Southern California Edison acknowledged in a letter to California’s Public Utilities Commission that videos and data suggest a “possible link” between the Eaton Fire and the company’s equipment. The company asserted that the association between its equipment and the flames has not been confirmed.
“The Eaton Fire brought immense challenges and heartbreak to our community. SCE is undertaking a careful and thorough investigation and does not know what caused the ignition of the fire,” the company wrote. “While information and data have come to light, such as video from external parties of the fire’s early states, suggesting a possible link to SCE’s equipment, SCE has not identified typical or obvious evidence that would confirm this association.”
SCE said the investigation into the fire’s origins is ongoing.
“Preliminary analysis of electrical data for the four energies transmission lines that run through Eaton Canyon for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows that there were no faults on those lines until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire,” the letter adds.
Describing its ongoing review of the fire, SCE said the assessment is “complex because it is focused on potential causes that are rare and not those more typically observed in connection with ignitions associated with energized facilities, such as faults on the line where the ignition occurred, vegetation that comes in contact with lines or readily observable equipment failures.”
The company believes that its equipment may be connected to the Hurst Fire.
“In its report for the Hurst Fire, SCE states that the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the fire and has suggested SCE’s equipment caused the Hurst Fire,” SCE said in a recent news release. “The fire burned approximately 799 acres and was fully contained on Jan. 16, 2025. SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and SCE continues to cooperate with authorities.”
Several lawsuits accuse SCE of causing the major Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area.
