Fallen Eucalyptus near El Encanto
updated: Dec 05, 2012, 8:08 AM

By the Urban Hikers

Before daybreak on Wednesday morning, a huge tree fell in a Riviera neighborhood, near the El Encanto Hotel. At approximately 4:00 a.m. the eucalyptus came crashing down, taking with it nearby power lines. As a result, residents of the surrounding area lost electrical power and Alvarado and Lasuen Roads were closed to traffic and pedestrians.

Fire crews remained on scene to monitor the live electrical wires, and awaiting the arrival of Edison Company representatives. It took Edison, which has no local crews, approximately two hours to provide the necessary crew, during which time SBFD stood by.

Power will be out in the area and the two roads will remain closed until Edison crews and City Public Works crews are able to complete their clean-up work.

Santa Barbara Fire responded with and Engine #3.

	A subscriber sends in photos of the downed tree at El Encanto. [pics] (12/06/12)	303	1
	A subscriber reports that a large tree caused an early morning power outage. [pic] (12/06/12)	199	1

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 350412	2012-12-05 08:38 AM
Thank you for posting! Unitl now I was wondering why the power was out! Gotta love EdHat!
COMMENT 350415P	2012-12-05 08:50 AM
A strong reminder of the dangers of eucalyptus trees.
COMMENT 350427	2012-12-05 09:16 AM
We were outta power for over 2 hours so glad to see the cause. Figured it was either a tree or a car hitting a pole.
COMMENT 350515P	2012-12-05 11:37 AM
"Edison . . . has no local crews" ?????
COMMENT 350575	2012-12-05 02:36 PM
"Edison . . . has no local crews" ????? I know they have a huge facility at the SB Airport..I know for 'special' jobs they bring crews from Ventura County..
COMMENT 350587P	2012-12-05 02:55 PM
It seems like every time the power lines or underground transformers are damaged the fire department stands around for hours waiting for the Edison people to get there and turn off the power. Then the fire fighters go back to their station and the Edison people get to work fixing the problem. It seems like a collossal waste of time for the Fire Department. Does the huge facility at the airport have a staff that goes out into the field to fix things? Or do they just count the money out there at the airport?
COMMENT 350593P	2012-12-05 03:07 PM
I think Ventura County charges Edison for the time firefighters have to stand around waiting for Edison to show up. Maybe that is something that we should do here in Santa Barbara. It would be more than nice if Edison did a better job of maintaining their equipment. On the south county alone this year, 4 brush fires have been caused by power lines.
FLICKA	2012-12-06 09:42 AM
Thank you for posting this. My elderly aunt lives a block away, I will check on her. No big winds to cause this. Euclyptus trees are dangerous, it's why they're called "widow makers". No wonder they were removed from Carpinteria State Park.
LUCKY 777	2012-12-06 10:50 AM
Edison has no local crews. Interesting. But they DO have the ability to force Smart Meters on us, the opt-out price of which is now set to triple. And a friend of mine in San Bernardino just told me she got a notice that said the opt-out program will expire in a year, at which time there will be no choice about the matter. Funny how they used to read your meter as part of the service, now they are claiming it will cost millions to continue to do so without the new meters. And the cost per unit continues to rise.
COMMENT 351226P	2012-12-07 01:32 AM
There's a gigantic eucalyptus in my back yard. There's an even bigger one out front, which is a street tree. Going on 50 years and no one in my family has been killed by a eucalyptus so far. The eucalyptus at the corner of Emerson Ave and Plaza Rubio are enormous. The Eucalyptus citriodora outside the Main Library are majestic and smell like lemons. We have at least 44 species of eucalyptus in Santa Barbara. I am so tired of people calling them "widow makers" and breaking out the mental chainsaws every time a eucalyptus is mentioned. Oh. Like no other tree has fallen in the past few decades and taken out power lines. Um. Oaks? Cypress? Pine trees?

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