Looking into The Geysers geothermal complex on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. (DEREK MOORE/ PD) |
Looking north from atop Pine Flat Road, hundreds of acres along one mountain were completely singed, the blackness intersected by an Etch-a-Sketch of pipes owned by Calpine Corp., the electricity supplier that operates most of the area’s geothermal facilities.
Some of the pipes showed extensive superficial damage from the flames. On closer inspection, what appeared to be insulation covering the geothermal pipes was chewed up by flames in numerous places.
The flames that hit the area over the weekend after the Valley fire ignited Saturday damaged cooling towers on five of Calpine’s 14 plants, while also destroying a number of structures.
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