Utility acknowledges equipment started one fire
In this Dec. 16, 2017, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif. An investigation has determined that one of the largest and most destructive fires in California history was sparked by power lines coming into contact during high winds. The Ventura County Fire Department says Wednesday, March 13, 2019, that Southern California Edison power lines contact ignited dry brush on Dec. 4, 2017 and eventually blackened more than 440 square miles (1,139 square kilometers). (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the largest fires in California history was sparked by Southern California Edison power lines that came into contact during high winds, investigators said Wednesday.
The resulting arc ignited dry brush on Dec. 4, 2017, starting the blaze in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that resulted in two deaths and blackened more than 440 square miles (1,139 square kilometers), according to the investigation headed by the Ventura County Fire Department.
The arc “deposited hot, burning or molten material onto the ground, in a receptive fuel bed, causing the fire,” said a statement accompanying the investigative report.
Investigators said the Thomas fire first began as two separate blazes started about 15 minutes apart that joined together. They determined Southern California Edison was responsible for both ignitions.
In this Dec. 9, 2017 file photo, a helicopter drops water while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Road near Ventura, Calif. An investigation has determined that one of the largest and most destructive fires in California history was sparked by power lines coming into contact during high winds. The Ventura County Fire Department says Wednesday that the contact ignited dry brush on December 4, 2017 and eventually blackened more than 440 square miles (1,139 square kilometers). The Thomas fire destroyed more than a thousand structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and resulted in the deaths of two people. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
SCE acknowledged its equipment likely sparked one of the two fires but said evidence suggested it wasn’t responsible for the other.
“The report does not suggest this evidence was considered,” Edison said in a statement Wednesday. “SCE also is not aware of any basis for criminal liability.”
The fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures before it was contained 40 days after it began near the city of Santa Paula. A firefighter and a civilian were killed.
In this Dec. 12, 2017, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, fire burns canyons and ridges above Bella Vista Drive near Romero Canyon as the fight to contain a wildfire continues in Montecito, Calif. An investigation has determined that one of the largest and most destructive fires in California history was sparked by power lines coming into contact during high winds. The Ventura County Fire Department says Wednesday that the contact ignited dry brush on Dec. 4, 2017 and eventually blackened more than 440 square miles (1,139 square kilometers). The Thomas fire destroyed more than a thousand structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and resulted in the deaths of two people. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)
A month after the blaze started, a downpour on the burn scar unleashed a massive debris flow that killed 21 people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes in the seaside community of Montecito. Two people have not been found.
The investigation was conducted by fire officials in both counties along with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Victims said in lawsuits that losses from the blaze and flooding were due to negligence by SCE, which has said it will work with insurance companies to handle the claims. The utility is protected from going bankrupt over the disasters, thanks to a law signed last year that passes excess liability costs on to utility customers.
In Northern California, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. filed for bankruptcy in the face of billions of dollars in potential liability from huge wildfires in that part of the state over the past two years. A blaze in November killed 85 people and destroyed most of the town of Paradise.
In this Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, shows flames from a back firing operation underway rise behind a home off Ladera Ln near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, Calif. An investigation has determined that one of the largest and most destructive fires in California history was sparked by power lines coming into contact during high winds. The Ventura County Fire Department says Wednesday that the contact ignited dry brush on December 4, 2017 and eventually blackened more than 440 square miles (1,139 square kilometers). The Thomas fire destroyed more than a thousand structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and resulted in the deaths of two people. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP,File)
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This story has been corrected to state that 85, not 86, people were killed in the Northern California wildfire.
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