Strong winds and abundance vegetation has continued to fuel wildfires throughout California. One fire threatened the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which was saved by a change in wind direction and the efforts of some goats, which ate the vegetation around the property and created a fire perimeter.
Other fires have broken out in San Bernardino County and across Southern California, promoting massive evacuations and burning dozens of homes. Other fires in Northern California, including one believed to have been started by an arsonist (put out soon after it began), have threatened homes and property there as well. The largest of those fires, the Kincade Fire, has burned nearly 80,000 acres.
Massive power-shutoffs by California’s main electrical utility, PG&E, were started earlier this month to prevent wildfires. Old, damaged lines can spark wildfires when they fail, sometimes with destructive consequences such as in the 2018 Camp Fire, which led to at least 85 deaths and $16.5 billion in damage. The shutdowns have not been without controversy, however, as the shutdowns have lefts millions without power periodically and caused massive disruption to those affected.
PG&E, still facing billions in liability claims from the Camp Fire and other outbreaks, is planning on replacing many of those lines going forward.
