Video of sparks points to Eaton Fire’s origins, lawsuit says

A video released as part of an ongoing lawsuit against Southern California Edison, the electrical utility for Los Angeles, appears to show what a law firm says is the start of the deadly Eaton Fire.

Video from a gas station security camera shows what a new filing in a lawsuit alleges is the start of this month’s deadly Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area – electrical sparking at a utility transmission tower in the hilly Eaton Canyon area near the Altadena community. The video was released Sunday by a law firm representing a woman whose house was destroyed by the fire and is suing Southern California Edison, the primary electrical utility for Los Angeles. The suit alleges SCE equipment caused the Eaton Fire, which has killed 17 people, injured nine firefighters, and damaged or destroyed 10,491 structures – making it the second-most destructive and fifth-most deadly wildfire in the state’s history – since it began January 7. Video credit: Edelson PC All notations added by Edelson PC The video also is mentioned in a court filing from the firm Monday, asking a court to order SCE to preserve certain physical evidence the plaintiff alleges may show the cause of the sparking. The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and no official cause has been determined. SCE had said January 12 an analysis of four energized lines in the Eaton Canyon area showed “no interruptions or operational/electrical anomalies in the 12 hours prior to the fire’s reported start time until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire.”