On January 19, nearly two weeks after the Eton fire broke out near Altadena, California, engineers in Southern California began testing electrical equipment near the origin of the flame. They soon noticed that a small white flash of light would appear on the high-voltage transmission line when power was restored. This indicates that the system is functioning abnormally.
The incident is one of several fraudulent activities that Edison is reviewing while investigating the electrical system in the wake of a fatal fire, and the president of Edison International, the parent company of Edison in Southern California. Pedro J. Pizzarro, both CEO, said in an interview Wednesday. .
He warned that the findings were part of the utility's ongoing investigation and did not provide conclusive evidence as to whether the broken electrical equipment lit the flames.
However, flashes similar to those captured on nearby video of electrical equipment just before the fire broke out on January 7th, to an increasing pool of evidence that links usefulness to the potential origin of the fire. Added and killed 17 people. Over 9,400 homes and businesses have been destroyed.
It may take several months for the official cause to be determined, but if Edison is found to be negligent, how the victim will be compensated, and the state's second largest investor It could have drastic consequences as to how utilities, which are owned utilities, are compensated. , continues to operate.
“We don't know why the Eaton Wildfire is still unknown, but SCE is investigating all possible investigations, including the possibility that SCE equipment may have been involved,” Pizzaro said.
Edison submitted his latest findings in a report to the state regulator on Thursday.
Edison said in another filing Thursday that the equipment could also be linked to the Hearst Fire. This began on the same day as the Eaton Fire, burning about 800 acres in the Silmer area of northern Altadena.
Critics of the utility are wondering why it took so long to comprehensively see the cause of the Etonfire. They added that the growing evidence suggested that utility shareholders should be forced to cover the costs of damages caused by the flame.
“We're looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Jamie Court president, president of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group representing taxpayers and consumers. “I don't know how they couldn't put two together and two together.”
A California Public Utilities Commission spokesperson said the agency did not determine the cause of the wildfire, but after it was determined that it was liable to cause the fire, he confirmed whether the utility violated a rule or regulation. I stated.
Utility equipment is the source of some of California's most deadly and devastating wildfires. After a series of flames in the northern part of the state, including the camp fire that killed 85 people and destroyed a paradise town in 2018, the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy.
For much of the past decade, California has been able to move wires that the state's investor-owned utilities move underground, set up weather stations to track storms, and even deliberately power its customers. It has worked to reduce outdoor fires in electrical equipment by demanding reductions. During a dangerous situation.
Edison began reviewing the data after the Eton fire, and found that the system was tense from the 100 miles of wind that night, but initially, a direct suggestion that the equipment is broken. No evidence was found.
The utility has since expanded its internal investigation after the New York Times released a video recorded outside an Alco petrol station in Altadena, which captured a flash in the area of the Eton Canyon Transmission Tower, where the fire began on January 7th . – 6:10pm, then three more seconds later – before the flames leapt under the tower.
“After watching the video, we went back and said, 'Hey, is there anything we don't understand here, and should we go back to the crease?” Pizzaro said.
The timing of the two flashes coincided with data released by Whisker Labs, a Maryland technology company. The Maryland Technology Company is a Maryland Technology Company that helps predict and prevent home fires. The electrical destruction was so strong that the sensors registered faults as far away as Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon.
Edison said he is considering several factors that he initially considered not related to the Eton Canyon fire. fire.
Pizzaro said it seemed a mystery, the electrical issues so far from the origins of the fire would play a role in igniting it.
The utility is considering whether an inactive transmission line could have sparked if a nearby electrification device turned the line into energy. Pizzaro said he jumped from one location to another and found that there were signs of damage to the arc as the lines flashed dangerously and sparked. However, he added, it is unclear whether the damage occurred before or after the fire.
“What else has happened in the system?” Pizzaro said. “What else can I put together to link a series of events together and link them?”
That led the utility to the January 19 incident when field workers tested four transmission lines in Eton Canyon. These lines had been blocked a week ago to prevent more fires, but that was after the first flame had already destroyed much of the Altadena.
As a precautionary measure on the afternoon of January 7, Edison cut power to some customers in the area. However, the cutoff only included three distribution circuits connecting Kinneloa Mesa, a community of about 1,000 residents on the east side of Eton Canyon.
Edison considers cutting off the power of the power line when the wind reaches 68-90 mph, depending on other weather conditions.
Even if the wind reached about 100 mph, none of the high-voltage transfer lines near Altadena were blocked, nor were there any low-voltage distribution lines on the west side of the canyon, where over 42,000 people lived.
The discovery that Edison's equipment caused the Eton fire could have implications for the way victims are compensated for their losses. Verisk, an analytics company, estimates economic losses of up to $10 billion from the Eaton fire.
That amount of responsibility could put a strain on Edison's resources. The utility has already faced dozens of lawsuits from victims of the Eton fire.
“We understand that our community wants answers and are committed to a thorough and transparent investigation,” Pizzaro said. He added that 19 of the company's employees were lost in the fire.
As a result of the fire and potential liability, Edison's shares have lost more than a third of its value since the fire that destroyed Altadena on January 7th. Edison's shares traded at around $51.25 on Thursday afternoon, down 2% that day.
