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originally posted by: PhilbertDezineck
Brush around power poles? How is the transmission line arcing to cause such fires? why is this not happening anywhere else? I read that the 2018 fires started with the spark from a hammer. Ive done plenty of hamering in my life and have never seen a spark produced.
originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: RalagaNarHallas
Yeah, with a garbage truck it's dump, or let it burn. Far better to lose what's in the truck than to lose the truck itself. Most people don't realize just how expensive a work truck really is. The brake pads on my truck are probably two or three times the size of my car, and run about $1500 to replace IIRC. The tires are designed to go 150,000-250,000 depending on if they're steer or drive tires, and run about $6,000 to replace all 10 of them (the two steer tires alone are $1200).
originally posted by: PhilbertDezineck
a reply to: LookingAtMars
How is the transmission of electricity causing fires? Why is it that other states do not have the same problems with their transmission of energy?
New video shows the crucial last moments leading up to the ignition of the fatal Sandalwood wildfire, which were sparked when a garbage truck driver dumped a pile of burning trash on the side of a road on Thursday afternoon.
Captured by Shawn Melvin, the footage shows a CR&R garbage truck with smoke billowing from its rig in Calimesa, which authorities have now identified as the cause of the blaze that went on to destroy more than seventy homes and kill at least two people.
Two weeks after a vast power shut-off that it acknowledged it had mishandled, California’s largest utility began a new round of electricity cuts Wednesday to reduce hazards from power lines and towers in the face of a new wildfire threat.
The utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, said the move could leave 179,000 customers without power, primarily in the Sierra foothills and in counties north of San Francisco Bay, including Napa and Sonoma. The company said that the peak winds should abate by noon on Thursday, and that it aimed to restore power to most customers within 48 hours.
The blackout strategy is a response to severe weather conditions that have heightened fire risk across California. In two years of intense wildfires, some of the most destructive blazes were caused by PG&E equipment failures and ultimately killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
At a news briefing Friday morning, the authorities said the Tick Fire had burned 4,300 acres and was 5 percent contained. They said they had determined that six structures had burned so far.
“However, we know that it’s going to rise today,” said Chief Daryl L. Osby, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
He said that there were actually no active fires at the moment, but that the ground was smoldering and the winds were whipping — they are dealing with “significant and erratic winds.” The worry is that new fires could ignite at any moment.
PG&E incident reports obtained by 2 Investigates shows PG&E equipment may have ignited more than 400 fires in California last year.
This is according to data obtained by 2 Investigates through a public records request to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The regulator requires PG&E and other large investor-owned utilities to submit information on these "reportable events" to improve regulations and prevent future fires.
Looking at Sonoma County, which is currently affected by the Kincade Fire, the data shows PG&E reported its possible involvement in more than 20 fires in the area in 2018.
The shutdowns affect affect well over 2 million residents in 36 counties and PG&E said it could be 48 hours before restorations begin.