LOS ANGELES (AP) —
Lawsuits filed Monday claim utility facilities started one of two deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area, while some Pacific Palisades residents believe the other fire may have started when hurricane-force winds rekindled the remains of a fire extinguished on New Year’s Day.
Authorities have not determined an official cause for the fires, which erupted last Tuesday and left at least one person dead. 24 people. A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took the lead in the investigations.
Multiple lawsuits against Southern California Edison claim the utility’s equipment triggered the Eaton’s Deadly Fire burning near Pasadena. Edison acknowledged that fire departments were investigating whether his equipment could have started a much smaller fire in the Los Angeles area that broke out the same day.
The Eaton Fire destroyed at least 7,000 homes and other structures and ravaged entire neighborhoods. Lawyers representing homeowners who lost their homes said Monday they believe Edison’s equipment was the cause. Video taken during the first minutes of the fire shows a large fire directly under the power pylons.
“There is clear evidence from video footage, photographs and witness testimony that the fire was caused by electrical equipment operated by defendants Edison International and Southern California Edison,” according to a complaint filed on behalf of Evangeline Iglesias , resident of Altadena.
Gabriela Ornelas, a spokeswoman for Edison, said the utility was aware a complaint had been filed but had not yet reviewed it. “Our hearts remain with our communities during the devastating wildfires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them during this difficult time,” she said.
Last week, Edison filed a report with the California Public Utilities Commission regarding the Eaton fire, saying it had not received any suggestions that its equipment was involved in starting that fire. “SCE’s preliminary analysis of electrical circuit information from energized transmission lines passing through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than ‘one hour after the reported start time of the fire,’ the utility reported.
Edison also filed a brief with the Public Utilities Commission regarding the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles that started last Tuesday. The utility said “a fallen conductor was discovered in a tower” near where the fire broke out.
But the utility added that it “does not know whether the observed damage occurred before or after the fire started.” This fire burned more than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) and is now contained.
Meanwhile, a New Year’s Eve fire broke out in the same location as the Jan. 7 fire that ravaged Pacific Palisades to become the the most destructive in the history of the city of Los Angelesis a source of particular interest to residents who saw both fires.
Asked about speculation that remnants of the Jan. 1 fire reignited in Pacific Palisades, LAPD Deputy Chief Dominic Choi said Monday that no cause had been ruled out.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported a brush fire shortly after midnight on Jan. 1 in the Pacific Palisades area. The initial report called for 3 to 4 acres (1.2 to 1.6 hectares) of burning brush in 15 mph (24 km/h) winds. Helicopters and ground firefighters battled the fire, which grew to 8 acres (3 hectares), and it was reported under control less than five hours later, according to information posted on the department’s website.
Residents say the wind-driven fire that ravaged this community started in the same location as a fire started by a fireworks display just after midnight on New Year’s Day. Hurricane-force winds that day could have helped ignite the remaining embers. Authorities have not directly attributed the Jan. 1 fire to fireworks.
“I still think it’s so coincidental that it’s almost exactly the same place. The fireworks went off that night. The firefighters were there,” said Sue Pascoe, a resident who lost her home and runs the neighborhood news site Circling the News, which has been writing about the connection to the New Year’s Eve fire since early Jan. 7 .
Official investigations could take months, and with strong winds forecast again, the region is likely to see more fires, which could further complicate efforts to determine the cause.
Ginger Colbrun, a spokeswoman for the ATF, said it was too early to determine the cause of the Palisades fire. Colbrun said investigators conducted an initial assessment of the area Friday and began examining the scene Monday.
Robert Trinkkeller, a Pacific Palisades resident, said he saw the fire early on New Year’s Day and saw planes dropping water on it.
When he saw the fire break out on Jan. 7, Trinkkeller said he immediately thought it was related.
“In my opinion, this was a reactivation of a six-day-old fire,” he said. “It’s exactly the same place.”
___
Associated Press writer Amy Taxin contributed from Santa Ana, California.
