For the first time since the Eaton fire ignited Jan. 7, Southern California Edison and investigators for the victims next week will begin physically inspecting the equipment that more than 130 lawsuits allege sparked the deadly blaze.
The close-up inspections will include scaling three transmission towers and testing power lines under investigation for possible links to the fire’s origin, said Edison spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy. To date, the towers have only been inspected by drones.
Besides Edison investigators, electrical engineers representing the plaintiffs in the litigation — including Los Angeles County and the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre — will be collaborating in the inspection.
“It’s a huge step toward determining the mechanism of the fire,” said attorney Michael Artinian, one of the lawyers representing victims of the Eaton fire, which destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed 17 people. “We already have a lot of evidence to show the sparking that caused the fire, now we’re looking at the mechanism, the ‘how.’ “
Alexander Robertson, another attorney representing victims, said plaintiffs have been requesting access to Edison’s transmission towers and power lines since the fire occurred.
“It’s unfortunate that it took multiple court hearings to make this happen,” Robertson said.
Dunleavy responded: “We recognize that not all counsel is familiar with the complexity of utilities. It’s a complex business.”
The lawsuits point to eyewitness accounts, photographs and videos depicting arcing from Edison power lines and flames burning at the bottom of transmission towers. The suits contend that sparks from the lines or current from an exposed grounding wire made contact with the brush. They also criticize SCE for not deenergizing all the power lines in Eaton Canyon after the utility was warned days ahead that powerful winds were coming.
Edison has notified the Public Utilities Commission of irregularities in the system when it reenergized lines in the canyon, noting a “small flash of white light.”
A state and county investigation into the official cause of the fire is underway.
Much of the physical inspection will focus on three towers in the area where lawsuits allege the fire began, including one tower that was deenergized more than 50 years ago. One of the allegations is that the tower somehow became reenergized and triggered the fire.
In a news release, SCE said it does not anticipate having an immediate update following the upcoming inspection and testing, expecting its investigation will not be completed for several months.
The inspection announcement by SCE comes ahead of a court hearing Monday to set the protocol for preserving and providing evidence in the lawsuits. The court also is expected to appoint a trio of attorneys to act as liaisons between the court and more than 40 other law firms in the mass tort.
The firms are asking that the following lawyers be appointed as liaisons: Amanda L. Riddle of Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle; Gerald Singleton of Singleton Schreiber; and Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea Ravipudi.
SCE also announced Friday its efforts to rebuild the electrical system in the aftermath of the fierce windstorms that turned the Palisades and Eaton fires into hellscapes. SCE workers have set more than 1,860 poles, installed more than 690 transformers and strung at least 161 miles of power lines, officials said.
The utility said it also has expedited undergrounding projects and begun work to underground multiple sections of lines in Altadena and Malibu, where permits have been approved and projects were already engineered.