Last year, tree branches came into contact with Pacific Gas & Electric power lines, sparking a Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed more than 200 structures, according to officials.
In the weeks after the Zogg Fire ravaged rural areas in Shasta and Tehama counties last September and October, investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confiscated PG&E equipment.
Cal Fire concluded that the Zogg Fire was caused by a pine tree touching electrical distribution lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric located north of the city of Igo after a careful and detailed investigation, according to a short news release.
Late Monday, PG&E officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cal Fire stated that the Zogg Fire investigation report has been forwarded to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.
The fire broke out in Shasta County on Sept. 27, 2020, during high winds, and rapidly spread, killing four people in Igo, a town of 600 people. It later spread to Tehama County, which is nearby. Over the course of two weeks, the fire scorched more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers) and burned 204 houses, about half of which were homes.
PG&E, the country’s largest utility, has emerged from bankruptcy following the financial fallout from several destructive wildfires caused by its utility equipment in 2017 and 2018, which killed over 100 people and damaged over 27,000 homes and other structures.
