Edison Cleared of Criminal Neglect in Calabasas Fire

Southern California Edison workers failed to trim trees that brushed a power line and sparked the 1996 wildfire in Calabasas that injured seven firefighters, but the negligence was not criminal, prosecutors have concluded.

The evidence is insufficient to convict the utility of criminal wrongdoing in the fire, which destroyed more than 13,000 acres as it burned across the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific, according to a report signed by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti.

“It is evident that Edison was not diligent in monitoring the trees in Calabasas,” said the report, sent to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, which had requested the criminal investigation.

Calling the district attorney’s conclusion “very disappointing,” forestry officials said they will consider pursuing civil penalties against Edison.

“We believe the Calabasas fire was caused by the negligence of Southern California Edison,” said Karen Terrill, chief information officer for the forestry department.

She said her agency is mandated by the Legislature to attempt to recover the costs of fighting fires, estimated for the Calabasas blaze at $7.6 million.

She said an additional $12 million in property damage was caused by the fire, which destroyed nearly a dozen homes and other structures and critically injured Firefighter William Jensen.

Investigators reviewed about 50,000 pages of documents and concluded that the fire was caused by tree branches striking an arrester at the top of a pole, causing hot and molten metal and electrical sparks to ignite dry grass below.

Edison was the subject of an extraordinary search warrant last year, served by state officials who contended that the utility covered up evidence of its negligence in the fire.

Allegations that Edison failed to provide sufficient data and that the utility otherwise interfered with the inquiry were confirmed by the report.

“Because Southern California Edison trimmed the trees back during the investigation and destroyed all but the tops of the three branches, we have no way of determining the exact position of any particular branch at the time of the fire,” said Garcetti’s report, written by Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael J. Cabral.

A spokesman for Edison said the trees were trimmed in order to restore service to the area as high winds that fanned the wildfire continued for days.

“We are pleased that the district attorney’s office has decided to conclude the matter without a recommendation for continued criminal investigation,” said Tom Higgins, vice president for corporate communications.

“It is our intention to continue to work with the California Department of Forestry to resolve any other issues or concerns that they might have.”