As investigators close in on cause of Eaton fire, activity swirls around Edison lines
1 day ago
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Southern California Edison crews are scaling tall electrical towers, testing the nearby soil and taking close-up images of electrical equipment, the latest detailed examination to determine exactly what sparked the disastrous Eaton fire.
It is likely to take more months for a final determination of what caused the fire. But Edison has been under scrutiny since Day 1 because residents saw and videotaped flames burning near transmission lines at the time the fire started on Jan. 7.
The flurry of activity at the fire site comes amid a growing number of lawsuits filed against Edison by residents as well as by some public agencies. Edison has said it is cooperating with a state investigation.
Zeroing in on cause
The focus for investigators, Southern California Edison and the dozens of lawsuits that have been filed against the utility company has been around three transmission towers overlooking Eaton Canyon, where video from residents caught the first flames burning.
In particular, one of the three towers that has been idle for more than 50 years but somehow reenergized the day the fire began, has been a center of attention.
One lawsuit filed by plaintiff’s attorneys concentrated on Edison tower M16T1. No electricity has been directed through the wires of the tower for more than 50 years, but the plaintiffs say tower M16T1 was somehow reenergized on Jan. 7, possibly sparking the fire. Blackened marks and other signs of damage on the steel structure suggest that arcing occurred, sending electricity through the equipment that was supposed to have been unused, according to their lawsuit.
Southern California Edison crews are working with the L.A. County Fire Department to inspect the towers and other electrical equipment.
“This is part of our commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation,” said Kathleen Dunleavy, spokesperson for Edison. “We’re working to analyze the potential and relevant data points with the assistance of third-party experts.”
Attorneys suing Southern California Edison allege dark markings on tower M16T1 suggest the idle structure was somehow reenergized.
(Robertson and Associates, LLP)
More data, more questions
Attorneys who have filed suit against Edison said they have also been receiving data from the company that could shed light on how electrical equipment in the region, and three towers in Eaton Canyon, behaved before, during and after the fire started on Jan. 7.
That includes thousands of videos and images of the electrical equipment.
But officials said inspections, testing and lab analysis could still take weeks, and analysis to determine what started the fire could still take longer.
Edison, working with several law firms that have filed suit, is conducting the testing as part of a court-agreed protocol.
“Wildfire litigation is both a sprint and a marathon,” Eli Wade-Scott , a partner at Edelson PC, one of the firms representing hundreds of residents who have filed suit, said in an email. “We’ve been able to get high-quality data right away thanks to the court’s determination.”
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of hundreds of residents. Los Angeles County, Pasadena and Sierra Madre have also filed suit against the utility giant in the closely watched litigation that could mean billions of dollars in damage and liability.
Attorney Mikal Watts discusses evidence pointing to the cause of the Eaton fire during a news conference.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Flurry of inspections
The inspections began March 17 and are expected to continue for weeks.
Edison crews traveled to the site via helicopter last week and climbed the transmission towers to inspect different parts of the equipment. Law firms have also used camera-equipped drones to get a closer look.
Experts last week completed soil resistivity testing, looking at how the soil around the towers absorbs and reacts to the flow of electric current.
This week, an Edison spokesperson said crews would be conducting current injection testing on the lines, in which small amounts of electrical current are run on the transmission lines to test the circuit.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center burns during the Eaton fire.
(Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)
Unanswered questions
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Los Angeles County Fire Department are leading the investigation into the cause of the fire and have not said when they will issue their findings. Typically such investigations can take a year or more.
If tower M16T1 turns out to have been involved in the fire, it is not fully clear how it reenergized or whether Edison could have done more to prevent that from happening.
The company has disclosed abnormalities in its equipment.
Edison said in February that its lines over Eaton Canyon saw a momentary increase of electrical current about the same time as the fire began. In a filing to California regulators on Jan. 27, Edison said a fault occurred on the Eagle Rock-Gould line. The line connects to Edison’s Gould Substation, which is located about five circuit miles from the area where the fire started. The fault caused an increase of current across the company’s transmission lines.
Edison said in February that its lines over Eaton Canyon saw a momentary increase of electrical current about the same time as the Eaton fire began.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
More reading
Consumers
Edison customers are paying more for fire prevention. So why are there more fires?
Edison under scrutiny for Eaton fire. Who pays liability will be ‘new frontier’ for California
Lawsuits
Pasadena school district files lawsuit against Edison over Eaton fire damages
With billions at stake, lawyers pour into Altadena and race to courthouse
L.A. County sues Southern California Edison over Eaton fire
Investigations
Edison towers in the Altadena fire zone had known ‘ignition risk’ and needed repairs, records show
Altadena winds weren’t strong enough to warrant Edison shutting off transmission lines, CEO asserts
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