When power lines start wildfires
These are California wildfires tied to a utility's equipment by an investigation, a court or the utility itself. Where the cause is still under investigation, the record says so. Each one has its own page: what burned, how long, who was found responsible, what it cost, and every source.
The hazard map
On CAL FIRE's 2024 State Responsibility Area map, Warner Springs, Santa Ysabel and Aguanga all fall in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the highest class. We checked each location against the map data.
Source: CAL FIRE
SDG&E's own record
In October 2007, three fires that burned through San Diego County started on SDG&E lines, one of them a line the CPUC classes as transmission. Their records are below.
What SDG&E says
SDG&E points to its “The Golden Pacific Powerlink will benefit from this expertise, including SDG&E's award-winning wildfire safety program..”
Source: SDG&E
This record weighs against a new line wherever it would go. It does not argue for moving the line onto anyone else.
16 records so far, 4 of them fires that started on transmission lines. The Golden Pacific Powerlink would be a 500 kV transmission line, so each record says which kind of line it was.
San Diego County
| Fire | Started on | Acres | Structures destroyed | Deaths | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witch and Guejito fires2007, SDG&E | Witch: SDG&E's 69 kV line TL 637, which the CPUC classes as transmission. Guejito: a Cox Communications wire against an SDG&E 12 kV distribution line | 197,990 | 1,650 to 1,711 | 2 | Found by investigators |
| Rice Fire2007, SDG&E | An SDG&E 12 kV distribution line, brought down by a falling sycamore limb | 9,472 | 248 | None listed | Found by investigators |
- Witch and Guejito fires, 2007
SDG&E. Found by investigators.
Witch: SDG&E's 69 kV line TL 637, which the CPUC classes as transmission. Guejito: a Cox Communications wire against an SDG&E 12 kV distribution line
- Acres
- 197,990
- Destroyed
- 1,650 to 1,711
- Deaths
- 2
- Rice Fire, 2007
SDG&E. Found by investigators.
An SDG&E 12 kV distribution line, brought down by a falling sycamore limb
- Acres
- 9,472
- Destroyed
- 248
- Deaths
- None listed
Elsewhere in Southern California
| Fire | Started on | Acres | Structures destroyed | Deaths | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Fire2025, SCE | An out-of-service SCE transmission tower above Eaton Wash | 14,021 | 9,419 | 18 to 19 | Found by investigators |
| Fairview Fire2022, SCE | SCE's Sprague 12 kV distribution circuit, sagging into a Frontier Communications cable | 28,098 | 36 | 2 | Found by investigators |
| Woolsey Fire2018, SCE | SCE's 16 kV Big Rock distribution circuit. The wire that arced was a guy wire on a pole that also carried a 66 kV transmission circuit | 96,949 | 1,643 | 3 | Found by investigators |
| Thomas Fire2017, SCE | SCE power lines that touched in high winds. The sources we found do not give the voltage | 281,893 | 1,063 | 2 | Found by investigators |
| Malibu Canyon Fire2007, SCE | Three joint utility poles beside Malibu Canyon Road, carrying SCE and telecommunications lines, which fell in Santa Ana winds | 3,836 | 14 | Not published | Admitted by the utility |
- Eaton Fire, 2025
SCE. Found by investigators.
An out-of-service SCE transmission tower above Eaton Wash
- Acres
- 14,021
- Destroyed
- 9,419
- Deaths
- 18 to 19
- Fairview Fire, 2022
SCE. Found by investigators.
SCE's Sprague 12 kV distribution circuit, sagging into a Frontier Communications cable
- Acres
- 28,098
- Destroyed
- 36
- Deaths
- 2
- Woolsey Fire, 2018
SCE. Found by investigators.
SCE's 16 kV Big Rock distribution circuit. The wire that arced was a guy wire on a pole that also carried a 66 kV transmission circuit
- Acres
- 96,949
- Destroyed
- 1,643
- Deaths
- 3
- Thomas Fire, 2017
SCE. Found by investigators.
SCE power lines that touched in high winds. The sources we found do not give the voltage
- Acres
- 281,893
- Destroyed
- 1,063
- Deaths
- 2
- Malibu Canyon Fire, 2007
SCE. Admitted by the utility.
