Power outages reported minutes before Woolsey fire began south of Simi Valley

Cause offire has yet to be determined



A power station at the Santa Susana Field Lab south of Simi Valley reported an interruption just minutes before the Woolsey fire broke out last week, leading some to suspect the outage could have been the cause of the blaze.

The field lab is a former rocket engine and nuclear testing site in the Simi Hills north of Oak Park.

The Southern California Edison Chatsworth substation recorded the outage just after 2:20 p.m. Nov. 8. The Woolsey fire started minutes later, around 2:25 p.m. in the same vicinity.

Although the fire limited Edison workers’ access to the substation, the company said in a report to the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday that there is no current indication that SCE facilities were the cause of the fire.

SCE told the Acorn on Monday it is closely monitoring the Woolsey and Hill fires and its crews are attempting to gain access to various sites to start restoring power. The cause of the fire remains unknown, the company said.

“There is no doubt these devastating wildfires are impacting all Californians. As a state, we need to focus on addressing climatechange impacts, including these severe weather-driven wildfires, prolonged drought conditions and the buildup of hazardous fuels,” SCE said in a statement.

“All of these issues impact communities and their critical infrastructure providers, including utilities. SCE believes the state can do more . . . for the oftentragic consequences of wildfires.”

Just last month, the power company accepted partial blame in the 2017 Thomas fire.

SCE said in an Oct. 30 statement that its equipment could have been “associated with” the ignition of the Thomas fire, which consumed large swaths of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

In response to a growing statewide debate over whether utilities should be held financially responsible when their lines cause fires, the company recently introduced a public safety power-shutoff program that stops the flow of electricity to certain areas when weather conditions are conducive to fire.

Simi Valley Mayor-elect Keith Mashburn, a retired Ventura County Fire Department battalion chief and fire inspector, said Ventura County has won multiple cases against utility companies in the past for fires started by faulty utility equipment.

“There are regulations, and they need to be followed (by the utility companies). If they were followed correctly all the time, we would have a much-reduced chance of ignition from the power lines,” Mashburn said.

Utility companies are highly regulated. While they are not liable for accidental equipment breakdown, the power companies are responsible for maintaining their facilities and could be held liable if they are left unattended, Mashburn said.

He said a fallen power line, one possibly struck by a tree, could have been the cause of the Nov. 8 power interruption at the Simi field lab.

But it’s too early to know.

“It will take an investigator to determine what failed, and that’s very difficult,” Mashburn said.

Sylvie Belmond contributed to this story.