Data Stories by Amplytico Week 7: California's Grid Rebuilt: 72% Fewer Utility-Caused Wildfires

Five years ago, wildfire season meant holding your breath. Today, something quietly remarkable is happening beneath California’s most fire-prone hillsides.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company  alone has put 1,000 miles of powerlines underground across 27 counties — with Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric advancing state-certified mitigation plans across Southern California. Utility-caused ignitions are down 72% from just a few years ago.

That kind of progress doesn’t happen by accident. It takes years of planning, billions in investment, and the discipline to keep going when the work is hard and the terrain is harder.

California’s grid is being rebuilt from the ground up. Literally. 1,600 miles by end of 2026. The momentum is real.

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