Hundreds of PG&E Poles Damaged in Massive Park Fire as Crews Work to Restore Power

Hundreds of PG&E power poles and other equipment suffered extensive damage as the Park Fire swept through a vast area of rural Northern California, leaving thousands of people without electricity.

But the utility said an all-out effort by crews in the field prevented more widespread destruction of its infrastructure.

The wildfire that began last Wednesday just outside the Butte County town of Chico burned 450 power poles, PG&E spokesperson Paul Moreno said. Most of the damage occurred relatively close to where the fire started, near the communities of Cohasset and Forest Ranch.

Moreno said other equipment destroyed or damaged in the fire so far included segments of local power lines and transformers, though he had no estimate for the quantity of each lost to the blaze.

According to Moreno, PG&E safety and infrastructure protection teams have treated more than 2,700 power poles with fire retardants.

“Of the 349 treated poles that the fire eventually burned around, 306 survived, saving millions of dollars and enabling us to restore power more quickly,” Moreno said.

PG&E said about 2,000 of the 3,000 customers who lost power due to the fire have had service restored.

PG&E has about 300 employees and contract workers responding to the fire. Those efforts include flights by company-owned Blackhawk helicopters to drop water at the direction of Cal Fire commanders.

Over the last six days, the Park Fire has burned over 385,000 acres — 600 square miles — in Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas counties and destroyed at least 192 structures. The incident now ranks as the fifth-largest fire in state history, with the top nine fires all having occurred since December 2017.

More than 5,000 firefighters continue to work the blaze, including over 230 incarcerated people working mostly in hand crews. The wildfire’s perimeter stretches more than 100 miles long, with 14% containment, according to Cal Fire.

The agency’s briefing maps show virtually all that contained area is on the southwest side of the fire, adjacent to and just north of Chico.