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SoCal Edison won’t face criminal charges for role in deadly Woolsey Fire

The Woolsey Fire approaches homes in Malibu on Nov. 9, 2018. (David McNew / Getty Images)

Southern California Edison will not face criminal charges for its role in the 2018 Woolsey fire, the California Department of Justice said Friday.

An investigation by fire officials determined that high winds led a loose wire owned by SCE to make contact with conductors and spark the fire, which killed three people and burned 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to a statement by the California Department of Justice.

SCE itself had admitted that its equipment was “likely associated” with the fire.

But the California Department of Justice said Friday that based on a thorough investigation into the cause of the Woolsey fire by the state attorney general’s office, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Ventura County Fire Department, officials determined there is “insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt” that the utility unlawfully caused “a fire or committed any other felony violation of California law.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.