Southern California Edison faces scrutiny over its role in the devastating Altadena fire, with residents pointing to footage showing flames erupting near one of the company's transmission towers. While Edison maintains its data shows no abnormalities, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
The head of Southern California Edison stated on Wednesday that the winds present in Eaton Canyon on January 7th were not sufficiently strong to warrant de-energizing a high-power electrical transmission line, which is currently under investigation as a possible ignition source for a devastating fire that ravaged a large section of Altadena.
Residents residing near Eaton Canyon reported witnessing flames erupting at the base of the tower as the fire commenced, capturing photographs and videos of the scene. Over the weekend, investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were stationed at the tower, declaring the area off-limits due to its involvement in the investigation into the fire's origin. Steven Powell, the Chief Executive, reaffirmed in an interview with The Times the company's stance that their data indicated no abnormalities in the 12 hours preceding the ignition of the Eaton fire. The National Weather Service had issued warnings about life-threatening and destructive winds for the day the fire broke out in both Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Powell stated that Edison was diligently monitoring the weather conditions on January 7th but emphasized that the winds did not reach the threshold the company employs for de-energizing transmission lines. Typically, winds exceeding 60 to 80 mph would prompt Edison to consider de-energizing transmission lines, Powell added, explaining that the readings observed by Edison were lower than this threshold.The Eaton fire was first reported shortly after 6:11 p.m. Around 6 p.m., the weather service recorded wind gusts of 59 mph at Edison's Eaton Canyon monitoring site, located at the southern end of Eaton Canyon Park near the intersection of New York and Altadena drives. Weather service data revealed higher gusts recorded at that site both before and after: 63 mph at 2:20 p.m. and 70 mph at 9:30 p.m. The precise wind readings at the tower, situated in the hills of the canyon, remain unclear. Transmission lines, as the more powerful component of the electrical grid compared to distribution lines, transport higher voltage at greater speeds. Distribution lines, typically wooden poles, directly serve neighborhoods and residents. The towers in the area were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, and both the lines and towers underwent their most recent inspection in 2024. 'We conduct aerial inspections using either helicopters or, more commonly, drones,' Powell stated, 'because you can get up close and obtain clear images of every detail. Subsequently, our inspectors examine them on the ground using binoculars.
Eaton Canyon Fire Southern California Edison Wildfire Investigation Transmission Lines Wind Damage
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