From June 2014 to December 2017, equipment owned by the three largest utilities in California sparked more than 2,000 fires across the state, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric must file annual reports with state regulators, listing any fires that broke out due to their electrical equipment. Most of the fires from June 2014 to December 2017 burned less than 10 acres, with PG&E the worst offender, reporting 1,552 equipment-related fires. The report did not include any of the state's most destructive wildfires, because the companies do not want their equipment linked to devastating blazes before investigations are finished, the Times reports. During this time period, the companies were cited and fined nine times for electrical safety violations.
There are more than 250,000 miles of power lines and 4.2 million utility poles in California, and the utilities are responsible for making sure that trees and vegetation are trimmed so they aren't touching equipment. The California Public Utilities Commission has just 19 employees dedicated to checking on equipment, teaching preventative safety, and conducting investigations. Lawmakers are now trying to come up with a way to improve regulatory oversight and hold the companies accountable for starting fires, with ideas including forming a new state department to enforce safety and investing in new technology so regulators have better access to equipment data.
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