As the peak of the wildfire season quickly approaches, PG&E is working just as fast to put a stop to fires caused by its own equipment.
The utility is reporting 62 fires caused by power lines this year, nearly equally the total from all of last year.
To make the electric system safer, and reduce wildfire risk, sometimes exceptional costs have to be incurred.
That’s been PG&E’s message as to why rates have increased so much in the last few years. But wildfires have not decreased.
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“The issue that we have right now is just a lot of receptive fuels on the ground, and that’s what’s increasing the wildfire risk along with the heat that’s continuing to dry out those fuels,” said PG&E Spokesperson Lynsey Paulo.
When this abundance of dry fuels gathers around power poles, …