See also: At the mercy of the Northern California wildfires Nobody knows with certainty the cause(s) of the Northern California wildfires that have overwhelmed the capacity of governments to in any way contain them.  A few theories exist.  NASA blames lightning, but I am not sure how much credence NASA deserves.  I am much more interested in this: The Bay Area News Group reported that emergency dispatchers in Sonoma County received multiple calls of power lines falling down and electrical transformers exploding on Sunday night, when the wildfires were first reported. KTVU Television, Channel 2 in Oakland has been broadcasting dispatch calls: Pacific Gas & Electric, the massive utility company of Northern California, is not much beloved or trusted hereabouts thanks to a recent horrifying example of deadly negligence: a pipeline explosion that killed eight and destroyed 38 homes in San Bruno, near SFO Airport.  George...(Read Full Post)