Three joint utility poles beside Malibu Canyon Road, carrying SCE and telecommunications lines, which fell in Santa Ana winds
- Acres
- 3,836
- Destroyed
- 14
- Deaths
- Not published
Northern California
| Fire | Started on | Acres | Structures destroyed | Deaths | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosquito Fire2022, PG&E | Under investigation. The Forest Service took one of PG&E's transmission poles and its equipment | 76,788 | 78 | None | Under investigation |
| McKinney Fire2022, PacifiCorp | PacifiCorp's 12.5 kV distribution circuit 5G40, out of the Scott Bar substation | 60,138 | 185 | 4 | Found by investigators |
| Dixie Fire2021, PG&E | PG&E's Bucks Creek 1101 12 kV distribution circuit, struck by a falling Douglas fir | 963,309 | 1,311 to 1,329 | None attributed | Found by investigators |
| Zogg Fire2020, PG&E | PG&E distribution lines north of Igo, touched by a pine tree | 56,338 | 204 | 4 | Found by investigators |
| Kincade Fire2019, PG&E | PG&E's Geysers #9 Lakeville 230 kV transmission line | 77,758 | 374 | None | Found by investigators |
| Camp Fire2018, PG&E | PG&E's Caribou-Palermo 115 kV transmission line, at tower 27/222 | 153,336 | 18,804 | 85 | Criminal conviction |
| North Bay fires2017, PG&E | Mostly PG&E 12 kV distribution lines. One of the Redwood Fire's two ignitions was a 60 kV transmission conductor | Not published | Not published | 22 | Found by investigators |
| Butte Fire2015, PG&E | A PG&E power line, touched by a gray pine. The sources we found do not give the voltage | 70,868 | 965 | 2 | Found by investigators |
| Trauner Fire1994, PG&E | A 21,000-volt PG&E line that brushed against a tree limb | 500 | 12 homes, 22 others | Not published | Criminal conviction |
- Mosquito Fire, 2022
PG&E. Under investigation.
Under investigation. The Forest Service took one of PG&E's transmission poles and its equipment
- Acres
- 76,788
- Destroyed
- 78
- Deaths
- None
- McKinney Fire, 2022
PacifiCorp. Found by investigators.
PacifiCorp's 12.5 kV distribution circuit 5G40, out of the Scott Bar substation
- Acres
- 60,138
- Destroyed
- 185
- Deaths
- 4
- Dixie Fire, 2021
PG&E. Found by investigators.
PG&E's Bucks Creek 1101 12 kV distribution circuit, struck by a falling Douglas fir
- Acres
- 963,309
- Destroyed
- 1,311 to 1,329
- Deaths
- None attributed
- Zogg Fire, 2020
PG&E. Found by investigators.
PG&E distribution lines north of Igo, touched by a pine tree
- Acres
- 56,338
- Destroyed
- 204
- Deaths
- 4
- Kincade Fire, 2019
PG&E. Found by investigators.
PG&E's Geysers #9 Lakeville 230 kV transmission line
- Acres
- 77,758
- Destroyed
- 374
- Deaths
- None
- Camp Fire, 2018
PG&E. Criminal conviction.
PG&E's Caribou-Palermo 115 kV transmission line, at tower 27/222
- Acres
- 153,336
- Destroyed
- 18,804
- Deaths
- 85
- North Bay fires, 2017
PG&E. Found by investigators.
Mostly PG&E 12 kV distribution lines. One of the Redwood Fire's two ignitions was a 60 kV transmission conductor
- Acres
- Not published
- Destroyed
- Not published
- Deaths
- 22
- Butte Fire, 2015
PG&E. Found by investigators.
A PG&E power line, touched by a gray pine. The sources we found do not give the voltage
- Acres
- 70,868
- Destroyed
- 965
- Deaths
- 2
- Trauner Fire, 1994
PG&E. Criminal conviction.
A 21,000-volt PG&E line that brushed against a tree limb
- Acres
- 500
- Destroyed
- 12 homes, 22 others
- Deaths
- Not published
How firm the finding is
- Criminal conviction
- The utility pleaded guilty or was found guilty in criminal court.
- Found by investigators
- The agency that investigated the fire found that the utility's equipment started it.
- Admitted by the utility
- The utility itself said its equipment was involved.
- Under investigation
- No finding on the cause has been published.
Each fire carries the firmest finding on its record. An allegation is never written up as a finding.
Which kind of line
- Transmission line
- A high-voltage line that carries bulk power between substations, the kind the Golden Pacific Powerlink would be.
- Distribution line
- A lower-voltage line that carries power along streets and roads to homes and businesses.
- More than one kind
- Several fires or ignitions, on different kinds of line. The record says which.
- Line not stated
- The sources we found do not say whether it was a transmission or a distribution line.
The numbers
Every figure comes from a source you can open, most of them CAL FIRE, the CPUC, the courts and the utilities' own filings. Where sources differ, each figure is shown with its source. Dollar figures are labelled by kind and never added together. Where no source publishes a figure, the page says so.
Know of a fire we are missing, or a figure we have wrong? Tell us.