GLENDALE, California — On Monday, Southern California Edison (SCE) announced a fault detected on a power line situated far from the location tied to the Eaton Fire, which erupted outside Los Angeles on January 7 and resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 17 individuals.
SCE maintains that there is currently no evidence linking its equipment to the fire, which has demolished over 9,000 structures around the Altadena community. The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing and has not reached a conclusion.
The utility submitted a report to the California Public Utilities Commission concurrently with a court proceeding related to a homeowner who lost their property in the disaster. The homeowner’s attorneys contend that the utility’s equipment ignited the fire, citing video evidence captured shortly after the fire began, which shows significant flames emerging beneath electrical towers.
New video evidence has also been presented by the attorneys, claiming it depicts arcing and sparks from a transmission tower in Eaton Canyon, just prior to the fire escalating into a fast-spreading inferno. They assert this footage was sourced from the security cameras of a nearby gas station.
The Eaton Fire was one of two catastrophic blazes that ignited on January 7, driven by hurricane-force winds sweeping through the drought-stricken Los Angeles region. As efforts to fight the fires extended over several weeks, at least 28 fatalities have been confirmed. Thankfully, the Eaton Fire has nearly reached containment thanks to recent rainfall in the area.
In its latest submission, SCE noted that the fault was registered at 6:11 p.m. Although the affected power lines do not traverse Eaton Canyon, they maintain a connection within the network that experienced a surge.
“Initial analysis indicates that, due to the interlinked nature of SCE’s transmission system, the fault on this distant line caused a brief yet anticipated increase in current across the system, including four energized lines near the fire zone,” SCE’s report remarked. “The increase in current stayed within acceptable design limits and operational criteria, and as designed, it did not trigger protective measures on these lines.”
Attorneys for resident Evangeline Iglesias have suggested that the combination of the line fault and the gas station footage offers “evidence that SCE’s equipment in Eaton Canyon served as the initial ignition point, and that it is highly likely that there is physical evidence of the cause within the vicinity of SCE’s transmission lines, parallel to where the fire burst forth.”
Residents also captured video and photographs showing flames beneath SCE’s electrical towers shortly after the fire ignited. One local mentioned hearing a loud crack at the fire’s onset.
Kathleen Dunleavy, a representative for SCE, stated that the company had received the gas station footage from The New York Times on Saturday night and quickly notified the authorities to ensure they obtained the video as well. Dunleavy indicated that it would be premature to comment on the footage while investigations are ongoing.
“As of January 26, the cause of the Eaton Fire remains unknown,” Dunleavy remarked in an email sent on Sunday. “Our inquiry continues, and we remain committed to transparency.”
Iglesias’ legal team has accused SCE of potentially compromising evidence. A judge recently mandated that Edison preserve evidence in the area, citing concerns that the utility may be discarding equipment that could provide insights into the fire’s cause.
SCE’s legal team asserted that the company has taken measures to safeguard evidence from the fire’s starting point while restoration work for about 2,000 Altadena homes without power is underway.
In an earlier report made to the CPUC shortly after the fire ignited, Edison indicated that it had not received any indications that its equipment might have played a role in the blaze.
“An initial examination of power circuit data for the energized transmission lines in the area over the 12 hours prior to the fire’s reported start time showed no interruptions or operational issues until over an hour after the fire began,” the utility documented.
This position was reiterated in their Monday update.
