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September 30, 2020
Valley air about to get worse as wildfire smoke has nowhere to go By Corin Hoggard and Dale Yurong Tuesday, September 29, 2020 FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Air quality is about to take a turn for the worse as a changing weather pattern will combine with wildfires to fill the Central Valley with smoke again. The last few months have produced a stretch of the worst air quality on record, according to the Air Pollution Control District. Satellite images show smoke gently blowing from several California fires out to the Pacific Ocean, a weather pattern keeping the Valley's air relatively clean for several days now. "Right now we're seeing the smoke aloft," said Maricela Velasquez of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. "It's above us. But as the week goes through, we'll continue to see that smoke come onto the Valley floor." Here's how: When you have a fire in the Central Valley -- which is essentially just a bowl -- the smoke can usually get out and air quality won't be bad everywhere. But when a high pressure system comes in, it essentially puts a lid on the bowl and the smoke has nowhere to go so it just collects on the Valley floor. "The blocking high, basically, once it sits over a certain spot it likes to stay there for quite a while," said meteorologist Carlos Molina of the National Weather Service in Hanford. Forecasters at the NWS say the lid will sit on our bowl for at least a week. Air Quality Science Director Jon Klassen of the Valley Air District said, "We're expecting that to continue in the coming days." By that time, our air will have collected smoke from the Creek Fire, the SQF Complex Fire, and even more recent fires to our west, like the Glass Fire in the Bay Area. -
Superior Court of California
1 INTRODUCTION 2 1. This Complaint arises from a fire caused by PG&E’s powerlines in Shasta County on 3 September 27, 2020, a wildfire now called the “Zogg Fire.” 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Flames of Zogg Fire – Photo by Ethan Swope of Associated Press via Los Angeles Times 18 2. The Zogg Fire started when electrical equipment owned, operated and/or maintained by 19 PG&E utility infrastructure contacted, or caused sparks to contact, surrounding vegetation. This 20 occurred because: (1) PG&E’s utility infrastructure was intended, designed, and constructed to pass 21 electricity through exposed powerlines in vegetated areas; (2) PG&E negligently, recklessly, and 22 willfully failed to properly, safely, and prudently inspect, repair, maintain and operate the electrical 23 equipment in its utility infrastructure; and/or (3) PG&E negligently, recklessly, and willfully failed to 24 maintain an appropriate clearance area between the electrical equipment in its utility infrastructure and 25 surrounding vegetation. 26 3. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), which is the 27 primary investigating agency in this case, has concluded that the Zogg Fire was caused by a pine tree 28 2 ZOGG FIRE COMPLAINT 1 contacting electrical transmission lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) 2 located north of the community of Igo. 3 4. The Zogg Fire burned more than 56,000 acres, destroyed over 200 structures, resulted in 4 multiple injuries and fatalities, and catastrophically impacted the local community. 5 5. -
California Water Plan Update 2009. Volume 1, Chapter 2. Imperative To
Forest Management A Resource Management Strategy of the California Water Plan California Department of Water Resources July 29, 2016 Forest Management Table of Contents Forest Management ...................................................................................................................................................1 Forest Ownership and Management in California ..................................................................................... 1 Effects of Forest Management on Water Supply ....................................................................................... 4 Vegetation Management for Water Supply ........................................................................................... 5 Fuels/Fire Management ......................................................................................................................... 6 Wildfire Impacts on Watershed Resources ....................................................................................... 6 Fuel Treatments to Reduce Wildfire Impacts on Watershed Resources ........................................... 8 Management Strategies to Reduce Adverse Impacts Associated with Wildfire ............................... 9 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................... 10 Road Management ............................................................................................................................... 10 Riparian Forests .................................................................................................................................. -
Response to Order Requesting Information Re. Zogg Fire and Order
