Dixie Fire, 2021
The Dixie Fire started on July 13, 2021, when a tree fell onto a PG&E distribution line west of Cresta Dam. It burned 963,309 acres across five counties, destroyed more than 1,300 structures and burned for 104 days.
- Where
- Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties, starting west of Cresta Dam
- Utility
- PG&E
- Record
- Found by investigators
- Started on
- Distribution line
- Acres burned
- 963,309
Sources: Dixie Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Dixie Fire
- Days to containment
- 104
Source: CAL FIRE
- Structures destroyed
- 1,311 to 1,329
Sources: Dixie Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Dixie Fire
- Deaths
- None attributed
Sources: PG&E Corporation, filed with the SEC; CAL FIRE
Found by investigators
The agency that investigated the fire found that the utility's equipment started it.
CAL FIRE found in January 2022 that the fire was caused by a tree contacting PG&E distribution lines west of Cresta Dam.
Source: CAL FIRE
Distribution line
A lower-voltage line that carries power along streets and roads to homes and businesses.
PG&E's Bucks Creek 1101 12 kV distribution circuit, struck by a falling Douglas fir.
What happened
- Started
July 13, 2021. The CAL FIRE report, as the CPUC quotes it, has the tree hitting the conductors at about 6:48 a.m.; CAL FIRE's incident page lists 5:15 p.m.
- Contained
October 25, 2021, after 104 days, by CAL FIRE's count. The CPUC gives October 26.
- Buildings
CAL FIRE's incident page lists 1,311 destroyed and 94 damaged; its January 2022 release gives 1,329 destroyed and 95 damaged. Among them, PG&E's filing counts 763 residential homes, citing CAL FIRE's report.
Sources: Dixie Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Dixie Fire; PG&E Corporation, filed with the SEC
- Deaths and injuries
CAL FIRE's incident page lists one firefighter fatality. Its final investigation report does not attribute that death to the fire, PG&E reports. Four first responders were injured.
Sources: CAL FIRE; PG&E Corporation, filed with the SEC
The cause
- What failed
A damaged and decayed Douglas fir fell and hit the conductors of PG&E's Bucks Creek 1101 12 kV circuit.
- Allegations
CAL FIRE's report also alleges that PG&E acted negligently in its response to the first outage and fault.
- Criminal case
On April 11, 2022, PG&E and the district attorneys of the North State counties filed a civil stipulated judgment that permanently resolves any state criminal prosecution, without PG&E admitting liability.
What it cost
- Stipulated judgment
$34.75 million, which PG&E may not recover through rates.
- CPUC penalty
$45 million, approved in January 2024: a $2.5 million fine to the state's General Fund, $2.5 million to tribes affected by the fire, and $40 million in shareholder funding to move PG&E's records off paper.
- PG&E's own estimate
PG&E has recorded an aggregate liability of $2.150 billion, before recoveries. That is PG&E's accounting estimate, not a finding.
- Lawsuits
About 189 complaints for at least 9,034 individual plaintiffs.
- Firefighting
CAL FIRE sued PG&E on June 30, 2023, for its suppression and investigation costs.
Not published
We looked for these and found no source that publishes them:
- How many people were evacuated, or for how long
- How many households never returned
- Insured losses for this fire