California bobcat wildfire may have sparked from tree branches hitting power equipment, utility company says

The cause of the Bobcat Fire in California remains under investigation, with damaged power equipment now being viewed as a potential cause of the wildfire.

The Bobcat Fire has been raging in California since September 6, when an undisclosed incident sparked yet another wildfire in the state.

On Monday, Southern California Edison sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, detailing progress in the investigation into the Bobcat Fire.

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The Bobcat Fire (seen above on September 19) continues to rage in California, though it is now 92 percent contained

In the letter, SCE stated that U.S. Forest Service investigators took possession of a 23-foot line of conductor owned by SCE, according to Fox News.

The so-called 'H-frame structure' in question consisted of two power poles and three tree branches.

While the fire could've been caused by damage to the electrical equipment, lingering smoke at the time of the spark is also creating questions about vegetation being a root cause of the Bobcat Fire.

The Bobcat Fire began over a month ago, when it was sparked up on September 6. Firefighters are pictured tackling the blaze on September 23

A destroyed property continues to smoulder during the Bobcat Fire in Juniper Hills, California, on September 18

SCE reportedly experienced a 'relay operation' at 12.21pm on September 6, but smoke was reported approximately 11 minutes earlier.

As of Monday, the Bobcat Fire was 92 percent contained. It has burned over 115,000 acres, destroying 171 structures (87 residences) and damaging 47 more.

This is not the first wildfire in recent months that is being pinned on a potential equipment failure.

Cal Fire investigators are looking at a possibility utility issue stemming from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in the Zogg Fire, which killed four people and destroyed over 200 homes since sparking on September 27.

PG&E equipment failures caused a number of significant fires in 2017 and 2018, which killed over 100 people and destroyed at least 27,000 properties.

The utility company was forced to file for bankruptcy in the aftermath of those fires, which PG&E only recently emerged from.

Southern California Edison is one of the largest energy companies in Southern California, providing electricity for around 14 million customers.

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