
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But
"We can't speculate on the cause of the fire. There will be an investigation," he said.
On Thursday morning, after the first radio call, an immediate, multi-alarm response was sent to the area along Pulga and Camp Creek roads, near the dam that is popular with kayakers and one of
"The (reporting party) is calling from
Meanwhile, at
During last year's
The first firefighter to reach the
"This has got the potential for a major incident," he told dispatch, alerting them to evacuate Pulga, the town immediately southwest, and to find air support.
About six minutes later, another firefighter estimated the fire at about 10 acres with a "really good wind on it," warning that once it left the "maintained vegetation under the power lines" the fire would reach a critical rate of spread when it hit the brush and timber.
On Tuesday night, with a looming forecast of high winds and low humidity,
Over the next 48 hours, the utility tweeted out 17 different warnings of an impending Thursday morning shut-off. It even tweeted out a warning at
"We want to thank our customers for their understanding and for their actions in preparation of a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff,"
On Friday, King declined to get into specifics about why
In its warnings,
When implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff, the utility factors in strong winds, very low humidity, critically dry vegetation and on-the-ground observations.
Ramsey said he had no information that the
Attorney
"I am just sick to my stomach that
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