Series of Mishaps Hits Communities

A power interruption took place in La Cañada Flintridge, causing an electrical power outage for local residences, and primarily affecting La Crescenta and Montrose with power failures Tuesday, Aug. 9 at noon.

Five minutes earlier, at approximately 11:55 a.m., Fire Station 19 in La Cañada received a phone call regarding a live, electrical cable having fallen on a recreational vehicle parked in the 2000 block of La Granada Way in La Cañada.

A laborer, who has not been identified by Southern California Edison or Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station investigators, had been trimming branches on La Granada when one of the branches being cut fell on a power cable.

As a result, the power cable then fell on the RV parked parallel to the electrical lines overhead.

“The motor home was full of electricity and was grounding out at the tire, and the tire was sparking. The inside of the motor home was on fire,” said Bob Bell, whose home is right next to the where the RV was parked.

Southern California Edison was called in to shut off the electricity so firefighters could deal with the severely scorched RV.

According to the owner of the vehicle, who asked not to be identified, the RV’s gas tank had been filled with 80 gallons of gas earlier that day but did not combust.

As a result of the mishap, 2,300 SCE customers were affected by the power outage.

“Most of the customers had power restored within the hour?everyone was restored to power by 4:20 p.m.,” said SCE spokesman Marlon Walker.

Coincidentally, on arrival at the La Granada incident, firefighters happened to spot smoke billowing from a home in the 4000 block of Oak Drive in Montrose.

“I stayed with the house fire and I assigned another company to the RV,” said Capt. Richard Bodmer of Fire Station 19.