California utility cites possible link between Eaton Fire and its equipment
Deadly fire broke out Jan. 7 in the Eaton Canyon area.
Southern California Edison said that videos by other parties suggest a possible link between the company’s equipment and the devastating Eaton Fire.
The fire broke out Jan. 7 in the Eaton Canyon area, east of Altadena, an unincorporated community outside Pasadena. It destroyed 9,400 structures and burned 14,021 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Calfire. The agency declared the fire 100% contained on Jan. 31.
Videos of the fire’s early stages suggest a possible connection with SoCal Edison’s equipment, Paul Pimentel, the company's claims principal manager, wrote in a Feb. 6 letter to the California Public Utilities Commission.
But Pimentel said the company has not identified evidence, such as broken conductors, that would confirm a connection with the Eaton Fire.
The investigation is ongoing and will take time, Pimentel said.
Multiple lawsuits against SoCal Edison were filed Jan. 13 in Los Angeles County Superior Court and alleged SoCal Edison’s equipment caused the Eaton Fire.
The lawsuits cited accounts by witnesses and images that appeared to show a fire at the base of a SoCal Edison transmission tower before Santa Ana gusts spread the flames, Reuters reported. Some of the witnesses posted videos on their social media accounts.
SoCal Edison, meanwhile, said in a regulatory filing Thursday that its equipment may be connected with starting the Hurst Fire that burned almost 800 acres in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Pimentel saying the Los Angeles Fire Department's investigation has suggested SoCal Edison's equipment caused the Hurst Fire. According to the Times, Pimentel said that absent additional evidence, the company believes "its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst fire."