SYLMAR : Damages at DWP Unit Most Costly Since ’71 Quake

A fire that caused $25 million to $30 million in damage to a Department of Water and Power station was the most expensive loss incurred at a Los Angeles power system facility since the Sylmar earthquake in 1971, DWP officials said Monday.

But the cost of repairing much of the Sylmar facility is likely to be absorbed by the manufacturer of a high-tech valve system that failed and caused the damage, officials said, and no service interruption is anticipated.

There were no injuries in the Saturday night fire. But damage to the Sylmar Converter Station East on San Fernando Road is likely to keep it out of commission for at least a year, said Rufus Hightower, the DWP’s assistant engineer of the power operation and maintenance division.

Hightower said the crippled power station will not affect consumers’ rates or services. Officials said the fire broke out in the thyristor valve system, which set off alarms and filled the area with heavy smoke.