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A PG&E map Monday afternoon shows lingering outages in the Civic Center and SoMa neighborhoods, as well as scattered pockets in the Outer Sunset and Marina District. | Source: Courtesy PG&EWhat sparked the fire?<\/p>\n
PG&E says it doesn\u2019t know. COO Sumeet Singh said Monday that the extensive equipment damage makes it difficult to determine a root cause. The utility has hired Exponent, a Bay Area-based engineering firm, to conduct an independent investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will determine what occurred to ensure it never happens again,\u201d Singh said at a press conference outside the damaged substation.<\/p>\n
Was the equipment properly maintained?<\/p>\n
PG&E completed preventative maintenance at the Mission substation in October and conducted its most recent bimonthly inspection Dec. 5. Singh said neither inspection identified any problems.<\/p>\n
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PG&E COO Sumeet Singh offers an apology Monday outside the damaged substation at Eighth and Mission streets. | Source: George Kelly\/The StandardWhy were the estimated restoration times wrong?<\/p>\n
Many customers were irate as they were repeatedly given estimated restoration times that came and went. Singh acknowledged the failure and said PG&E\u2019s estimation systems typically perform well, with more than 91% accuracy systemwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt obviously did not work effectively in the circumstance over this weekend,\u201d Singh said. \u201cWe are committed to understanding exactly what happened, why it happened, and owning the fixes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Were other substations damaged?<\/p>\n
Residents have observed a large presence of workers at a substation at 24th Avenue and Balboa Street since Sunday, but the utility has not shared details on what is being done there.<\/p>\n
Six hulking diesel generators, which one worker said cost $600,000 to operate daily, were parked outside the substation Monday afternoon. The generators are needed to feed power to the grid while both substations are not fully operational. Crews said they are expected to run for at least two to three days.<\/p>\n
Two workers said the substation is undamaged and still online, but its output is diminished because it is fed power by the much larger substation at Eighth and Mission.<\/p>\n
However, another said one of the substation\u2019s transformers blew out after a power surge following the fire, and the generators are needed to compensate while workers \u201cupdate the system\u201d of the west-side substation.<\/p>\n
How will customers be compensated?<\/p>\n
PG&E plans to offer an expedited claims process<\/a> for affected customers to seek compensation for losses, including spoiled food, lost business revenue, and hotel costs. Singh said details will be available soon on the utility\u2019s website and through customer service.<\/p>\n He declined to specify compensation limits or provide immediate financial relief, saying customers would need to file claims that PG&E would process quickly. The utility opened a community resource center in the Richmond and partnered with 211 to provide hotel accommodations and food vouchers for vulnerable customers.<\/p>\n Could this happen again?<\/p>\n Singh said PG&E has identified no vulnerabilities at other substations and has made significant upgrades systemwide. Two strong storms forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday (opens in new tab)<\/a> could bring 4 to 10 inches of rain to Northern California; he said more than 5,500 PG&E workers and contractors are positioned to respond.<\/p>\n