PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STATE OF CALIFORNIA
ATTN: JOAN WEBER - WILDFIRE SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT BRANCH 320 W FOURTH STREET SUITE 500
Aliso Woods Canyon, Laguna Hills, Orange County
In accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in Resolution E-4184, this letter supplements the notice Southern California Edison Company (SCE) provided to the Commission via the web-based reporting system on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 6:22 p.m., regarding the above-referenced incident. SCE is required to submit this information pursuant to Commission instructions, resolutions and the Public Utilities Code, and submits this report under Public Utilities Code Section 315.
On May 11, 2022, at approximately 2:43 p.m., a wildland fire named the "Coastal Fire" was reported in the vicinity of Aliso Woods Canyon, Laguna Hills, Orange County, California. The Coastal Fire burned approximately 200 acres and full containment was reportedly achieved on May 17, 2022. Although damage assessments continue, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has reported the Coastal Fire destroyed 20 residential structures and damaged 11 residential structures. In addition, two firefighters reportedly sustained minor injuries, and suppression costs are estimated at $3,000,000. It is our understanding that OCFA has the lead in the fire investigation, with assistance of the Laguna Beach Fire Department.
Our information reflects that under normal operating conditions, a section of the Agate 12 kV Circuit out of Morro Substation relayed and reclosed at 2:41 p.m. on May 11, 2022. SCE's first responding Troubleman attempted to conduct a patrol to evaluate the status of SCE electrical facilities but was unable to access the area due to active fire.
OCFA investigators focused on an area of overhead electrical facilities that were supported by Pole No. 1331722E. As part of the investigation, OCFA personnel requested removal of material from Pole No. 1331722E. SCE cooperated with this request, and on May 17 and 18, 2022, SCE personnel removed the following materials: nine dead-end porcelain insulators; four pin insulators and their associated tie wires; three jumpers with various connectors, nuts and bolts; two cross arms; two v-braces; and four down guys with dead-ends. There were no downed conductors in the subject area, and OCFA did not request removal of any of the line conductors spanning across poles. All items were retained by OCFA investigators. Safety and Enforcement
Division personnel from your office were present during portions of the investigation and removal of materials from the scene.
The cause of the relay on the Agate 12 kV Circuit has not been determined, and it may not be definitively understood until all additional information is available, including information which can only be obtained through examination and testing of the material retained by OCFA investigators. Additionally, during the removal of material at OCFA's request, SCE noted that a jumper conductor attached to a 3-bolt parallel groove connector exhibited what appears to be signs of damage. Other than our current understanding of such condition pre-existing the fire, it is not known when the damage occurred or whether this condition contributed to the ignition of the fire.
The damage to SCE facilities has not yet been tabulated; however, SCE has identified at least one pole that requires replacement.
Edison International published this content on 02 June 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 03 June 2022 00:41:05 UTC.