Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) determined the cause of the 156-acre brush fire on Hollister Ranch this past May was due to downed power lines.
SBCFD Investigators released a report Wednesday stating a Southern California Edison utility pole located between Hollister Ranch Road and Agua Caliente Road failed and fell to the ground on May 7, 2020.
The utility pole fell in a southerly direction in alignment with approximate 30 mile per hour north winds (sundowners). An energized conductor, connected to the utility pole, arced to the ground and ignited surrounding vegetation causing the Hollister Fire.
GPS coordinates of the downed power line
At 2:15 a.m. on May 7, approximately 120 firefighters along with aircraft responded to the area. They discovered about 20 acres on fire growing at a rapid rate of speed pushed by offshore winds.
Evacuation warnings were put in place for residents of Hollister Ranch as the fire had the potential to grow to 500 acres.
The “Hollister Fire” grew to 156 acres and was 100% contained two days after it started. There were no injuries or structures damaged.
A hand crew team with the county fire department did receive praise for rescuing a fawn from the blaze. A local wildlife care rescue was contacted where the fawn has been transferred for further care.
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Gosh this sort of scientific and fact based information must irk those who would blame the homeless or other nefarious parties for these sort of problems. What if corporate malfeasance caused this? Not so much hostility.