Downed power lines are the suspected cause of at least five of the major Southern California fires that took place last month, according to reports.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
With downed power lines on Malibu Canyon Road being cited as the top suspect for igniting last month’s Canyon Fire, the quality of the area’s power lines and poles are being given a close examination.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky last week introduced a resolution that was approved by the Board of Supervisors for Southern California Edison to work with county staff to examine the risk of power lines in fire-prone areas and to determine how the situation could be improved. A Southern California Edison spokesperson said this week he has no problem with the resolution.
“If there is something that can be done differently, Edison is going to be a part of those changes,” spokesperson Steve Conroy said. “We look forward to working cooperatively with any changes that may take place.”
One change that some are calling for is the replacement of wood power poles with steel ones. Piuma Road resident Ed Meyer, whose home was nearly hit by the fire, drove down Malibu Canyon Road, pointing to the pine tree trunk poles, which are tilting, some quite significantly.
“When it gets real windy, you can see some of them going back and forth,” said Meyer, who is also concerned about the tension on the wires, fearing they could snap, especially the ones stretching from Malibu Canyon Road to his street.
A couple of the poles have been replaced with steel, and they stand perfectly straight. Meyer said he has contacted fire and Southern California Edison officials about the situation, but has received a limited response.
“They stopped calling me back,” he said.
Although most of the poles are not within the city limits, some Malibu council members have expressed concern about the issue, since it affects the city.
“I think we should use whatever is the safest technology,” said Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich, who was the city’s voice during the Canyon Fire. “We’ve evolved. We had wooden baseball bats, and now we have more technologically advanced metal bats.”
But Conroy said the answer is not so simple. He said the price of replacing the poles is high, a cost that would be placed on the customers. And undergrounding the power lines, which some people have called for, would be even pricier, at least $1 million per mile.
“And it gets exceedingly more expensive based on topography and terrain,” Conroy said. “All that has to be considered not just by Edison, but by those paying for it.”
The official cause of the fire that sparked Oct. 21 and burnt 4,565 acres, destroyed six homes, a businesses, the Malibu Presbyterian Church and several cars while damaging several businesses and homes is still under investigation.