Power Plant Fire Is Extinguished

A faulty electrical breaker at Edison’s power plant on Mandalay Beach sparked a fire Thursday morning that caused more than $80,000 in damage, fire officials said.

Firefighters from the Oxnard and Ventura fire departments were called to the plant at 5th Street and Harbor Boulevard in Oxnard about 6 a.m., Oxnard Battalion Chief Terry McAnally said.

Plant workers had been investigating a water pump inside an electrical room when the fire started, McAnally said. The workers called for help and then tried to douse the blaze using portable fire extinguishers, he said.

It took crews about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze with several dozen portable fire extinguishers, McAnally said. Water could not be used because of the danger of electrocution, according to McAnally.

Fire investigators determined an electrical breaker for a water pump malfunctioned and overheated. It was unclear whether the fire interrupted power to any customers in Oxnard, McAnally said.