- Authorities believe a decommissioned transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison (SCE) caused the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, which killed 18 people and destroyed over 9,400 structures. Lawyers allege that a voltage surge at one of SCE’s substations triggered an arcing event on the tower, causing metal to fall and ignite brush below.
- SCE is under investigation, with CEO Pedro Pizarro acknowledging the possibility of their equipment being responsible.
- SCE plans to bury over 150 miles of power lines to prevent future fires.
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On Thursday, April 17, wildfire lawyers with LA Fire Justice revealed the cause of what they believe started the deadly Eaton Fire in Los Angeles in January.
Officials said a transmission tower, owned by Southern California Edison and decommissioned since 1971, is responsible.
“So that leads to the obvious question,” wildfire lawyer Mikal Watts said. “How does a deactivated line get energized such so it can ignite a fire that becomes a major conflagration, such as the Eaton Fire, which burned down your town?”
Visual rendering released by LA Fire Justice
To answer that question, LA Fire Justice officials created a video rendering of the transmission towers on Eaton Canyon, showing how they believe the fire most likely started.
The video shows, on Jan. 7 at 6:11 p.m., a fault at one of Edison’s substations. The lawyers said this can cause voltage surges from miles away.
The video also showed a flash on tower number three, which officials described as an electric arcing event. When this happens, the metal on the steel towers can reach temperatures as high as 1,500 degrees.
Later in the video, the rendering showed a second flash along a high-voltage line attached to tower number three. This causes a piece of melted metal to fall onto the ground and catch brush on fire, which then progresses downhill to the Altadena area.
Allegations of negligence
Wildfire lawyer Mikal Watts said Southern California Edison could’ve prevented the fire by turning off the power in what’s called a “Public Safety Power Shut Off.”
“This is a massive, massively expensive wildfire that Southern California Edison owes the bill for,” Watts said.
Edison responds to ongoing investigation
On April 3, Pedro Pizarro, the president and chief executive officer of Edison International, told the Los Angeles Times that his company’s investigation has yet to yield answers.
“We still don’t know whether Edison equipment caused the Eaton Fire. It’s certainly possible it did. I’ve pledged to be transparent with the public as we continue to investigate,” Pizarro said.
On April 11, representatives with Southern California Edison told The New York Times that the electrical company is planning to bury more than 150 miles of power lines near Altadena and Malibu.
Destruction caused by the fire
According to Cal Fire, the Eaton Fire killed 18 people, destroyed more than 9,414 structures and scorched 14,021 acres. The cause remains under investigation.
Companies in California can face criminal charges similar to those levied against individuals, though they typically result in fines and orders to remediate unless executives are named in the charges. In 2023, a federal judge dismissed criminal charges against Pacific Gas & Electric after its equipment was blamed for sparking the Zogg Fire in northern California.
