SoCal Edison reports fault on "distant line" before Eaton Fire in letter to state regulators
As authorities continue their investigation into the Eaton Fire, Southern California Edison said that their analysis found a "fault" on a line at least five miles away from the preliminary ignition point.
"Our preliminary analysis found no faults on the transmission lines that run through the canyon," SCE spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy said after a Glendale press conference Monday morning. "On a deeper analysis into more distant lines, we did identify a fault."
SoCal Edison found that there was a fault detected on the line between the Eagle Rock and Gould substations, according to a new California Public Utilities Commission filing submitted on Jan. 27. The Gould substation is "five circuit miles" away from the preliminary ignition area, while the Eagle Rock substation is "12 circuit miles away," according to the CPUC report from SoCal Edison.
In the CPUC report, the utility company said the Eagle Rock-Gould fault caused a "momentary and expected increase in current" in its system. Since its "transition system is networked," the current increase was detected on the four energized lines connected to two transmission towers near the Eaton Fire origin area.
However, it "remained within the design limits and operating criteria for these circuits and, as intended, did not trigger system protection on these lines."
In its incident report sent to the CPUC on Jan. 12, SoCal Edison disputed the claim that its equipment started the fire, citing "no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire."
"To date, no fire agency has suggested that SCE's electric facilities were involved in the ignition or requested the removal and retention of any SCE equipment," SoCal Edison wrote in its report from Jan. 12.
In the latest CPUC letter, SoCal Edison said it collected metal items found near the Eaton Canyon towers and items from "an encampment located approximately 300 yards downhill from the towers." They said they are preserving the evidence at a secure location.
Southern California Edison has agreed to preserve more electrical equipment that is miles away from where investigators believe the Eaton Fire started, following a court hearing between the utility company and attorneys representing those affected by the fire.
"We were forced to file an emergency order with this judge," attorney Ali Moghaddas said following the Monday morning hearing. "Thankfully, this judge agreed with us."
The filing from Edelson PC, Moghaddas' firm, expands upon last week's ruling that ordered SoCal Edison to preserve equipment within one square mile west of Eaton Canyon, where fire investigators believe the wildfire started. The utilities will preserve the equipment for 21 days starting Monday.
"They now have to preserve over six miles worth of equipment that we believe is involved in this fire," Moghaddas said.
The weekend before the new CPUC letter, Edelson released security camera video from an Altadena gas station that they claim shows electrical arcing and sparking on an SCE tower on Jan. 7 at 6:11 p.m., seven minutes before the California Department of Forestry and Fire believes the Eaton Fire started.
Dunleavy said on Monday the company became aware of the surveillance video on Saturday, a day before the New York Times published an article on Jan. 26. The company said it will review the footage "to assess any potential relation between the flashes shown in the video and SCE's facilities in Eaton Canyon."
"While our preliminary investigation uncovered no obvious damage to SCE's facilities, based in part upon this new video and statement made by plaintiffs' counsel claiming damage, we continue to assess the condition of our equipment in Eaton Canyon," the company stated in the CPUC letter.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is leading the investigation with help from several agencies, including Cal Fire. They have not determined what caused the fire and the investigation remains ongoing.
