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By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
4:06 p.m. October 8, 2008
KEARNY MESA – The state will conduct a public hearing Tuesday night to give people a chance to “share their observations, experiences and other relevant information” relating to the three wildfires last year that investigators say were caused by downed or arcing power lines.
The Consumer Protection and Safety Division of the state Public Utilities Commission is developing corrective measures in order to reduce the risk of fires, and the hearing is part of that process.
Advertisement Of special interest to the PUC will be information regarding tree trimming, line clearances and other aspects of utility operations from the public's perspective, said spokeswoman Terrie Prosper.
The hearing will be from 6 to 8 p.m., longer if necessary, at the Al Bahr Shrine Center, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road in Kearny Mesa.
Commissioner Timothy Alan Simons and state Sen. Christine Kehoe are expected to speak and an admistrative law judge will preside over the hearing. Other PUC commissioners and elected officials are expected to attend.
Public speakers are asked to limit their statement to three minutes. Anyone who can't attend can forward comment to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
In a report released early last month, the PUC determined that San Diego Gas & Electric Co. failed to properly inspect and maintain powerlines implicated in the Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice Canyon fires, which combined killed two people and destroyed more than 1,300 homes.
The report also concluded that SDG&E obstructed the investigation by failing to cooperate fully by not making witnesses and evidence available.
The 32-page analysis also blamed Cox Communications for its role in starting the Guejito fire. It concluded lashing wires on a Cox cable in the San Pasqual Valley came loose and made contact with SDG&E power lines, causing arcing that ignited the fire
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