Edison Avoids Cutting Malibu Power, Winds Calm Down

MALIBU, CA – Although Southern California Edison was planning to cut power off to parts of Malibu to try to prevent wildfires, winds died down across the Southland Sunday afternoon so the precautionary measure was avoided, an official told Los Angeles Times.

Peak winds were up to almost 80 miles per hour in the Santa Monica Mountains area, so SCE engineers planned to switch off power in Malibu Sunday morning. That would have been the first time in Los Angeles County that power would be intentionally switched off due to anticipated high winds, according to The Malibu Times.

Electrical utilities are a leading cause of wildfires across the state, Los Angeles Times reported. Power companies have received tens of millions of dollars in fines from state regulators for sparking past fires.

Although the power stayed on, a small quarter-acre brush fire broke out in the Rambla Pacifico area of Malibu Monday afternoon. Although Los Angeles County Fire Department initially thought they needed backup and requested a second alarm, they soon cancelled it and extinguished the flames quickly.

Image via Shutterstock