Power lines sparked new fires in L.A. after the Eaton fire began

The radio communications also indicate the utility company failed to respond quickly to multiple requests from firefighters to shut power off and sent confusing and sometimes incorrect information to first responders working on the Eaton Fire, which ultimately claimed 17 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages.

The new audio evidence comes after video and voltage data linked transmission towers operated by SoCal Edison to the fire’s initial start on Jan. 7 and multiple lawsuits have been filed that claim the company is liable for fire damages.

“I’d like to see if we can get Edison out and have them assess, see what we can do about cutting power to everything north of Sierra Madre from Baldwin Avenue all the way to the west,” said a firefighter just after midnight, on Jan. 8.

When high winds and dry conditions whip up a wildfire, power lines with electricity running through them can cause problems by sparking or falling down. Wildfires are also spread and fed by other natural causes, like flying embers. But live power lines are dangerous for first responders on the ground — and they can start new fires quickly.

“If they spark an arc, if the wind’s blowing that spark and hits palm fronds that are all dried out, that’ll start a fire quick, especially when the winds are blowing,” said Sheila Kelliher, a fire captain with the LA County Fire Department. “It’s all it takes.”

By the end of the day on Jan. 8, firefighters were asking SoCal Edison to shut power off to a second neighborhood — Altadena. Most of the 17 people who died in the Eaton Fire died there.

At around 10 p.m., weather conditions in Altadena were risky.

But despite the high danger, first responders indicated on radio traffic that SoCal Edison was not able to shut power off quickly in Altadena, either.

Michael Wara, an attorney and research scholar at Stanford University, said he was shocked to hear SoCal Edison didn’t respond quicker.

“Edison has a responsibility to be available to emergency responders in these contexts. And their emergency operations center was active,” Wara said. “And so it’s surprising that they would say that they cannot assist emergency responders during a situation like that.”

Some of the information regarding power shutoffs during the Eaton Fire should be public knowledge. Energy companies in California are supposed to submit reports to a state commission detailing when power was turned off to protect the public, and when it was turned back on. Those reports are required to be submitted within 10 days of the end of the shutoff — and one of the first Eaton Fire shutoffs started on Jan. 7.

Power lines lead to “new starts”

On the morning of Jan. 10, two days after the radio traffic showed that firefighters asked Edison to shut the power off in Altadena, firefighters reported electricity sparking on lines in the neighborhood.

Later that afternoon, another firefighter again noticed arcing lines in Altadena — and observed new fires breaking out near the fire’s perimeter.

“I got an emergent situation, right now looks like there is re-energizing power lines in the Zulu area, which is causing a lot of lines that are down to start arcing and we’re getting new starts over there,” the firefighter said. “Can you confirm with Edison if they are charging lines and if they are, we’ll need to stop for a bit?”

SoCal Edison’s staff and equipment aren’t the only reasons that power lines could have had electricity running through them. Some people use generators to power their homes. Those generators can re-energize lines if they’re incorrectly connected to power systems, and that’s what SoCal Edison told firefighters was happening.

Shortly after that message was sent, the radio traffic shows a fire started at a house on Lincoln Avenue — right inside the “Zulu” area where firefighters had just observed that the power was on.

The structure had downed wires on top of it, first responders stressed.

But it wasn’t the generators that were responsible for powering the lines.

“Copy, they being the residents with generators, correct?” another first responder asked.

“Negative, SoCal Edison, representative on the ground, troublemen have charged the lines,” the first firefighter answered. “They’re circuit testing.”

“Edison is accountable for making sure that there aren’t problems before they turn the power back on,” said Wara. “If you’ve got down lines and you re-energize the system, you’re going to start new fires, which is what the firefighters are describing.”