Tree Falling on PG&E Electric Line Started Northern California’s Dixie Fire in July: Officials

U.S. Forest Service firefighter Ben Foley lights backfires to slow the spread of the Dixie Fire, a wildfire near the town of Greenville, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2021. Fred Greaves/Reuters

Officials in California on Tuesday said that wildfires that scorched across northern parts of the state last summer were caused when a tree fell on an electrical line owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

In a statement, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said that following a “meticulous and thorough investigation,” it had determined that “the Dixie Fire was caused by a tree contacting electrical distribution lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) located west of Cresta Dam.”