PG&E has said it shut off power to distribution lines to prevent wildfires, but left electricity flowing through what it believed were less vulnerable transmission lines. Distribution lines carry power to homes, while transmission lines move it from a power plant. “In 2019, there have been no fatalities and no structures destroyed in any wildfire that may have been caused by PG&E distribution lines,” the company said. PG&E has acknowledged its equipment caused a fire last year that killed 85 people and burned nearly 19,000 structures, nearly destroying the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Paradise. Most consumers don’t care about the distinction between distribution lines and transmission lines, she said.

Source: thestar November 29, 2019 21:26 UTC