The activity swirls around Edison Towers in search of a cause of the late Eaton

South of California Edison Crews is on the level of high electric towers, testing the floor nearby and taking close images of electrical equipment, the last detailed exam to determine exactly what triggered the disastrous Eaton fire.

It will probably take more months for a final determination of what caused the fire. But Edison has been under surveillance from the first day because residents have seen and filmed flames that burn near the transmission lines when the fire started on January 7.

The wave of activity on the fire site comes in the middle of a growing number of prosecution brought against Edison by residents as well as public agencies. Edison said he was cooperating on a state investigation.

Concentrate on the cause

The objective for investigators, southern California Edison and dozens of prosecutions that have been filed against the public service company were around three transmission towers overlooking Eaton Canyon, where resident videos caught the first burning flames.

In particular, one of the three laps which has been inactive for over 50 years, but in a way re -ventilated the day the fire started was a center of attention.

A trial brought by the applicant’s lawyers has focused on the Edison M16T1 tower. No electricity has been directed through the sons of the tower for over 50 years, but the complainants claim that the M16T1 tower was somehow reconstituted on January 7, perhaps aroused fire. The blackened marks and other signs of damage to the steel structure suggest that the arc has occurred, sending electricity through the equipment that was not used, according to their trial.

South of California Edison Crews works with the County Fire Service to inspect the towers and other electrical equipment.

“This is part of our commitment to an in-depth and transparent investigation,” said Kathleen Dunleavy, spokesperson for Edison. “We are working to analyze potential and relevant data points with the help of third -party experts.”

More data, more questions

Lawyers who brought an action against Edison said that they had also received data from the company that could clarify how electrical equipment in the region, and three laps in Eaton Canyon, behaved before, during and after the start of the fire on January 7.

This includes thousands of videos and images of the electrical equipment.

But officials said that inspections, tests and laboratory analysis could still take weeks and analysis to determine what started the fire could still take longer.

Edison, in collaboration with several law firms that filed a complaint, conducts tests as part of a judicial approval protocol.

“Forest disputes are both a sprint and a marathon,” said Eli Wade-Scott, partner of Edelson PC, one of the companies representing hundreds of residents who have filed a complaint in an email. “We were able to obtain high quality data immediately thanks to the determination of the court.”

Dozens of prosecutions have been filed on behalf of hundreds of residents. The County of Los Angeles, Pasadena and Sierra Madre also brought an action against the giant of public services in the closely watched dispute which could mean billions of dollars of damage and responsibility.

Inspection flurry

Inspections started on March 17 and should continue for weeks.

Edison Crews went to the site via the helicopter last week and climbed the transmission towers to inspect different parts of the equipment. Lawyers have also used drones equipped with cameras to look more closely.

This week’s experts should carry out soil resistivity tests, examining how the soil around the towers absorbs and reacts to the flow of electric current.

Unanswered questions

The Forestry department and California fire protection and the Los Angeles County Fire Service are investigating the cause of the fire and did not say when they issue their conclusions. As a rule, such surveys can take a year or more.

If the M16T1 tower turns out to have been involved in the fire, it is not entirely clear how it re -engaged and if Edison could have done more to prevent it.

The company has disclosed anomalies in its equipment.

Edison said in February that his lines on Eaton Canyon had seen a momentary increase in electric current at the same time as the fire started. In a file with California regulators on January 27, Edison said that a fault had occurred on the Eagle Rock-Gould range at around five miles from the area where the fire started and caused an increase in the current through the company’s transmission lines.

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