01/04/2021 - SCE Section 315 Letter Re: Cornell Fire

Scott Hayashi

Senior Advisor

January 4, 2021

202014197

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STATE OF CALIFORNIA

ATTN: STACEY OCAMPO - SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT DIVISION 320 W FOURTH STREET SUITE 500

LOS ANGELES CA 90013

Re:	Date of Incident:	December 7, 2020
	Location of Incident:	16799 South Mountain Road, Santa Paula, California

Dear Ms. Ocampo:

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 Monday, December 7, 2020 at 3:49 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 Monday, December 7, 2020, at approximately 11:44 a.m., during a Santa Ana wind event, a wildland fire that would become known as the Cornell Fire was reported in the Santa Paula area of Ventura County. Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) was the lead agency managing the fire suppression activities and the investigation into the cause of the fire. Forward progress of the Cornell Fire was stopped on December 7, 2020 and it burned 174 acres of vegetation with no reported structures damaged or destroyed.

While the investigation remains ongoing, it is our understanding that earlier that day, a severe wind event impacted the area, resulting in 2 large Eucalyptus trees located on the Mountain View Golf Course property at 16799 South Mountain Road, Santa Paula, to become uprooted which fell onto a customer-owned wood utility pole. This event impacted nearby SCE overhead electrical facilities resulting in damage to SCE Pole No. 1658039E, which supported a transformer bank, as well as the overhead primary conductors in the span supported by the adjacent pole in the span, SCE Pole No. 4488521E. This sequence of events presumably resulted in the operation of Branch Line Fuse No. 39356 at SCE Pole No. 1658041E.

The SCE facilities involved in the incident consisted of a 3-wire (No. 4 ACSR overhead primary conductors) section of the Petit 16 kV Circuit out of Wakefield Substation and overhead 1/0

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January 4, 2021

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quadruplex secondary conductors that were supported by SCE Pole Nos. 1658039E and 4488521E. Additionally, the subject overhead secondary conductors spanned from SCE Pole No. 4488521E to the involved customer-owned wood utility pole near the toppled Eucalyptus trees.

While the total amount of SCE damage has not been tabulated, approximately 7 poles were replaced as a result of the fire. No injuries have been reported to SCE in connection with this event.

Sincerely,

Scott Hayashi