VENTURA COUNTY REVIEW / JACK SEARLES : GTE Puts Its Losses From Fire in the Millions

Thousand Oaks-based GTE California suffered losses in the millions as a result of last week’s fires, a company spokesman said.

The fire that started in Thousand Oaks and burned all the way to the ocean severed a GTE fiber-optic cable on Laguna Peak in the Santa Monica Mountains and destroyed telephone poles, lines and other equipment in Ventura County and other locations throughout Southern California, spokesman Dan Smith said.

“That, along with the assistance that we provided to customers whose service was interrupted, undoubtedly will cost millions of dollars,” he said. It will be some time before the total cost can be tabulated, he added. Much of the loss resulted from overtime paid to repair crews and other employees.

The loss of the Laguna Peak cable disrupted several non-GTE communications systems but did not affect phone service in the area, Smith reported. He said another of the company’s fiber-optic links was melted in Mentone in San Bernardino County.

In addition to installing phone trailers in such hard-hit areas as Malibu and Laguna Beach, GTE worked with Pacific Bell to provide free long-distance service for fire victims. Both companies are offering free installation to customers who must move as a result of the fires, Smith said.

Employees had to be evacuated when flames approached GTE facilities in Laguna Beach and Mentone, Smith said. The plants were saved, and none of the company’s workers are known to have been injured in last week’s fires, Smith said.