Case 3:14-cr-00175-WHA Document 1250 Filed 10/26/20 Page 1 of 16 1 JENNER & BLOCK LLP Reid J. Schar (pro hac vice) 2 [email protected] 353 N. Clark Street 3 Chicago, IL 60654-3456 4 Telephone: +1 312 222 9350 Facsimile: +1 312 527 0484 5 CLARENCE DYER & COHEN LLP 6 Kate Dyer (Bar No. 171891) [email protected] 7 899 Ellis Street 8 San Francisco, CA 94109-7807 Telephone: +1 415 749 1800 9 Facsimile: +1 415 749 1694 10 CRAVATH, SWAINE & MOORE LLP Kevin J. Orsini (pro hac vice) 11 [email protected] 12 825 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10019 13 Telephone: +1 212 474 1000 Facsimile: +1 212 474 3700 14 Attorneys for Defendant PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC 15 COMPANY 16 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 17 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 18 19 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Case No. 14-CR-00175-WHA 20 Plaintiff, RESPONSE TO ORDER 21 REQUESTING INFORMATION RE 22 ZOGG FIRE AND ORDER FOR v. FURTHER INFORMATION RE 23 ZOGG FIRE PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY, 24 Judge: Hon. William Alsup Defendant. 25 26 27 28 RESPONSE TO ORDER REQUESTING INFORMATION RE ZOGG FIRE AND ORDER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION RE ZOGG FIRE Case No. 14-CR-00175-WHA Case 3:14-cr-00175-WHA Document 1250 Filed 10/26/20 Page 2 of 16 1 Defendant Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”) respectfully submits this 2 response to the Court’s October 12 and October 21, 2020 orders requesting information 3 regarding the Zogg Fire. -
1 Fires and Storms
Fires and Storms – Part 1, Rev c By John Benson October 2020 1. Introduction This is a major rewrite of this paper. I updated this paper a little over a year ago, however the conditions leading to wildfires in the Western U.S. have changed radically this year, and a major rewrite is needed. Although some of the prior version will be reused, we will start by describing how conditions have changed. As I’m writing this, I’m unsure whether I will update or rewrite parts 2 and 3 of this paper anytime soon. The Part 2’s subject is hurricanes, and the last part’s subject is sea-level rise. Both are heavily influenced by climate change, as are wildfires. 2. Changes 2020 is, by far, the worst year for wild-fires in the Western U.S. This is in spite of a major step we took in California to mitigate this (covered in the second subsection below). Climate change has stepped to stage-center as the primary cause of wildfires. 2.1. 2020 West Coast Wildfires There are several unique characteristics about this year’s wildfires. One is that they cover the whole west coast (California, Washington and Oregon) rather than being mainly California events. Although these areas are rather dry (see the map below), there have been years in the past decade where they have been dryer, especially California. 1 Another factor is the number and severity of the wildfires in the west coast states. See the chart below.1 The following CAL FIRE Chart from September 10 shows the severity of this year’s fires in California. -
News Headlines 09/09/2020
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ News Headlines 09/09/2020 CAL FIRE California Statewide Fire Summary for Wednesday Morning, September 9, 2020 El Dorado Fire Wednesday: Containment Grows But New Evacuation Warnings In Place 1 CAL FIRE California Statewide Fire Summary for Wednesday Morning, September 9, 2020 Staff Writer, Gold Rush Cam Posted: Friday, September 9, 2020 September 9, 2020 - Yesterday, and overnight, wind conditions allowed many fires to grow significantly with extreme fire behavior. While containment on Cal firemany of last month’s lightning fires grows closer, several new wildfires ignited and were fanned by strong gusty winds. Today approximately 14,000 firefighters are battling 28 major wildfires across California. The newest fire, the Willow in Yuba County, broke out late last evening near the community of Dobbins, forcing evacuations. The Bear Fire, which is part of the North Complex, spread rapidly yesterday due to Red Flag conditions and moved towards multiple communities east of Oroville, and forced more evacuations. This year, wildfires have now burned over 2.5 million acres in California. There have been 8 fatalities and over 3,700 structures destroyed. While Red Flag Warnings remain in effect across much of the state, winds are expected to weaken as we go through the day. Wind gusts are possible up to 55mph in mountain and foothill areas. Minimum humidity will be mainly in the single digits and teens through Wednesday and will likely increase Thursday. Tomorrow, wind conditions improve and seasonal temperatures and dry conditions will persist into the weekend. Do you have a plan for all your family should a wildfire strike near you? Don’t forget everyone, including your four-legged family members! Have a plan in place for your pets, and have go bag ready for them to keep with yours. -
An Ever-Expanding Disaster Risk Is Transforming the California Fire
