Energy giant Edison International is under investigation over a potential link to one of the wildfires currently devastating Los Angeles. Southern California Edison, a subsidiary of the company, admitted that its grid experienced a short circuit just after 10 pm on Tuesday when a tower collapsed – coinciding with the outbreak of the Hurst Fire.
The company found faulty electrical equipment at a transmission tower in Eagle Rock/Sylmar and stated the malfunction occurred around the same time as the fire. Over 60,000 Californians are still without power according to PoweroutageUS.
The Hurst fire, one of three fires still raging in California, is at 89 percent containment.
Amid new evacuation orders, the Palisades blaze has turned into a ‘fire tornado’ as flames expand east. Southern California Edison has admitted that the fallen electrical equipment ‘coincided’ with the Hurst Fire outbreak.
However, it remains uncertain whether the power line fell before or after the fire started, and investigations are ongoing. As of Saturday afternoon, the Hurst Fire, which has devastated approximately 800 acres, was reported to be about 76 percent contained, reports the Mirror US.
Despite Edison’s uncertainty about the timing of the fallen power line, Bob Marshall, CEO of Whisker Labs, another company that monitors electrical activity, told Fox News that the firm noticed a spike in faults hours before the Eaton, Palisades, and Hurst Fires. Marshall clarified that the data suggests power was not immediately disconnected as faults escalated.
The situation on the West Coast has escalated, with the suggestion that tree branches grazing against wires or wires swaying in the wind and coming into contact might have sparked the issue. However, ongoing investigations have yet to determine an official cause, as confirmed by officials.
A recent aerial photo shows the catastrophic scale of destruction in the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, with burned-out buildings resembling a ‘war zone.’
California’s significant blazes have claimed 16 lives so far and razed over 10,000 structures.
The genesis of the wind-fueled fire was pinpointed behind a residence on Piedra Morada Drive, perched above a densely forested ravine. Initially, the potential role of utility lines was cast aside.
Whenever utilities detect “electric incidents potentially associated with a wildfire,” they must report to the California Public Utilities Commission, clarified a spokesperson for the commission.
The CPUC team is on the case, probing into potential breaches of state regulations. Southern California Edison initially told regulators on Friday that there was no evidence to suggest their equipment sparked the blaze.
But after a nudge from lawyers representing insurers, they changed their tune and submitted an early incident report to the CPUC as a cautionary step. “Preliminary analysis by SCE of electrical circuit information for the energized transmission lines going through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire,” the utility declared in its filing.
