Police: Poor power line maintenance caused OC fire

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Police: Poor power line maintenance caused OC fire

Police Report: Poor power line maintenance caused Orange County wildfire

BREA, Calif.—Police say an electrical discharge from a poorly maintained power line caused a fire last November in Brea that destroyed three homes and a school.

Sgt. Bill Smyser says the investigation shows the fire was not intentionally set but that a criminal negligence charge is possible.

The power lines blamed for the fire are owned by Los Angeles-based Breit Burn Management Co. The flames consumed at least 1,500 acres and destroyed the main building of Brea Canyon High School before merging with another fire to create the Freeway Complex, which burned hundreds of homes.

BreitBurn attorney Greg Brown says the company is cooperating with the investigation and questioned why police would release what he called "partial findings."

The case will be submitted for review to Orange County prosecutors.

Source: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com

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Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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Saturday, January 10, 2009