PG&E reports transmission line malfunction near Kincade Fire
EIR-1230Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 25 September 2026.
Pacific Gas and Electric reported a malfunction on a 230,000 volt transmission line near Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road in Sonoma County at about 9:20 p.m. The first calls reporting a major fire in the area followed about seven minutes later. PG&E said a broken jumper on a transmission tower was later pointed out by a Cal Fire crew member, and that the line had stayed energised during the wind event because it did not meet the company's criteria for a transmission outage. PG&E said the cause of the fire, and where it started, had not been determined.
Lower-voltage distribution lines in the area were included in a public safety power shutdown; the high-voltage transmission line was not. A preliminary report said the broken line was pointed out the following morning, about ten hours after the reported malfunction. The company did not confirm that its own inspection took that long.
- Apply consistent, documented risk criteria to transmission and distribution assets during elevated fire weather.
- Set a clear time limit for patrol and inspection after a reported line fault in a high fire-risk area, and record when the fault was found.
- Share preliminary line-damage findings with the fire authority promptly, without treating that report as a finding on fire cause.
Published 2026-09-25. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.