Southern California Edison (SCE) recently reported a fault on a power line that is connected to their system but not directly located near the origin of the Eaton Fire. This fire, which began outside of Los Angeles on January 7, resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people and the destruction of over 9,000 structures in the Altadena area. Despite the fault, SCE maintains there is no evidence that its equipment caused the blaze. An official investigation into the fire’s cause is still ongoing.
The utility’s new report to the California Public Utilities Commission coincides with a court hearing involving a lawsuit filed by a homeowner whose property was destroyed in the fire. The homeowner’s attorneys claim that SCE’s equipment may have sparked the fire, referencing video footage showing flames beneath electrical towers during the blaze’s early moments. They have also presented new video evidence, purportedly from a gas station’s security camera, showing electrical arcing on a transmission tower in Eaton Canyon just before the fire escalated due to strong winds.
SCE’s filing noted that while the fault occurred on lines that don’t traverse Eaton Canyon, it caused a momentary surge in the networked transmission system, including lines in the affected area. The utility argues that this surge was within design limits and did not trigger system protection mechanisms.
Attorneys for Altadena resident Evangeline Iglesias argue that the fault and video evidence suggest that SCE’s equipment could have been the fire’s ignition source. They also accuse the utility of destroying potential evidence, leading to a court order for SCE to preserve materials in the fire’s origin area.
SCE has stated that they are preserving evidence while working to restore power to approximately 2,000 homes in Altadena that remain without electricity. In previous filings, SCE reported no operational anomalies in the transmission lines near the fire’s start, further complicating the investigation into its cause. As the investigation continues, so does the debate over the potential role of SCE’s equipment in the deadly fire.
