After reading many articles on the possible cause of the recent fires in the Napa area, it is clear that the likely cause was power lines. There are many investigators looking into the cause, there are many lawsuits weaving their way through the courts and finger pointing going on between PG&E and what may have been private power lines/systems.Regardless, it is clear that having high tension power lines in close proximity to trees, much less trees that are weakened by many years of drought, are an accident waiting to happen. With the right combination of humidity and winds and the high possibility of limbs breaking off of diseased and weakened trees, there is a high probability of Carmel suffering a catastrophic event such as happened in Napa last year.
There is a reason why you see PG&E hiring tree trimmers to trim trees that are within 5 feet of their high tension lines.
