PG&E says it had transmission line problem near site of Camp Fire

PARADISE, Calif. (AP/KTVU) - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of a massive fire in Northern California minutes before the blaze broke out.

The company said in a one-paragraph summary filed Thursday with state utility regulators that it had experienced an outage on the line about 15 minutes before the fire started. The company said it later observed damage to a transmission tower on the line near the town of Paradise.

The fire has now killed at least nine people and destroyed hundreds of structures. The sixth death was confirmed by authorities shortly before 5 p.m. Officials did not provide circumstances of the most recent death. Paradise is 180 miles (289 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco. The filing was first reported by KQED News.

Fire officials have not determined a cause for the blaze. 

The utility issued a media statement reiterating that the cause of the Camp Fire has not been determined and that they would fully cooperate with the investigation.