Kincade Fire, 2019
The Kincade Fire started on a PG&E transmission line northeast of Geyserville on the night of October 23, 2019. PG&E had shut off nearby distribution lines that day, but its transmission lines stayed on. The fire burned 77,758 acres in Sonoma County and destroyed 374 structures.
- Where
- Sonoma County, starting northeast of Geyserville
- Utility
- PG&E
- Record
- Found by investigators
- Started on
- Transmission line
- Acres burned
- 77,758
Sources: Kincade Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Kincade Fire
- Days to containment
- 14
Source: CAL FIRE
- Structures destroyed
- 374
Sources: Kincade Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Kincade Fire
- Deaths
- None
Found by investigators
The agency that investigated the fire found that the utility's equipment started it.
CAL FIRE found in July 2020 that the fire was caused by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by PG&E northeast of Geyserville.
Source: CAL FIRE
Transmission line
A high-voltage line that carries bulk power between substations, the kind the Golden Pacific Powerlink would be.
PG&E's Geysers #9 Lakeville 230 kV transmission line.
What happened
- Started
October 23, 2019, at 9:27 p.m., near John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road.
Source: CAL FIRE
- Contained
November 6, 2019, after 14 days.
Source: CAL FIRE
- Damage
374 structures destroyed and 60 damaged. Four people were injured, none of the injuries life-threatening; PG&E describes them as first responders.
Sources: Kincade Fire incident page; CAL FIRE investigators determine cause of the Kincade Fire; PG&E Corporation, filed with the SEC
- Evacuations
About 200,000 people were in zones under an evacuation order or warning between October 23 and November 4, PG&E reports, citing Sonoma County.
The cause
- What failed
The Geysers #9 Lakeville 230 kV line relayed and did not reclose. At tower 001/006, CAL FIRE personnel pointed out what appeared to be a broken jumper.
- Shutoffs
PG&E had shut off power to about 27,837 customers in Sonoma County that day. Its transmission lines in the area stayed energized.
- Criminal case
On April 6, 2021, the Sonoma County District Attorney charged PG&E with five felonies and 28 misdemeanors. On April 8, 2022, the two sides filed a civil stipulated judgment instead, without PG&E admitting liability, and the court dismissed the charges on April 11, 2022.
What it cost
- Stipulated judgment
$20.25 million, which PG&E may not recover through rates.
- CPUC penalty
$40 million to the state's General Fund, approved in July 2022, and the removal of about 70 transmission lines, or parts of lines, that were out of service but had never been taken down. PG&E may not charge customers for $85 million of that work. The settlement is not an admission.
- PG&E's own estimate
PG&E has recorded an aggregate liability of $1.325 billion, before insurance, against $430 million of liability insurance. That is PG&E's accounting estimate, not a finding.
- Lawsuits
About 135 complaints for at least 3,014 plaintiffs.
Not published
We looked for these and found no source that publishes them:
- How many households never returned
- Insured losses for this fire