Page 6 - AT

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 16 OctOber 2019
Los Angeles fire began under power lines, cause not known

Associated Press time of the fire, spokes-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A de- woman Susan Cox said.
structive fire that exploded It filed the report Friday with
on the edge of Los Angeles the California Public Utili-
began beneath a high- ties Commission "out of an
voltage transmission tower abundance of caution,"
owned by Southern Califor- Cox said. She did not have
nia Edison, fire officials said additional details such as
Monday. the kind of system, how it
Los Angeles Fire Depart- was affected or what the
ment arson investigators effects were.
determined the origin of Electric utilities must file
the Saddle Ridge Fire was reports in four instances:
beneath power lines on a when there is a fatality or
dry, steep hillside above injury that involves elec-
the city's Sylmar neighbor- tric facilities, when there is
hood, Capt. Erik Scott told damage to property over
The Associated Press. The $50,000, when there is sig-
cause remained under in- nificant media coverage,
vestigation. and when there is a ma-
The fire that started Thurs- jor outage to at least 10%
day night burned nearly 8, of the service territory at
400 acres (13.1 square miles once, said Terrie Prosper, a
or 34 square kilometers), In this Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, file photo, smoke from a wildfire called the Saddle Ridge Fire hangs spokeswoman for the com-
destroyed 17 structures and above power lines as the sun rises in Newhall, Calif. mission.
damaged dozens more. Associated Press The report is confidential
One man died of a heart and not publicly available,
attack during the fire in time the blaze broke out. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. region to prevent its equip- Prosper said.
the Porter Ranch neighbor- After several deadly blazes had cut power to nearly 2 ment from sparking a wild- The fire erupted Thurs-
hood, officials said. in the past two years have million people in Northern fire. But it wasn't clear Mon- day night and was rapidly
The fire department had been blamed on trees and California to prevent a re- day if the fire originated in spread by strong Santa
said Friday that a witness vegetation hitting power peat of catastrophic fires an area that could have Ana winds.
saw sparks or flames com- lines and other causes in- in that part of the state, had the power shut off pre- Residents of Saddle Ridge
ing from a power line near volving electrical equip- including a blaze that de- emptively. Road said they fled their
where the fire was believed ment, utilities have been stroyed the town of Para- SoCal Edison declined homes as gusts drove the
to have started. At least given authority to shut off dise and killed 85 people. to comment on the fire's flames down the hillside
two people told LA TV sta- power when fire risk is ex- SoCal Edison had warned it source. The utility reported and tossed embers into
tions that they saw fire near tremely high. might cut power to close to to state regulators that its the neighborhood, lighting
power lines above Saddle Just two days before the 200,000 customers in com- system was affected near trees and setting bushes
Ridge Road around the Los Angeles fire broke out, munities throughout the the reported location and ablaze.q

Justices seem likely to uphold

Puerto Rico oversight board

ruary that board members mounting. the president time to recti-
were appointed in viola- The oversight board and fy the problem by re-nom-
tion of the Constitution be- the Trump administration inating the members and
cause they were not con- appealed the ruling by the getting them approved
firmed by the Senate. 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- by the Senate. President
The president selects the peals in Boston. There ap- Donald Trump has sent the
board's seven voting mem- peared to be substantial nominations to the Senate,
bers. They and one other support for their arguments which has not acted on
In this June 17, 2019 file photo, The Supreme Court is shown in non-voting member cho- that the board's makeup them while the court case
Washington. sen by Puerto Rico's gover- is not controlled by the is pending.
Associated Press nor approve budgets and Constitution's provision on Even if the justices up-
fiscal plans drawn up by appointments, but by a hold the lower court ruling
By MARK SHERMAN cism on Tuesday about a the island's government. different provision giving against the board, it could
Associated Press constitutional challenge to The board also handles Congress significant con- simultaneously also ratify
WASHINGTON (AP) — The the oversight board's com- bankruptcy-like cases that trol over U.S. territories, of the actions it has taken to
Supreme Court seems likely position that could affect allow the island to restruc- which Puerto Rico is one. date because throwing
to leave in place the over- more than $100 billion in ture its debts. Legislation passed by Con- them out would be very
sight board established by debt and the island's eco- Justice Samuel Alito asked gress in 2016 directed the disruptive to the island's re-
Congress to help Puerto nomic future. facetiously if it's "excessive- oversight board to act "on covery.
Rico out of a devastat- Hedge funds that invested ly cynical" to think that the behalf of Puerto Rico and A decision is expected
ing financial crisis that was in Puerto Rican bonds are hedge funds were more its people and its agen- relatively quickly because
deepened by Hurricane leading the case against interested in the money cies," Justice Ruth Bader the court agreed to re-
Maria in 2017. the board. at stake than the constitu- Ginsburg said. view and decide the case
The justices voiced skepti- A lower court ruled in Feb- tional challenge they are The appeals court gave much faster than usual.q