fire risk News

UW Study Finds Ponderosa Pine Forests Most at Risk From Wildfires

Recent years have brought unusually large and damaging wildfires to the Pacific Northwest – from the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014 that was the largest in Washington’s history, to the 2017 fire season in Oregon, to the 2018 Maple Fire, …

Judge Grills PG&E Over Cable That Failed Before Massive Wildfire

A federal judge overseeing the probation of utility giant PG&E Corp. is demanding information on a power line that failed minutes before a massive wildfire broke out in Northern California last month. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered PG&E to …

California Governor Threatens To Step in and ‘Restructure’ PG&E

California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened a state takeover of PG&E Corp. unless the beleaguered utility giant makes a swift exit from bankruptcy and improves its operations to reduce the risk of wildfires. “We are gaming out a backup plan if …

As PG&E Blackouts Ebb, Southern California Wind Risk Surges

As Northern California residents began to get their power back, people in the Southern part of the state were facing some of the strongest winds “in recent memory” and utilities there were cutting service and warning blackouts could spread. PG&E …

Winds Whip California as 2.5 Million People Face Power Cuts

California utilities are warning they may cut electricity to as many as 2.5 million people to prevent power lines from sparking fires as some of the strongest winds of the season hit the state. High winds Tuesday will leave more …

Tesla’s Futuristic Door Handles Blamed for Death in Fiery Wreck

The futuristic door handles on Tesla Inc.’s Model S are being blamed for a fatal crash in which a police officer was unable to pull a man to safety from his burning car. Omar Awan, a 48-year-old anesthesiologist, was driving …

Millions in California Face Days in the Dark Even as Winds Slow

Winds are dying down. Utility giant PG&E Corp. has begun inspecting lines. And yet an unprecedented blackout that has taken out power to dozens of cities around San Francisco still threatens to leave millions of people in the dark for …

California Blackout Spreads as Cities Brace for Days in the Dark

The unprecedented power shutdown by California’s PG&E Corp. has spread deeper into cities near San Francisco, ensnaring millions of people and raising the prospect that much of a major metropolitan area could go days without electricity. The bankrupt utility began …

PG&E Cuts Power to Half a Million in California on Fire Risk

PG&E Corp., the California utility giant forced into bankruptcy by devastating wildfires, has cut power to 513,000 customers in the first phase of its biggest-ever intentional blackout to keep power lines from sparking more blazes. The shutdowns in Northern California …

Tesla Battery Flaw Cover-Up Allegation to be Evaluated by NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s received a petition calling for an investigation of certain Tesla Inc. electric cars and is evaluating the complaint, according to a notice posted on regulator’s website. The petition, filed by a law …