The Plot Thickens….
Camp Fire investigation leads to possible second origin away from Pulga
Cal Fire announced Thursday that investigators have identified a possible second ignition point for the Camp Fire.
The announcement came after this newspaper reported Thursday that a roadblock manned by security guards Wednesday outside Concow was related to Cal Fire’s investigation into where and how the Camp Fire started.
Cal Fire-Butte County Chief Darren Read said investigators have identified a “possible second origin” for the fire. He did not release any additional information regarding the second origin point, saying the fire remained under investigation.
A cause has not been released.
The roadblock Wednesday outside Concow was on Concow Road somewhere between Mountain Pine Lane and Rim Road. Read said Cal Fire is conducting a thorough investigation into fire, and the probe has led investigations in multiple directions.
The roadblock was, as the crow flies, several miles away on a ridge far above the Camp Fire’s first reported origin near Pulga “under the high-tension power lines” across the Feather River from Poe Dam, according to firefighter radio transmissions reviewed by Bay Area News Group.
PG&E’s president, Geisha Williams, previously told E-R reporter Laura Urseny that there was a power outage about 15 minutes before the Camp Fire was first reported, and a later aerial patrol observed damage in the area of transmission lines.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Wednesday that PG&E is cooperating with fire investigators, but it was not clear whether the utility’s transmission tower caused the fire.
Ramsey said fire investigators hoped to wrap up their investigation Wednesday of the initially reported Camp Fire ignition point near Pulga. The District Attorney’s Office was involved “in anticipation that if anything is referred to us in terms of a criminal case, that we’re on top of it right now.”
https://www.chicoer.com/2018/11/15/camp-fire-investigation-leads-to-another-area-away-from-pulga/?obref=obinsite