PG&E employee dies while assisting fight against LNU Lightning Complex wildfire
A PG&E employee died assisting fire personnel responding to the massive LNU Lightning Complex wildfire burning in the North Bay area, the utility confirmed early Thursday.
A “Vacaville-based troubleman passed away while assisting first responders as they dealt with the LNU Complex Fire,” Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman Brandi Merlo told The Bee in an emailed statement. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we won’t be sharing additional details at this time.”
A utility troubleman or troublewoman’s role is to find the source of power outages.
The PG&E worker’s death is the first fatality confirmed in connection to the LNU Lightning Complex, a raging inferno that exploded late Tuesday into Wednesday morning, rolling from its origin point in Napa County toward Vacaville and Fairfield, at one point jumping Interstate 80.
Cal Fire reports the LNU Complex had grown to more than 124,000 acres — nearly 200 square miles — as of a 7 p.m. Wednesday incident report. The fire agency reported four civilian injuries in connection to the fire as of that time, but provided no further details.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 6:58 AM with the headline "PG&E employee dies while assisting fight against LNU Lightning Complex wildfire."
