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Southern California Edison said video evidence had led it to look more broadly at whether its equipment might have been the cause of the deadly blaze.
By Ivan Penn
Ivan Penn covers energy and has reported extensively on the role power companies have played in previous devastating California wildfires.
Feb. 6, 2025Updated 2:03 p.m. ET
On Jan. 19, almost two weeks after the Eaton fire broke out near Altadena, Calif., technicians for Southern California Edison began testing electrical equipment near the origin of the blaze. They soon noticed small white flashes appearing on high-voltage transmission lines when power was being restored — signs that the system was functioning abnormally.
The incident is one of several irregularities that Edison has been reviewing as it examines its electrical system in the wake of the deadly fire, Pedro J. Pizarro, president and chief executive of Edison International, Southern California Edison’s parent company, said in an interview Wednesday.
He cautioned that the findings were part of the utility’s ongoing investigation and did not provide any conclusive evidence about whether faulty electrical equipment had ignited the blaze.
But the flashes, which could be similar to ones captured on video near electrical equipment just moments before the fire broke out on Jan. 7, add to a growing pool of evidence linking the utility to the possible origin of the fire, which killed 17 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses.
It may take months for an official cause to be determined, but if Edison is found to be at fault, it could have sweeping consequences for how victims will be compensated — as well as how the utility, the state’s second largest investor-owned utility, continues to operate.
“While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE’s equipment was involved,” Mr. Pizarro said.
