Single-Car Accident on TCB Causes Two-Acre Brush Fire and 36-Hour Power Outage
By Annemarie Donkin
A single-car accident crashed into a power pole on Monday, Nov. 30 at about 9:14 p.m. on Topanga Canyon Blvd. at Grandview, according to the Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
Known as “Curve Incident,” the collision sparked a two-acre vegetation fire when power equipment hit the hillside, requiring an entire battalion to extinguish, according to Captain Fowler at Topanga’s Fire Station 69.
Officer Wes Haver of the California Highway Patrol West Valley Division said there were no injuries or arrests at the scene.
Even though the “Curve Incident” occurred just about 1.5 miles south of Fire Station 69, live wires blocked access to the vegetation fire, requiring units from Pacific Coast Highway to handle, according to the T-CEP Emergency Status report Monday night.
A portion of the road, from Pacific Coast Highway to Fernwood Pacific Drive, was closed in both directions from Monday night until Wednesday, Dec. 2.
The power would not be restored until Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a 36-hour power outage along TCB for about 22 SoCal Edison customers and about 1,000 customers in Malibu.
“The road being closed is most likely due to SoCal Edison rebuilding/replacing the power pole and connecting powerlines that were damaged in the collision,” said Deputy Michael Cerveny, C.I.T Team, Los Angeles Sheriff Department Malibu/Lost Hills Station.
(Above) This car crashing into a telephone pole caused power equipment to hit the hillside, which caused the fire (below) and a 36-hour power outage. Next door advice: “If your car catches on fire and you’re near dry brush do not open the hood. Oxygen will fuel fire & it will more likely jump into dry brush. Carry a fire extinguisher in your car.”