Power line of the US utility company Pacific Gas & Electric set off a huge Dixie forest fire in California

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The small town of Greenville was destroyed in the fire last summer

Photo: Noah Berger / AP

One of the largest fires in the history of the US state California raged from mid-July to October 2021.

The Dixie Fire destroyed nearly 3,900 square kilometers of land and destroyed more than 1,300 buildings.

Investigators from the authority CAL Fire have now determined the cause of the fire: According to this, a tree came into contact with power lines belonging to the US energy supplier Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

The report was handed over to the Butte County District Attorney's Office, it said.

The Dixie Fire was the second largest fire in California by area.

The fires destroyed, among other things, the former gold rush town of Greenville.

Many thousands of people were at times on the run.

Allegations against PG&E because of poorly maintained power lines have risen again and again after numerous major fires in California in recent years.

The electricity supplier pleaded guilty to a devastating forest fire in the village of Paradise in 2020 that left more than 80 dead.

More than 13,000 houses burned down there in November 2018.

The so-called camp fire was attributed to defective power lines.

Strong winds helped the flames to spread quickly.

The group had to pay fines and compensation in the billions.

kha / dpa