The video adds to the investigation of the Edison tower as a possible source of the Eaton fire

The video provides new evidence that suggests the massive Eaton fire may have started at a Southern California Edison transmission tower shortly after a blue-white light flashed near electrical equipment.

Over the past few weeks, residents who live near the line have shared videos and photos of large flames at the base of the tower in Eaton Canyon just as the fire started just after 6 pm on Jan. 7.

Those residents told The Times they were certain this was how the fire – which killed 17 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings – started.

On Sunday, one of the law firms suing Edison, Edelson PC, released edited video they say appears to show blue arcing in the canyon.

The video, taken less than a mile from where the fire is suspected, shows strong winds blowing through the area, and a bright light on a dark hill in the distance. The lights come on suddenly. Lawyers for Edelson PC, allege the video shows the collision, with sparks falling on the dry hillside.

After a few minutes of flashes of light, the hill starts to burn.

A spokesperson for Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the new video.

Edison officials said they do not believe their electrical equipment caused the fire, and that early tests of the equipment showed no signs of arcing or power interruption.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection declined to comment on their investigation. But a Cal Fire investigator told The Times on Jan. 11 that the area near the transmission line is closed due to the investigation of the “early Eaton fire.”

The official cause of the fire has not been determined.

The attorney said the video, which was first reported early Sunday in the New York Times, adds to the evidence pointing to the transmission tower.

“This is the clearest and most damning evidence yet — real-time video from a gas station security camera showing Southern California Edison power lines catching fire,” Jay Edelson, founder of law firm Edelson PC, said in a statement. “It’s only luck that this picture exists.”

The Eaton Fire was fueled by strong winds that pushed the flames from Eaton Canyon west to neighboring areas across Altadena, creating a large swath of the community.

In a statement, Edison had previously said that distribution lines immediately west of Eaton Canyon lost power before the fire started. However, the utility also has transmission lines on the east side of the canyon that are always powered.

The CEO of Southern California Edison told The Times earlier this month that the winds were not strong enough to shut down the power transmission line. Steven Powell said that, in general, winds would have to be 60 to 80 mph for the company to consider powering the transmission lines, adding that Edison’s reading was less than that.

The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts just before the fire started at 59 mph at Edison’s Eaton Canyon monitoring station, which is south of the transmission line at the end of Eaton Canyon Park. High gusts were recorded at that site before and after, according to weather service data: 63 mph at 2:20 pm and 70 mph at 9:30 pm It’s unclear what the wind reading was at the tower, which is located in the mountains. the ravine.

Last week, Edison notified attorneys suing the company that a camp was found 300 yards downhill from the suspected arson site. Lawyers suing the company told The Times that the distance from where it was allegedly moved made it an unlikely cause of the fire.

At least 20 lawsuits have been filed against a commercial company accused of starting a fire that burned more than 14,000 hectares, destroyed 9,418 buildings and killed 17 people.

With thousands of homes destroyed, the cost of the recent fires is believed to be in the billions, raising the stakes as firefighters, Edison, lawyers and citizens look to determine what caused the fire.

Much of the cost can be absorbed by the state’s Wildfire Fund but it can still prove costly to Edison if a fire is caused by the agency’s electrical equipment.

Lawyers suing the company asked the judge to order the company to keep the data and equipment. Last week, a judge granted a temporary restraining order, telling Edison to store evidence and equipment near the suspected source of the fire and a square-mile area east of Altadena.

Edison’s lawyers opposed the request in court, saying there was no need for an order because the company had been keeping evidence and equipment. Edison also documented the repairs and replacements of the machines in an “archive” with photos and videos.

Attorneys suing the company said they asked Edison to lower the wires from the water towers above Eaton Canyon.

Alexander Robertson, whose company Robertson & Associates filed a lawsuit against Edison, said his company asked to test the wires because the aluminum wires can be tested for damage, pointing to arcing.

Robertson said Edison’s attorneys told him the decommissioning process could take months, which he called “unacceptable.”