A false alarm went off Thursday morning in the Pitchess Detention Center alarm system due to a short circuit caused by the early-morning rain, according to officials.
A loud alarm could be heard across the northwest Santa Clarita Valley starting around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.
According to Deputy Maria Lucero with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the alarm, typically sounded when an inmate escapes, was caused by a short due to wetness after the morning rain. Lucero confirmed that it was a false alarm and that there was no escapee.
The alarm had ceased sounding as of 9:15 a.m., Lucero said.
Rain was reported by the National Weather Service at the Newhall Pass shortly before 2 a.m. on Thursday. As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, more than three-quarters of an inch of rain had fallen.
The alarm was coming from the area around a water tower off of Kavenaugh Lane in Stevenson Ranch, according to Kevin Strauss, communications manager for the SCV Water Agency. He said the alarm is located next to the tower but is not owned by SCV Water.
“The alarm is neither owned nor operated by SCV Water,” Strauss said, “and nothing to do with the water storage tank site or the SCV water system.”
Reports first started coming in about the alarm near the water tower via social media at around 8 a.m., Strauss said. He added that SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies were investigating the scene.
Sgt. Keith Greene with the SCV Sheriff’s Station confirmed that the alarm near the water tower is connected to the system at Pitchess.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
