Restoring Power to Fire-Ravaged Communities

If you drove into the hills above Lake Elsinore before the Airport Fire, you would find a small mountain community scattered with homes that have been there for generations.

Southern California Edison crews work to rebuild and restore power after multiple fires burn through homes and electrical equipment.

Now, in some spots, all that's left is the outline of a foundation where a house once stood, a chimney where a living room was or the frame of an old pickup truck where the driveway used to be. Amid the rubble and ash, Southern California Edison crews have been working to help return some sense of normalcy to the community by restoring power to the residents who are able to return.

"It burned everything," said SCE electrical crew foreman Evan Muniz. "Homes burned, poles burned, wires burned. It's really overwhelming when you first get out here. We're working as hard and fast as we can to safely restore power to everyone on this hill."

The Airport Fire destroyed many homes and 135 SCE structures.

The almost 24,000-acre blaze began in Orange County and quickly spread to the Wildomar area where it hopscotched around, burning homes and 135 pieces of SCE equipment - 105 poles and approximately 72,000 feet of coated wire.
The Airport Fire is one of three that burned simultaneously. The Bridge Fire swept through the San Gabriel Mountains into Wrightwood and the Line Fire burned from Highland towards Big Bear Lake. Together, the three fires scorched more than 100,000 acres in only days. Despite firefighting crews battling the blazes day and night, each left a wake of destruction, including the destroyed electrical equipment that crews are working to repair.

"At the start of the Airport Fire, our trouble crews assisted firefighting efforts by deenergizing lines and clearing wire," said SCE District Manager Timothy Ramirez. "At that point, we were put on hold until the fire agencies would allow us back in."

Lineworkers use cranes to set the new poles, secure the surrounding area with rocks and dirt, then string the new wires before re-energizing the community.

Once the fire was contained and SCE was granted access to begin repairs, crews moved quickly. They started with 'make safe' teams whose job it is to clear downed wires and hazardous poles that were left broken or hanging - allowing local agencies to reopen the main highway, safely.

Next up, damage assessment. SCE planners took inventory of necessary repairs, created work orders, a list of needed supplies and highlighted any safety hazards the crews might face.

"It's still very hot. There might be burning underground where trees were, which creates fire pots. Leaves and things can cover that so you might trip in holes," Ramirez said. "We were really making sure crews had proper gear and were prepared for what they were going to come up against."

Split between ground crews and helicopters, they began chipping away at the long list of pole replacements. First, digging holes to house each pole, many times directly next to the old one. Then, a crane or chopper is used to set them. Crews packed the holes with rock and dirt to secure the poles and compacted the ground.

SCE ground crews clear burnt poles and hanging wires before local agencies deem the roads safe for residents to return.

"We focus on one section at a time, good communication between the crews, everybody just does their job and then, little by little, it builds into a whole pole line," Muniz said.

Once the poles are up, the crews use wire or rope to string the new lines - protected by covered conductor - and wrap the poles in a spongey, fire-protection material. After inspections are completed, the community can be reenergized.

This process will be repeated for both the Bridge and Line Fire restoration efforts. Many times, that means crews work tirelessly for weeks to get power back on.

"It's a real sense of satisfaction when we get the job done for our customers," said Muniz.

For more information on SCE's wildfire mitigation efforts, visit edison.com/wildfiresafety.