Power lines start holiday fire in Goleta

What happened

Electrical wires owned by Southern California Edison, combined with high winds and tree branches, started a fire on 6 July 2018 at around 8:30 pm in the Goleta foothills. Sundowner winds reached 30 mph as temperatures rose during the evening. The fire destroyed 10 homes and 13 other structures, damaged three homes and burned 113 acres, forcing evacuation of much of the foothills and a wildlife rescue. Trees and poles stood on private property at the top of Fairview Avenue.

Neighbours reported a bright flash, fire climbing a power pole and power fluctuations. Amperage fluctuations began at 8:17 pm with power lost at 8:41 pm. The first fire call came at 8:38 pm. Investigators ruled out lightning, camping, cigarettes and other human causes. Vegetation clearance around the wires had last been performed in April 2018.

Contributing factors

High winds of 30 to 40 mph, low humidity around 9 percent, temperatures of 100 to 108 degrees and tree branches close to the wires contributed to ignition. Previous vegetation maintenance occurred on 3 April 2018.

Lessons learned

1. Maintain greater clearance between overhead lines and vegetation in high-wind areas.
2. Monitor real-time amperage and smart-meter data for early detection of anomalies.
3. Review vegetation management frequency after extreme heat and wind events.

Source

independent.com