As the combined death toll between the Eaton and Palisades fires climbs to 29, attorneys suing Southern California Edison released new video they claim shows the possible start of a firestorm that devastated Altadena.
The investigation into what caused the wildfire in Eaton Canyon is expected to take months, if not longer, and while representatives for the utility company have repeatedly said they do not believe their equipment started deadly blaze, many residents and their attorneys have filed lawsuits to the contrary.
Over the weekend, Edelson PC Law Firm, which represents at least one client who lost her home to the fire, obtained surveillance video from an Arco gas station less than a mile from where it is believed the fire started.
The gas station’s surveillance cameras face north toward the hillside, where winds on Jan. 7 can be seen barreling through trees and powerlines in the area.
Lawyers with Edelson PC point to a flash of light over the dark hillside and allege that the footage, which has been edited, shows arcing and sparks falling onto the brushy canyon hillside, where they say the fire might have started.
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Surveillance images captured on Jan. 7, 2025, at an Arco gas station less than a mile from where the Eaton Fire is believed to have ignited. (Edelson PC) -
Surveillance images captured on Jan. 7, 2025, at an Arco gas station less than a mile from where the Eaton Fire is believed to have ignited. (Edelson PC) -
Surveillance images captured on Jan. 7, 2025, at an Arco gas station less than a mile from where the Eaton Fire is believed to have ignited. (Edelson PC) -
Surveillance images captured on Jan. 7, 2025, at an Arco gas station less than a mile from where the Eaton Fire is believed to have ignited. (Edelson PC)
At a court hearing Monday, Edelson PC asked a judge to preserve physical evidence related to the fire’s origins.
“Today’s hearing underscores the stakes of this litigation for our community,” Edelson PC Attorney Ali Moghaddas said outside the courthouse. “SCE had plans to unilaterally, potentially destroy evidence in this case, but the court’s order puts a stop to that.”
For its part, SoCal Edison says some of the power lines were not shut off because the weather conditions on Jan. 7 did not meet their standard “wind threshold,” though many of the lines were de-energized.
As of now, however, SCE does not know the status of the lines captured in the surveillance video.
Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison, told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that the investigation into the origins of the deadly fire is ongoing and that it’s too early to tell what caused the firestorm that killed 17 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures.
“Our preliminary analysis found no faults on the transmission lines that run through the canyon. On a deeper analysis on some more distant lines, we did identify a fault, but that impact was within standard operating parameters,” Dunleavy said. “I do want to say we’re committed to a thorough process. We’re committed to working with investigators and we’ll continue this process.”
So far, there are more than 20 lawsuits filed against SCE, a process which can take years to litigate.
In this particular court case, the judge asked Edelson PC and SCE reconvene in 21 days.
