Electrical tower a focus as Eaton Fire's potential origin after video clues emerge
When the first flashes of fire and billows of smoke grabbed the attention of people living in the foothills of Eaton Canyon in Los Angeles County, residents recorded videos of the same cluster of transmission towers high on the chaparral-covered hillside, illuminated by flames.
When the first flashes of fire and billows of smoke grabbed the attention of people living in the foothills of Eaton Canyon in Los Angeles County, residents recorded videos of the same cluster of transmission towers high on the chaparral-covered hillside, illuminated by flames.
California fire officials pinpointed the start of the Eaton Fire on the evening of Jan. 7 to that area, but more than a week later, the exact source remains under investigation, fueling speculation over whether a high-voltage transmission tower is what set off the deadly wildfire.
"I still see the fire investigators right now, crawling up there around the poles," said Brendan Thorn, 28, who recalled witnessing flames at the tower's base and stayed behind at his Pasadena home while his family fled.
Electrical transmission lines after the Eaton Fire in the hills above Altadena, Calif., on Monday.Benjamin Fanjoy / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSo far, at least three lawsuits filed on behalf of people living in the ravaged communities of Altadena and Pasadena blame Southern California Edison, accusing it of failing to de-energize all of its power equipment and clear the dense brush along the steep canyon prone to igniting.
In interviews this week, the chief executive of Southern California Edison's parent company said that while power distribution lines that serve homes were de-energized about two hours before the Eaton Fire started, the transmission lines in Eaton Canyon were not shut off because those towers are stronger and can operate at heavier winds. Gusts in the region that evening approached 100 mph.
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