Convenience Big Store: PG&E Equipment linked to Dixie Fire

California Legislature voting in the green room at the State Capitol building.

PG&E says its equipment may be linked to Dixie Fire – Pacific Gas & Electric [PG&E] has reported to the California Public Utilities Commission [CPUC] that its equipment may have been involved in the start of the big Dixie Fire burning in the Sierra Nevada. The utility said in a filing Sunday that a repair man responding to a circuit outage on July 13 spotted blown fuses in a conductor atop a pole, a tree leaning into the conductor and fire at the base of the tree. According to Cal Fire's morning report on Monday, July 19, the Dixie Fire has burned just over 30,000 acres. PG&E equipment has repeatedly been linked to major wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire that ravaged the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. ( ABC10 & Associated Press)

Tahoe-area family experiences loss from Tamarack Fire, but love from community – A family who lost their home in the Tamarack Fire now face the long road in rebuilding their lives. But the humble, music-loving family was met with an outpouring of support from friends and strangers as they start down that road to recovery. Tahoe-area Musician, James Seal and his family were given a moment's notice to leave their Markleeville Friday, July 16. His wife, two children and a few instruments made it out just in time. "It wasn’t you have an hour or you have two hours, it was get out now,” Seal said. “I grabbed my three best guitars and my mandolin, put them in my car, one change of clothes, and just headed out.” His family has already received an outpouring of support. A GoFundMe to help them rebuild reached $30,000 in just a couple of days. (Van Tieu, ABC10)

Are downtown areas warmer than surrounding locations? – As One study found downtown Sacramento can be over 7° warmer than surrounding areas. This summer we’ve already felt the impacts of more extreme weather from a warming climate. Portland and Seattle hit their all-time record high. Downtown Sacramento warmed to 113° just one-degree shy of tying their all-time record high. So, do cities actually warm more than surrounding areas? Yes, urban areas with paved roads, parking lots and buildings get hotter than their outlying areas. Neighborhoods in highly-developed cities can be 15 to 20 degrees hotter than nearby tree-lined communities. This is called the Urban Heat Island effect. (Monica Woods, ABC10)

TIP OF THE DAY

All students should wear masks in school this fall... the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidance on how to return to the classroom safely. Among its top recommendations are potentially requiring COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine proof, and masks for anyone over the age of two. (Tegna)

SMILE

California launches largest free school lunch program in country... When classrooms open for the fall term, every one of California's 6.2 million public school students will have the option to eat school meals for free, regardless of their family’s income. (Associated Press)