Volume 25 | No. 3 Third Quarter 2017 n the pre-dawn hours on October 9th, a Berkeley Fire Department strike team rolled into Santa Rosa, called in on a mutual aid response to what they thought was a large wildland fire. As they EVOLVING arrived in their assigned staging area – a Kmart Iparking lot in northwest Santa Rosa – they knew it was much bigger: The Kmart was completely up in flames. “Are you serious?” wondered one incredulous Engine 6 firefighter. Up the road, fellow Berkeley firefighter Josh Block UNDER FIRE had already seen the worst of it. He and his brother had been forced to flee the home they shared in Santa An Ever-Expanding Disaster Risk is Rosa. “The whole cul-de-sac was up in flames in like 10 minutes,” he later marveled. “Fifty-foot flame lengths … I’ve never seen anything like it.” Transforming the California Fire Service The North Bay Firestorm that would unfold in the blistering week that followed was, by many accounts, one for the ages: 43 deaths (most ever in a single fire incident in California history), more than 8,000 structures lost, total losses estimated in the billions. More than three dozen firefighters lost their own homes in the event – many of them while they were themselves on the fire lines. For the California fire service, cataclysmic events are starting to seem like just another day at the office. In just the second half of 2017, a string of incidents – far flung and close-to-home – have tested the capa- bilities, training, stamina and courage of the state’s first responders: JULY: A series of windblown wildland fires charred an area the size of New York City, sending tens of thousands fleeing from their homes. -
Up in Flames: Containing Wildfire Liability for Utilities in the West
Up in Flames: Containing Wildfire Liability for Utilities in the West Anthony Nordman & Isaac Hall* I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................56 II. GETTING FIRED UP ..............................................................................58 A. Electricity Infrastructure in the West ................................. 59 B. Increasing Wildfire Costs ................................................... 63 1. Worsening Fire Seasons ....................................................63 2. Rising Costs for Utilities ...................................................64 3. Utility-Caused Wildfires and the Duty to Serve Rural Customers ................................................................66 C. Comparing State Wildfire Liability Laws ........................... 67 1. California ...........................................................................68 2. Other Western States .........................................................70 III. BEFORE THE BLAZE: EX-ANTE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING THE UTILITY WILDFIRE LIABILITY PROBLEM .....................................74 A. Greater Collaboration in Wildfire Prevention Plans ......... 74 B. Smarter Sharing of Duties Between Federal Agencies and States ............................................................ 76 C. Allocating Risk: The Moral Hazard Problem and Wildfires ............................................................................. 79 1. Incentivizing Landowners in Fire-Prone Areas to Invest in UVM ...................................................................79 -
Shasta Trinity Unit Headquarters / Northern Operations
STATE OF CALIFORNIA Capital Outlay Budget Change Proposal (COBCP) - Cover Sheet DF-151 (REV 07/20) Fiscal Year Business Unit Department Priority No. 2021-2022 3540 Department of Forestry Click or tap here to enter text. and Fire Protection Budget Request Name Capital Outlay Program ID Capital Outlay Project ID 3540-135-COBCP-MR 2485 0000971 Project Title Shasta Trinity Unit Headquarters / Northern Operations: Relocate Facility Project Status and Type Status: ☐ New ☒ Continuing Type: ☒Major ☐ Minor Project Category (Select one) ☐CRI ☐WSD ☐ECP ☐SM (Critical Infrastructure) (Workload Space Deficiencies) (Enrollment Caseload Population) (Seismic) ☒FLS ☐FM ☐PAR ☐RC (Fire Life Safety) (Facility Modernization) (Public Access Recreation) (Resource Conservation) Total Request (in thousands) Phase(s) to be Funded Total Project Cost (in thousands) $ 360 Preliminary plans $ 109,759 Budget Request Summary The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) requests an additional $360,000 General Fund for the preliminary plans phase of the Shasta Trinity Unit Headquarters / Northern Operations: Relocate Facility project. CAL FIRE submitted a proposal for the preliminary plans phase of this project in the 2021-22 Governor’s Budget. This request amends the previous proposal to address scope and cost changes to the project. The total estimated project costs are now $109,759,000. Requires Legislation Code Section(s) to be Added/Amended/Repealed CCCI Click or tap here to enter text. ☐ Yes ☒ No Click or tap here to enter text. Requires Provisional Language Budget Package Status ☐ Yes ☒ No ☐ Needed ☐ Not Needed ☒ Existing Impact on Support Budget One-Time Costs ☒ Yes ☐ No Swing Space Needed ☐ Yes ☐ No Future Savings ☒ Yes ☐ No Generate Surplus Property ☐ Yes ☐ No Future Costs ☐ Yes ☒ No If proposal affects another department, does other department concur with proposal? ☒ Yes ☐ No Attach comments of affected department, signed and dated by the department director or designee. -
