Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-1230

PG&E reports transmission line malfunction near Kincade fire origin

Oct 2019Published 25 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

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From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: 230,000 volt transmission line in Geyserville, Sonoma County
Operator: Pacific Gas and Electric
What: malfunction on a transmission line during a wind event
Cause: Under investigation
Outcome: line stayed energised

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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Pacific Gas and Electric

What happened

Pacific Gas and Electric told state regulators that a 230,000 volt transmission line malfunctioned near Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road in Geyserville, Sonoma County, at about 9:20 p.m. The first calls reporting a major fire followed about seven minutes later. The next morning a Cal Fire crew member pointed out a broken jumper on a transmission tower to a PG&E worker. Lower-voltage distribution lines in the area had been shut off in a public safety power shutdown affecting 27,837 customers, but the high-voltage transmission line had remained energised. PG&E said the filing did not determine the cause of the fire or where it started, and that this remained under investigation.

Contributing factors

The source reports that the transmission line stayed energised during high fire-danger weather because it did not meet PG&E's forecast conditions for a transmission outage. A broken jumper was identified the next morning. Why the line was not inspected for some hours after the failed line was reported was not explained. The report does not establish that the malfunction or the inspection timing caused the fire.

Lessons learned

A reported transmission malfunction in extreme fire weather should be treated as time-critical until the line condition is confirmed on site.
Where transmission and distribution de-energisation criteria differ, the reason a line stayed energised should be recorded and explainable.
A preliminary report to the regulator is not a finding on fire cause or origin; that conclusion belongs to the investigating authority.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Cause of the fire
Where the fire started
Time taken for company inspection

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Source

cbsnews.com

Published 2026-09-25. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-1230 holds the site, the operator, the root cause and what failed as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Site: ••••••••••••
Operator: •••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Sources: ••••••••

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