Facing growing scrutiny over whether one of its transmission towers sparked the Eaton Fire, Southern California Edison said this week that a camp was discovered about 300 yards downstream from the tower in Eaton Canyon.
Edison has not directly linked the camp to the possible cause of the fire, and prosecutors have expressed deep doubt that it played a role in the blaze that burned more than 7,000 homes and killed 17 people.
But the revelation underscores the high intrigue as California Department of Forestry and fire protection investigators try to pinpoint the cause of the fire.
There are zero fire department officials Transmission tower in Eaton CanyonResidents told the Times they saw the initial flames of the fire at the base of the tower. initial Photos and video The first flames of the fire, captured by several residents, confirm that they burned below the tower, before running down the valley and exploding embers that destroyed hundreds of houses.
Edison said it did not believe its equipment caused the fire. It's unclear when the investigation will conclude and what potential evidence Cal Fire is examining.
In a letter to plaintiff attorneys reviewed by The Times, Edison said the camp contained two fire rings, food and the remains of a tent.
“The camp appears to have been occupied shortly before the Eaton fire was ignited,” says the letter, obtained by The Times.
Utility officials found pieces of metal and debris near power towers on Eaton Canyon, according to the letter.
Analysts for Southern California Edison, as well Law Firms Suing Utility CompanyEaton was allowed to examine the fire site last week, but both sides have pointed to different possibilities as to how the fire may have been sparked.
Attorneys representing residents who filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison allege witnesses saw the tower bent over just minutes before the fire. More than 20 lawsuits have been filed against the utility company, saying video and images suggest the fire was caused by Southern California Edison's electrical equipment.
Attorneys for three companies representing residents who have sued Southern California Edison separately rejected the idea that the camp had anything to do with the fire.
“This has nothing to do with that homeless camp,” said Alexander Robertson, whose firm has filed a lawsuit to represent several Altadena residents whose homes were destroyed.
Richard Bridgford of Robertson & Associates LLP, also suing, said the camp's distance to the suspected start of the fire was more than the equivalent of three football fields and therefore unlikely to have played a role.
“I think that's neither here nor there,” he said. “I honestly believe this is very misinformation.”
Investigators with Cal Fire have cordoned off a large section of Eaton Canyon to investigate the start of the fire. Correspondents from The Times saw investigators focusing their attention A power tower, Video showed the first flames of the fire burning at its base.
The area opened Jan. 16 and has since been inspected by Southern California Edison officials and investigators hired by law firms that have filed lawsuits against the utility.
Ali Moghadas, a partner at Edelson PC who filed the suit, has called the investigation a distraction.
“Unfortunately, SoCal Edison has the same 'look over there!' Arguments we often see from applications in these cases,” Mogadas said in an email.
Gerald Singleton, an attorney with the firm Singleton Schreiber, said investigators hired by his firm zeroed in on the fire being caused by electrical equipment and that the firm's investigators noted signs similar to bent signs on the tower.
“It's an electrical fire, or a cause that we haven't seen before,” Singleton said.
Bridgford also noted possible signs of its investigator bending over the tower.
Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokeswoman for Southern California Edison, said the company's inspections of its equipment so far have found no signs of arcing.
“We certainly hope people don't make premature decisions,” he said.
Many companies have also demanded that the power lines be taken down from Edison's towers.
If bending occurs, the wires will often show damage in the aluminum fibers of the wire, Robertson said. His company and others asked Edison to reduce the wires for inspection because they could not be inspected from the ground or by drone.
Robertson said the company has told his company that arrangements to cut the wires could take months, a prospect he called “unacceptable.”
Earlier this week, A The judge ordered Southern California Edison To preserve data and equipment on the origin of the Eaton fire. Edison, in court filings challenging the order, said the company was already informing prosecutors and securing equipment and evidence surrounding a 1-square-mile area of suspicious origin and evidence in East Altadena.
