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REPORT – In this December 16, 2017 photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames are burning near power lines in Sycamore Canyon, near West Mountain Drive, Montecito, California. An investigation has determined that one of the largest and most destructive fires in California's history have been caused by power lines coming into contact in high winds. The Ventura County Fire Department announced on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 that the power lines in Southern California to Edison came into contact with a dry brush on December 4, 2017, and had finally blackened more than 440 square kilometers (1 139 square kilometers). (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)
LOS ANGELES – One of the biggest fires in California's history has been caused by Edison power lines in southern California, in contact with high winds, investigators said Wednesday.
The resulting bow ignited the dry brush on December 4, 2017, unleashing a fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, which killed two people and blacked over 440 square kilometers (1,139 square kilometers), according to the report. the survey conducted by Ventura County. Department.
The arc "deposited hot material, burning or melting on the ground, in a receptive fuel bed, causing fire," says a statement accompanying the investigation report.
The investigators said that Thomas' fire had started as two separate flames of about 15 minutes from each other. They determined that southern California, Edison, was responsible for both ignitions.
SCE acknowledged that his equipment had probably caused one of the two fires, but that evidence showed that he was not responsible for the other.
"The report does not suggest that this evidence was considered," Edison said in a statement Wednesday. "SCE also has no knowledge of grounds of criminal responsibility."
The fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures before it was under control 40 days after its start near the town of Santa Paula. A firefighter and a civilian were killed.
A month after the start of the fire, torrential rain on the burn caused a massive debris flow that claimed the lives of 21 people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes in the seaside community of Montecito. Two people were not found.
The investigation was conducted by fire-fighting officers in both counties, in collaboration with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Victims said in lawsuits that the losses caused by the fire and floods were due to the negligence of the SCE, which indicated that she would work with the insurance companies to deal with the losses. claims for compensation. The public service is protected against claims of bankruptcy, thanks to a law signed last year that transfers excess liability costs to public service customers.
In northern California, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. has declared bankruptcy in front of billions of dollars of potential debts resulting from huge forest fires in this part of the state in the past two years. A fire in November killed 85 people and destroyed most of the city of Paradise.
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This story was corrected to indicate that 85 people, not 86, were killed in a forest fire in Northern California.
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