Investigators are still working to identify what caused the spate of fires that ignited around Los Angeles last week, but residents are concerned that electrical infrastructure may have sparked at least one of them. Since 1992, more than 3,600 wildfires in California have been related to power generation, transmission and distribution, according to data from the U.S. Forest Service. Some of the most destructive fires have been traced back to problems with utility poles and power lines. In the summer of 2021, California’s largest single-source wildfire, the Dixie fire, started when a tree made contact with several of PG&E’s distribution lines near the Cresta Dam in Northern California. Electricity continued flowing in one of the lines, which started the fire, and nearly a million acres across four counties burned. California isn’t the only state dealing with power-related wildfires in recent years. Texas’ largest wildfire, the Smokehouse Creek fire, burned over a million acres in 2024. Xcel Energy accepted responsibility for the fire after investigators found that high winds had broken a utility pole, causing a power line to fall and ignite the dried grasses below. Similar situations have caused wildfires in Oregon as well. The 2020 Labor Day fires destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least nine people, in part, after power wasn’t shut down during high winds. See more on: Southern California Edison (SCE) Share full article Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Site Index Site Information Navigation © 2025 The New York Times Company NYTCoContact UsAccessibilityWork with usAdvertiseT Brand StudioYour Ad ChoicesPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceTerms of SaleSite MapCanadaInternationalHelpSubscriptions In the summer of 2021, California’s largest single-source wildfire, the Dixie fire, started when a tree made contact with several of PG&E’s distribution lines near the Cresta Dam in Northern California. Electricity continued flowing in one of the lines, which started the fire, and nearly a million acres across four counties burned. California isn’t the only state dealing with power-related wildfires in recent years. Texas’ largest wildfire, the Smokehouse Creek fire, burned over a million acres in 2024. Xcel Energy accepted responsibility for the fire after investigators found that high winds had broken a utility pole, causing a power line to fall and ignite the dried grasses below. Similar situations have caused wildfires in Oregon as well. The 2020 Labor Day fires destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least nine people, in part, after power wasn’t shut down during high winds.