Power lines near the Eaton fire needed ‘ignition risk’ repairs, records show
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Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- ‘Ignition risk’ repairs were needed on the power lines suspected in Eaton fire.
- The University of California orders a hiring freeze and cuts in response to Trump threats.
- One of Mexico City’s best restaurants is popping up in downtown L.A.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
Edison knew some towers were fire hazards, records show
Southern California Edison initially reported that its early analysis showed “no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies” in its equipment above Altadena until more than an hour after the deadly Eaton fire started on Jan. 7.
Later that month, Edison told state regulators that power lines over Eaton Canyon saw a surge in current just before the fire was first reported. The utility stated that a fault in a line about five miles away sent the increased current.
This week, my colleague Connor Sheets reports on company records he uncovered that show towers on three lines currently being eyed by fire investigators were considered a potential “ignition risk” and long overdue for repairs.
“Edison data reviewed by The Times show that as of Dec. 31, the utility had 94 open work orders along the three lines, portions of which run past the northern edge of Altadena and through Eaton Canyon,” Connor wrote this week in his Times subscriber exclusive. “The orders were for a range of tasks, including clearing vegetation that could potentially ignite, fixing damaged or broken insulators, replacing loose connectors and doing tower repairs.”
Ignition risk was noted in nearly three dozen of the orders, according to the records, which were filed to the state.
This new evidence comes as state investigators work to determine the cause of the Eaton fire, even as Edison faces allegations in court.
The utility is facing dozens of lawsuits over the fire — including one from Los Angeles County — as officials and residents blame Edison’s equipment for sparking the blaze, which killed 17 people and destroyed about 9,000 homes in Altadena.
Some point to a decommissioned line as the possible culprit
Three Edison power lines run through Eaton Canyon near Altadena. Two were active and the other was decommissioned in 1971, Connor reported.
But it’s that third line, the Mesa-Sylmar line, that is drawing specific scrutiny.
Of those 94 open work orders for the three lines, seven were for towers carrying the inactive line, records showed.
During an aerial inspection last May, Edison workers identified a high-priority “Hardware/Framing” issue on a Mesa-Sylmar tower about 400 yards from the suspected ignition point, Connor explained. But when a crew was dispatched that same day, they determined that repairs were not needed.
Some lawsuits against Edison point to the inactive power lines as likely culprits. One filing includes close-up photographs of a tower with black markings on it that attorneys say indicate recent arcing.
Vyto Babrauskas, a veteran fire safety scientist, told Connor it was possible that the inactive line could have become energized through induction.
“An electromagnetic field from the transmission line that is operating will basically cut through that dead line and induce a current in it,” Babrauskas explained.
In a Feb. 6 filing with the California Public Utilities Commission about the Eaton fire, Edison wrote that it “is evaluating a number of potential causes, including whether the idle Mesa-Sylmar transmission line could have become energized.”
A backlog in repairs
Back in 2020, Edison reported that more than 90% of its transmission towers were at least 30 years old. That’s the “average age” they start showing signs of corrosion, which can lead to “structure failure” and other issues, according to the company.
“As of Dec. 31, 2022, records show the company had more than 20,200 work orders over 180 days past due, including more than 5,200 that carried ‘ignition risk,’” Connor reported.
How does Edison explain the backlog? Connor asked Raj Roy, Southern California Edison’s vice president of transmission, substations and operations, who said that “it’s typical to have a lot of work orders open for utilities because we’re actively working the system in terms of maintenance and inspections, and obviously every utility has a different size.”
Edison provides power for millions of residents in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and several other counties in the Golden State. The company has been found at fault for a few major wildfires in Southern California in recent years, including the 2017 Thomas fire and 2018’s Woolsey fire.
You can read more from Connor’s reporting in his Times subscriber exclusive.
Today’s top stories
After a rift on the shutdown, California Democrats try to refocus the budget fight on Medicaid
- Democrats split last week over a Republican stopgap measure to avoid a government shutdown.
- Now, as Congress gears up for its next fight over the federal budget, they are trying to reunite their party and align their messaging around Medicaid.
- Republicans say they are not targeting people’s benefits. Democrats say they are lying.
L.A. touts success at blocking tee time brokers from city golf courses
- For years, brokers scooped up tee times at public golf courses across Los Angeles and sold prime slots online, profiting from taxpayer-owned recreation.
- Amid the uproar, L.A.’s Department of Recreation and Parks introduced a pilot program to curb the profiteers. Golfers have to pay $10 per person to reserve a tee time, which is forfeited if a reservation is canceled.
- Nearly 10 months later, the fee — initially met with skepticism and annoyance — has proved a success.
What else is going on
- An L.A. Crip leader turned gang interventionist ran a ‘mafia-like’ enterprise, feds allege.
- “I wish you’d be angry.” California Democrats face voter fury over Trump and Elon Musk.
- A Ron Jeremy superfan raped and killed L.A. women. Did prosecutors miss chances to stop him?
- Trump vows to immediately ramp up U.S. production of ‘beautiful, clean coal.’
- Protesters slam an O.C. Republican over feared Trump Medi-Cal cuts.
- Their son died after a Magic Mountain roller-coaster ride. Now they’re suing.
- The University of California orders a hiring freeze and cuts in response to Trump threats.
- The Social Security Administration will require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients.
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Commentary and opinions
- Inside the tell-all book that Mark Zuckerberg is trying to suppress, columnist Michael Hiltzik writes.
- The United States careens toward a constitutional crisis, writes columnist Jackie Calmes.
- Tesla’s stock price unexpectedly bounced up — courtesy of California. Columnist Anita Chabria asks, will California save Tesla?
This morning’s must reads
On the job with a restaurant utility worker: Rarely noticed by customers, essential to the business. Essential to many restaurant operations, utility workers have duties in the front and back of the house but are rarely in the public eye. Alfonso Lira, 61, from Michoacán, has worked at Chapter One in Santa Ana for more than a decade. To find out what one of these less visible jobs entails, former staff writer Cindy Carcamo shadowed Lira as he worked a double shift.
Other must reads
- A Times investigation found that people banned by California from operating assisted living homes were able to remain involved with other types of care facilities.
- Wine expert and Times contributor David Rosoff tasted 394 wines in one day. Here’s what he learned.
- Weapons, war and wealth: The business of arms in the Middle East.
- Hollywood producers say they are misunderstood. Here’s what they’re doing about it.
- The funniest, weirdest and most niche bumper stickers seen around L.A.
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For your downtime
Going out
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Staying in
- 🕵🏾♀️ Uzo Aduba dons a detective’s cape in ‘The Residence’ — now streaming on Netflix.
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And finally ... from our archives
On March 20, 1999, Legoland California opened in Carlsbad, becoming the first Legoland outside of Europe. Nearly 20 years after the park opened, Times contributor Sharon Boorstin wrote about how it does more than entertain kids.
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