Southern California Edison equips key pieces of electrical infrastructure with sensors and relays. When the sensor picks up a disturbance, it sends a signal to the relay to shut the power off.
According to a report that Southern California Edison filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, that’s what happened two minutes before the Woolsey fire was reported.
That disturbance occurred in the same area the Woolsey fire started.
A Southern California Edison spokeswoman says they have not yet inspected the area.
Ventura County Fire officials say they have not determined the cause of the fire and that it’s too early to say if the disturbance played a role.
Utilities have come under scrutiny in the wake of several destructive wildfires that ravaged the state in recent years.
Southern California Edison equipment was responsible for at least one ignition point for the massive Thomas Fire a year ago.
Company officials told the CPUC out of “an abundance of caution.”
It could be more than a year before investigators release their findings on the Woolsey Fire.
