Associated Press
Southern California Edison says it’s likely its equipment caused a wildfire last year that killed three people and destroyed more than 1,600 homes and other buildings.
The Woolsey Fire in November burned from north of Los Angeles south through Malibu to the sea.
In its quarterly earnings report released Tuesday, Southern California Edison said that Ventura County Fire Department investigators determined the company’s equipment sparked the blaze.
Southern California Edison says that unless there’s other evidence, the utility “believes that it is likely” its equipment was responsible. Last year, the company told the state Public Utilities Commission only that its equipment might have caused a power outage before the blaze started.
The utility is facing lawsuits from relatives of fire victims blaming it for the blaze.
Electrical equipment has been linked to several of California’s recent devastating fires.
Branch caused Getty Fire
Officials say a tree branch striking a power line ignited a wildfire that destroyed a dozen homes in a star-studded area of Los Angeles this week.
The Department of Water and Power said Tuesday that strong winds drove the branch into the line, causing it to arc and spark the fire.
The fire that ignited on a hillside near the J. Paul Getty Museum drove celebrities like LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger from their homes.
The blaze is only smoldering but about 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders as firefighters warned that hot, gusty Santa Ana winds were expected to return Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Southern California Edison announced Tuesday that it believes its equipment caused the Woolsey fire last year north of Los Angeles that killed three people and destroyed more than 1,600 homes and other buildings.
