Some fires are so devastating they change not only entire communities forever, but the companies serving those communities.

Take the Tubbs Fire that savaged Sonoma County in 2017. That fire not only left permanent physical and emotional scars across countless neighborhoods, it sparked lasting innovation at the Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

“That day that changed us forever,” PG&E Chief Meteorologist Scott Strenfel said of Oct. 8, 2017, explaining that after “the massive wildfire events that happened not only in the North Bay, but in the Sierra, we really got on this mission to install weather stations and do the (Public Safety Power Shutoffs).”

So far, Strenfel said, addressing a virtual audience during a PG&E broadcast Wednesday, the company has installed more than 1,600 weather station

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