The Liberal Gun Club Forum

Investigators have determined that Southern California Edison power lines ignited the 2017 Thomas fire, a massive blaze in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that killed two people and later gave rise to a massive mudflow that resulted in at least 20 deaths. Following a 13-month probe by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection [Cal Fire] and Ventura County Fire Department investigators, officials found the fire was started by two power lines that slapped together during high winds on the evening of Dec. 4, 2017.

The finding puts the utility on the hook for not only more than $1.3 billion in insurance claims filed by Thomas fire victims, but also for the $400 million in claims filed after the Montecito slides.

Although Southern California Edison had acknowledged its equipment likely started a fire off Koenigstein Road in Santa Paula, its investigators concluded that the company was probably not responsible for a second, larger blaze that began in Anlauf Canyon earlier in the evening. In the report released Wednesday, investigators said the Thomas fire first began as two separate fires that joined together and burned for 40 days. They determined the utility was responsible for both ignitions.