Edison Power Lines Caused Hollister Fire
A firefighter and helicopter lay down water and retardant to combat a fire burning across a portion of Hollister Ranch | Credit: Courtesy
The cause of the Hollister Fire, which burned 156 acres of coastal grazing land just west of Gaviota Beach from May 7-11 earlier this year, has been determined by Santa Barbara County Fire Department investigators. Power lines owned and operated by Southern California Edison sparked the fire when a utility pole failed and fell down just off Hollister Ranch Road, blown by 30 mile-per-hour north winds. “An energized conductor, connected to the utility pole, arced to the ground and ignited surrounding vegetation,” stated the Fire Department in a press release on October 8.
