Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was increasing vegetation and fire safety standards even before a Cal Fire report released this month concluded that the company’s electric power lines caused the 12 Northern California fires that burned some 245,000 acres in October.

The investigation showed that fires in Napa and Sonoma counties were ignited when trees or branches fell on power lines during high winds, says Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director at the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection. In one case, a PG&E-owned power pole failed, causing power lines and equipment to fall on the ground.