Dixie Fire Incident Update
DIXIE FIRE INCIDENT UPDATE Date: 08/07/2021 Time: 7:00 a.m. @CALFIRE_ButteCo @CALFIREButteCo West Zone Information Line: (530) 538-7826 @USFSPlumas @USFSPlumas @LassenNF @LassenNF East Zone Information Line: (530) 289-6735 @LassenNPS @LassenNPS Media Line: (530) 588-0845 Incident Website: www.fire.ca.gov INCIDENT FACTS Incident Start Date: 7/13/2021 Incident Start Time: 5:15 p.m. Incident Type: Vegetation Cause: Under Investigation Incident Location: Feather River Canyon near Cresta Powerhouse CAL FIRE Unit: Butte Unified Command Agencies: CAL FIRE, United States Forest Service Size: 446,723 acres Containment: 21% Expected Full Containment: 8/20/2021 Civilian Injuries/Fatalities: 0 Firefighter Injuries/Fatalities: 0 Structures Destroyed: 184 Structures Damaged: 11 Structures Threatened: 13,871 Other Minor Structures: 84 Other Minor Structures: 9 CURRENT SITUATION Incident Update Dixie Fire West Zone –Fire activity overnight was minimal due to smoke inversion and better overnight relative humidity recovery; however, fuel moisture remains historically low and has caused difficulty in suppressing the fire spread. Fire crews continue to provide structure defense throughout communities, constructing and reinforcing control lines, establishing new lines and improving old control lines. Damage assessment is ongoing. Dixie Fire East Zone –The weather inversion continued overnight bringing cooler temperatures, better relative humidity recovery and calmer winds that significantly reduced fire behavior. Firefighters took advantage of the opportunity to safely engage directly along the fire perimeter. The fire slowed its advance northeast, as it is now burning in more sparse fuels within the 2007 Moonlight Fire scar. Crews finished priority strategic firing operations overnight to keep the fire west of Crescent Mills. -
Camp Fire Air Quality Data Analysis
July 2021 Camp Fire Air Quality Data Analysis Cover image courtesy of CAL FIRE CARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. CARB is the lead agency for climate change programs and oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health-based air quality standards. Camp Fire Air Quality Data Analysis c Contents Executive Summary vi Background viii Monitoring and Air Quality 2 Monitoring 2 Air Quality 2 Data Comparison - Camp Fire and Summer Wildfires 5 Particulate Matter 5 Metals 6 Chemical Species 8 Health Impacts 11 Wildfire Smoke 11 Smoke from Structural Fires 11 Wildfire Ash 12 Specific Chemical Compounds 12 Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 12 Metals, Organic Carbon, Ammonium Nitrate, and Ammonium Sulfate 13 Health Effects Summary 15 Going Forward 16 Health Effects Research 16 Complex mixtures of smoke: 16 High short-term exposures: 16 Repeated or long-term exposure to wildfires: 16 Chemical-biological analysis of smoke: 16 Modeling 17 Monitoring 17 Appendix A: Resources 18 California Air Resources Board 18 California Department of Public Health 18 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 18 Appendix B: Satellite Imagery and PM2.5 AQI Values 19 Appendix C: Toxics Air Monitoring Sites 22 Camp Fire Air Quality Data Analysis e Executive Summary The 2018 Camp Fire was the deadliest wildfire in California history. At least 85 people died as the catastrophic wildfire burned through Butte County, destroying nearly 19,000 buildings and most of the town of Paradise. -
Planning, Funding, and Implementing Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Education in Butte County
Planning, Funding, and Implementing Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Education in Butte County Special Report on the North Complex Wildfire By Butte County Fire Safe Council 10/7/2020 Contents 1. Problem Statement - Wildfire in Butte County – a 20-Year Snapshot - How Much Funding Has Been Utilized? - How Many Projects are Listed? - What is the Future of Funding? a. Why is CEQA a Challenge? Examples of Challenges b. How Can CEQA Be Streamlined for Fuels Reduction in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)? 2. Examples – Challenges in implementing Fuels Reduction 3. Supporting Information Appendix 1) Large fires within Butte County between - 1999 & 2020 Appendix 2) Summary of Funding Leveraged in Berry Creek and Feather Falls Prior to and After 2018 Appendix 3) Summary of Funding Leveraged in the Past Two Years Appendix 4) Project List Submitted to the Sierra East Side Forest Management Task Force April 2020 Appendix 5) New Projects Added to the CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Community Wildfire Protection Plan in 2020 Appendix 6) A Survivor’s Story from Berry Creek “Tragedy and Triumph” Butte County Fire Safe Council, 5619 Black Olive Dr. Paradise Ca, 95969 [email protected], 530-877-0984 1 Map of the Wildland Urban Interface in Butte County 2 1. Problem Statement In the past 20 years there have been 400,000 acres burned and 20,000 structures destroyed due to wildfire in Butte County (Appendix 1). If you calculate an average of 4 people per structure that equals 80,000 people impacted with structure loss alone, not to mention the loss of community resources, air quality, family impacts and forest loss.