The cause has been determined for the Helena Fire in Trinity County, but blame has not yet been assigned. The fire started August 30th on a hillside above Cemetery Road and below Brock Gulch Road near the Bagdad River Access just west of Junction City. The BLM, which has released the report, says the first arriving engines were directed to the Upper Road but instead turned on Cemetery Road and attacked the flames from below. The fire quickly traveled up the hillside and eventually burned through nearly 22,000 acres of both public and private property, destroying 72 homes and 61 other structures. The investigation determined that a large branch from a Gray Pine tree had fallen across a pair of power transmission lines, causing the electricity to arc and catch the branch on fire. The lines and utility poles belonged to the Trinity Public Utility District. The investigation is still ongoing and apparently hasn’t yet determined if the utility district had failed to maintain their lines and keep dangerous trees away from them.