Report: Equipment failure caused Maria fire



MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers
The Maria fire burns near West La Loma Ave. in Somis on Oct. 31, 2019.

Equipment failure on electrical distribution lines owned and operated by California Resources Corp.caused the 2019 Maria fire, which burned nearly 10,000 acres and damaged four structures. The cause was determined by an investigation by the Ventura Fire Department and Cal Fire.

Fire investigators found that an electrical conductor separated and contacted a metal pipe on the ground, igniting the blaze.

The fire started along the ridgetop of South Mountain in Santa Paula on Oct. 31, amid extreme fire weather conditions. It quickly spread to the southwest, consuming 9,999 acres of native vegetation and damaging four structures. It took a week for firefighters to fully contain the fire.