South Bay family loses water after fire they say PG&E caused during unexpected visit to property

SAN MARTIN, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Martin family says they almost lost everything after a PG&E service person sparked a fire at their home. The family says the utility company was not taking accountability until 7 On Your Side Investigates got involved.

Andres Montoya and his family have lived on the San Martin property for more than 20 years, along with dozens of horses, goats, chickens and roosters.

"You know, to lose everything in a moment, in a second for somebody else's mistake," Montoya said.

That's because Montoya said last week, an unexpected visitor from PG&E started a fire on his private property.

"Out of nowhere, we just hear the loud bam, bam, like somebody was shooting a gun, and my daughter came running, and she said there was a fire," Montoya said.

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"Everyone was in panic. The kids were screaming," he said.

PG&E confirms it was on Montoya's property. It wrote in an emailed statement: "Under California law and CPUC regulations, PG&E is authorized to access properties where our facilities are located to safely inspect, maintain, and operate them -- even without prior permission -- though we always aim to provide notice when possible."

"They should have the courtesy of letting us know, 'Hey, is it okay if we go on your property?' or 'We're going to have to be on your property, because we need to work on the equipment,'" Montoya said.

Luckily, no one was hurt and firefighters put out the fire.

"Otherwise, would have cut the car, and then after that, the house," Montoya said.

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But with the extinguished flames, something else dried up.

"And we've been without water since," Montoya said.

The family gets their water from a pump powered by electricity. PG&E returned earlier this week to assess what was going on, but Montoya and his sister-in-law say the utility company wasn't taking accountability.

"We're not saying you did it, but we're trying to figure out what happened," said someone from PG&E in a video the family shot on their cell phone.

"But do you understand nothing was wrong until this guy came and put hands on it?" said Yoania Castro, Montoya's sister-in-law.

"There was something wrong. The meter wasn't," said the PG&E employee.

"We had water. We had electricity," Castro said.

"But the meter wasn't communicating, so there was an issue," said the PG&E employee.

"Everything was perfectly fine before they came and touched the meter," Castro said.

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The family's neighbor began supplying one of the two homes on the property with water.

"He allowed me to get water from the corner of this building, and then I just run the garden hose all the way back to my house," Montoya said.

It's not just providing for people, but also for all of the animals.

"Otherwise, I'd be in big trouble. I wouldn't know what to do," Montoya said.

They were upset with how the utility company handled the situation.

"I mean, I could survive without water, but if somebody would have died," Castro said.

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The family then reached out to 7 On Your Side Investigates. We called PG&E.

"After you guys got involved, it actually got better. They came over and started making all the assessments and investigation," Montoya said.

A PG&E spokesperson wrote: "Since the incident occurred, PG&E has remained in close contact with the customer, providing regular updates and support."

The utility company says it evaluated the water pump, expedited the permitting process and reconnected the family to service as quickly as possible.

Water was restored one week after it was lost.

"We have this $10,000 bill, and we're going to be responsible for it if they don't help us," Montoya said.

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PG&E says once the investigation is complete, it'll carefully review the findings to determine the appropriate reimbursement.

It was a not-so-small price to pay for an unexpected visit that could have cost them much more.

"You know, the explosion could have got the whole property, and we were here, kids, my dad, myself," Castro said.

Part of the family's frustration also had to do with the post that caught fire. PG&E said it wasn't theirs, but a plaque on it says, Pacific Gas and Electric tested. The utility company says it's customer-owned, but that it does have PG&E equipment attached to it. PG&E also confirmed that it has active infrastructure on the property.

PG&E released a statement on July 9:

"First, we want to express that we truly regret the situation and the inconvenience this customer experienced. After a thorough review by a third-party investigator, it was determined that the issue was caused by aging, customer-owned insulating material that wasn't visible during our meter work. Unfortunately, our employee had no way of knowing the condition of the insulation. That said, to support our customer through this unexpected situation, PG&E has issued a check to cover the full cost of the electrician's work and pump repairs. The customer should receive it within 3 to 5 business days. We'd like to thank the customer for his patience throughout the investigation."

Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.

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