A California utility, Southern California Edison, has disclosed that its equipment may have been the cause of a small wildfire in Los Angeles known as the Hurst Fire. This revelation came on the same day as two massive blazes in the area that resulted in the loss of at least 29 lives and the destruction of numerous homes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department is currently investigating the origin of the Hurst Fire and Southern California Edison has stated that it believes its equipment could be linked to the ignition of the blaze. The utility emphasized that without additional evidence, it suspects its equipment's involvement in the Hurst Fire.
In a separate filing, Southern California Edison is also examining the possibility that an idle transmission line might have been energized, potentially leading to the deadly Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena on January 7. However, the utility maintains that there is currently no concrete evidence to suggest that its equipment triggered the Eaton Fire.
While cooperating with investigators, Southern California Edison acknowledged last month that fire agencies are looking into whether its equipment played a role in starting the Hurst Fire, which burned approximately 1.25 square miles around the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Regarding the Eaton Fire, the utility is reviewing a video that allegedly shows electrical arcing near the fire's origin point. Although a preliminary investigation found no evidence of arcing, some damage was discovered on related equipment. Southern California Edison is in the process of comparing pre- and post-fire photographs to determine when the damage occurred.
Despite facing multiple lawsuits claiming its equipment sparked the Eaton Fire, Southern California Edison maintains that it is premature to definitively attribute the fire to its equipment. The utility stated that it has not observed typical indicators such as broken conductors, fresh arc marks, or evidence of faults on the energized lines in the area.
The Eaton Fire, which claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals, was fully contained last week. Additionally, full containment was achieved for the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes that resulted in the destruction of thousands of homes and the loss of at least 12 lives.
