Is this what started the LA wildfires? Fresh footage shows power line 'sparking' near origin of Eaton blaze
28 January 2025, 08:42 | Updated: 28 January 2025, 08:50
Fresh footage has shown a power line appearing to spark near the origin of the Eaton Fire in LA.
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At least 17 people died in the Eaton Fire, which broke out near Altadena just after 6pm on January 7.
The fire, which spread across 14,021 acres, is now 99 per cent contained but an official cause behind the fires is expected to take months to determine.
However, evidence has begun to emerge suggesting the fire started in dry grasses below a set of transmission towers carrying high-energy power lines.
Strong winds, which reached 100mph, meant the fires spread rapidly once they began.
Footage from a surveillance camera at a petrol station less than a mile south of the towers showed a flash of light in the distance.
Just moments later the hillside went up in flames.
Read more: Blues Brothers actress, 95, dies trapped in home as devastating LA wildfires left ‘everything gone’
Iglesias v. Southern California Edison Company, LASC Case No.: 25NNCV00200
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On Sunday, one of the law firms suing Southern California Edison, which owns the transmission towers, released the video.
A spokesperson for Edison said the company received the video the night before but insisted that an investigation had to be completed before the cause of the fire was determined.
"It's premature to comment or for anyone to draw conclusions until experts can fully review the video," they said.
They said they did not believe their equipment was responsible for the fire, with inspections so far showing no signs of arcing or power anomalies.
Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have refused to comment on their findings so far.
Jay Edelson, founder of the law firm suing Edison, said in a statement: "This is the clearest and most damning evidence yet - real-time video from a gas station security camera showing Southern California Edison’s power lines igniting the fire.
"It’s only by sheer luck this footage exists."
Edison previously said that distribution lines immediately west of Eaton Canyon had been de-energised well before the fire started.
However, it also has transmission lines on the east side of the canyon which remained powered.
