Staggering new video shows Eaton Fire igniting — before quickly exploding into massive inferno

Bombshell video shows flashes from an old Southern California Edison transmission line at the origin of the deadly Eaton Fire, providing the clearest look yet at what may have happened in the moments before the blaze erupted.

The newly surfaced footage, obtained by ABC7 Eyewitness News from the Gerrish Swim & Tennis Club in Pasadena, shows two bright bangs near an electrical tower carrying a century-old, inactive line.

According to newly filed court documents, they occurred at 6:11 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025 — the same time Edison reported two electrical faults on a separate transmission line located more than five miles away.

The surveillance video also captures the powerful winds battering the area that night.

Attorneys representing Altadena homeowners argue in court filings that the flashes originated from Southern California Edison equipment near where the Eaton Fire is believed to have started.

The footage shows how the fire rapidly spread from the area where they occurred.

The attorneys contend the video provides new evidence supporting claims that Edison equipment played a role in igniting the deadly wildfire.

“Southern California Edison has spent the last 16 months attempting to forestall the inevitable legal consequences of razing a large swath of the communities of Altadena and Pasadena to the ground,” the attorneys wrote in the filing.

Property insurers have blamed Southern California Edison for causing the fire and are seeking to hold the utility responsible for millions of dollars in damages paid out to residents. Edison has not accepted responsibility for the fire.

“This idle line is being investigated, and it is part of the broader analysis into determining what happened around the start of the Eaton Fire. Edison has been committed, through its own investigation and in working with authorities, to getting to the bottom of this and helping the Altadena community recover and rebuild.

“We established the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program,” Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for the utility, told the news station.

The Trump administration sued Edison last year, alleging the utility was responsible for sparking the Eaton and Fairview fires and seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages.

The Eaton Fire killed at least 19 people, destroyed more than 9,000 structures, and burned more than 14,000 acres, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in Southern California history.

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