By CHRISTOPHER WEBER | Associated PRess
LOS ANGELES — A California utility said Thursday that its equipment likely sparked a wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
The admission by Southern California Edison over its likely role in the Hurst Fire, which did not destroy any structures or result in any deaths, came in a required filing with state utility regulators.
The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started the Hurst Fire, which scorched about 1.25 square miles (3.2 square km) around the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“Absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire,” Thursday’s filing said.
In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which devastated Altadena. But it still maintains there’s no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze.
The Eaton Fire, which killed at least 17 people, was fully contained last week. Full containment was also reached on the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 12 people.