Power lines sparked new fires in LA after the Eaton Fire began, radio traffic shows

Days after the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles first ignited, firefighters observed that power lines operated by Southern California Edison were live and starting new fires, first responder radio traffic obtained by NPR reveals.

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.

The Eaton Fire took more than three weeks to fully contain, burning 14,000 acres and more than 10,000 structures. NPR downloaded and analyzed almost 100 hours of radio traffic between firefighters responding to the Eaton Fire from broadcastify.com, a live audio streaming platform. The audio suggests SoCal Edison's work in affected areas during the fire played a role in slowing down firefighting efforts.

"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.

The Sierra Madre location the firefighter was referring to was located below the perimeter of the Eaton Fire that morning, a firefighter operations map obtained by NPR shows. But SoCal Edison wasn't able to turn the power off there right away.

"I just met with Edison's reps. They're not going to be able to guarantee shutdown in here," a firefighter radioed at 1:05 a.m., about seven hours after the Eaton Fire first started. "They're short on manpower, so we're just going to have to treat everything as live and be heads up."

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.

"The combination of low humidity, dry fuels, and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion," firefighters wrote in an incident report obtained by NPR.

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.

"From our SoCal Edison contact, these wires are to be considered energized, even wires that are down," a firefighter in Altadena confirmed at 10:47 p.m. on the radio channel. "They currently do not have a plan to mitigate this issue tonight, they are looking at handling this tomorrow morning."

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."

SoCal Edison declined NPR's request for an interview. Over the phone, a spokesperson, Kathleen Dunleavy, said the company was "adequately staffed for the event."

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.

But the website that publicly displays those reports does not include any from SoCal Edison about the Eaton Fire, NPR found. "That's because we haven't filed them yet," confirmed Dunleavy, the company spokesperson.

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.

"Eaton operations, reports of down power lines, arcing behind 1946 Altadena Drive," a firefighter radioed at around 9:30 a.m.

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.

"Just got off the phone with Edison," a firefighter radioed at 2:23 p.m. "They have confirmed they are not re-energizing anything and he has confirmed that people are using generators to repower themselves."

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.

"Just confirmed with Edison units on the ground, these lines are live. They have recharged the lines," a firefighter said at 2:53 p.m.

"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."

SoCal Edison's CEO, Pedro Pizarro, has said the company is looking into the possibility that its equipment was involved with starting the Eaton Fire. But the audio communications NPR unearthed indicate there was also a breakdown in protocol regarding action after a wildfire begins, Wara said.

"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."

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