It's pretty simple actually. California leftists with their one party government didn't allow the forest services across the state to remove dead trees , or do any preventive burns for decades. "Save the trees because we're so moral and superior." So fires always went out of control, but were contained to "tolerable" amounts of damage to life and propery. But when a huge fire took a bunch of rich peoples homes in affluent neighborhoods, then another fire that killed almost a hundred people, rather than take responsibility, the state government sued PG&E and made them liable for damages beyond what they could prevent.

So PG&E said fuck you, we can't pay for your terrible forestry decisions, and we're not going to be held liable for any future fires. So they simply turn off power lines in windy areas where a single spark will set the whole state on fire due to government ineptitude. (which they are just starting to try and fix)

This is what happens when you have a state sponsored monopoly butt heads with delusional and incompetent government officials who will not take responsibility for their actions. Welcome to California: the only third world socialist state in the US... for now.