[Video from a gas station security camera shows what a new filing in a lawsuit alleges is the start of this month’s deadly Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area – electrical sparking at a utility transmission tower in the hilly Eaton Canyon area near the Altadena community.
The video was released Sunday by a law firm representing a woman whose house was destroyed by the fire and is suing Southern California Edison, the primary electrical utility for Los Angeles. The suit alleges SCE equipment caused the Eaton Fire, which has killed 17 people, injured nine firefighters, and damaged or destroyed 10,491 structures – making it the second-most destructive and fifth-most deadly wildfire in the state’s history – since it began January 7.
The video also is mentioned in a court filing from the firm Monday, asking a court to order SCE to preserve certain physical evidence the plaintiff alleges may show the cause of the sparking.
The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and no official cause has been determined.
SCE had said January 12 an analysis of four energized lines in the Eaton Canyon area showed “no interruptions or operational/electrical anomalies in the 12 hours prior to the fire’s reported start time until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire.”
But the video obtained by law firm Edelson PC shows what the firm believes was the start of the fire. The video from the gas station camera, which CNN verified is located at 1633 North Altadena Drive in Pasadena and points in the direction of the fire, shows what appear to be electrical sparks on power lines on the evening of January 7.
The video then jumps to a visual the edited version claims to be “ten minutes later,” but the earlier timestamp on the video is no longer visible because the video has been zoomed in. A fire is seen in the distance and a fire truck can be seen driving in the direction of the fire.
SCE agreed to keep some circuits de-energized unless they are instructed to power them on by California energy regulators, in which case SCE will give Edelson PC 48 hours notice.
In a Monday letter addressed to the California Public Utilities Commission, Paul Pimentel with SCE wrote, “SCE is reviewing the video further to assess any potential relation between the flashes shown in the video and SCE’s facilities in Eaton Canyon.”
The Los Angeles Times previously quoted an investigator with Cal Fire as saying the area around a hillside transmission tower was off limits because it was under investigation as “the start of the Eaton Fire.”
Other utilities that have been found liable for fires have paid high costs: Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest utility, filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after it was linked to a series of wildfires in California.
And a group of companies including Hawaiian Electric settled for $4 billion with residents for the businesses’ role in the 2023 Lahaina fire.
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