Electric utility admits its equipment likely started one of California’s wildfires


The California wildfires were driven by gusting winds and extremely dry conditions

Julia Musto
in New York
Thursday 06 February 

One of California’s largest utility companies said Thursday that its equipment had likely sparked one of the wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last month.

The fire broke out on January 7, the same day that the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires took the lives of at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.


The Hurst fire, which spread over nearly 800 acres was put out more than a week after its start, but did not destroy any structures or result in any deaths.

The admission by Southern California Edison came in a required filing with California utility regulators.

A request for comment from the utility was not immediately returned.


open image in galleryCalifornia utility Southern California Edison said Thursday that its equipment had likely sparked one of the wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last month (Middle East Images/AFP via Getty)

The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started the Hurst fire, which scorched about 1.25 square miles around the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.

“Absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst fire,” Thursday’s filing said.

In a second filing, the utility said it is also looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton fire, which devastated Altadena.


However, it still maintains there’s no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that fire.


open image in galleryMultiple California wildfires scorched tens of thousands of acres of Southern California last month. They fires resulted in the deaths of at least 29 people (Getty Images)

A new video claimed to show the start of that 14,000-acre blaze, which lawyers suing the utility said indicated the start after “an apparent arc on SoCal Edison lines.” But, a spokesperson for the utility told The Independent in January that it is “premature” for anyone to comment on the video until experts complete a review.


Numerous wildfires started in the region in January, fueled by the dangerous Santa Ana winds reaching hurricane-force speeds. The fires were also worsened by the impacts of climate change. The region hadn’t seen rain in months before the fires.

“All the pieces were in place for a wildfire disaster – low rainfall, a build-up of tinder-dry vegetation, and strong winds,” Park Williams, a professor of geography at UCLA, explained in a statement provided by the group World Weather Attribution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report