Electrical fault miles from start of Eaton Fire, report says

Southern California Edison on Monday informed the California Public Utilities Commission that it had recorded an abnormal energy current between power lines miles from the Eaton fire origin. The report comes as the utility faces at least two lawsuits alleging it bears some responsibility for sparking the fire on Jan. 7. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire, according to the report.

While Edison wrote that its facilities did not show any damage, it planned to continue an internal assessment of the condition of its equipment in Eaton Canyon. The company said it is continuing to investigate whether flashes of light seen in surveillance footage were connected to the fire’s ignition. The Eaton wildfire, now 98% contained, destroyed just over 14,000 acres and killed at least 17 people, according to the filing update. 

What kind of malfunction did the company record? Edison noted that there were three transmission towers in the area where investigators believe the fire started. The utility company wrote that the only electrical current abnormality recorded within 12 hours of the fire’s ignition happened at substations at least five miles from the origin area. However, because Edison runs a networked transmission system, the abnormal current recorded miles away from Eaton caused a brief rise in current transmission on lines within the origin area, the report explained. However, the company insisted that the increased current levels were still considered to be within a safe limit, and system protections were not triggered. Edison said it will continue to work with investigators and to comply with court orders on evidence collection but insisted there is still no proof that company equipment caused the fire.

Dig deeper: Read my report on local Christians responding to the Los Angeles area wildfires.