In a report submitted to regulators on Thursday, officials from Southern California Edison admitted that their equipment likely ignited the Hurst Fire, which scorched nearly 800 acres in Sylmar, Los Angeles County. This incident coincided with major firefighting efforts to control the more destructive Eaton and Palisades fires.

However, in a separate submission, the utility stated that they have not yet found evidence linking their equipment to the Eaton Fire. Ongoing investigations are being conducted by SCE, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and lawyers representing homeowners who have filed lawsuits against the company.

The Hurst Fire broke out on January 7 and was completely contained by January 16. Fortunately, it did not destroy any structures or result in fatalities, unlike the Eaton and Palisades fires, which together took 29 lives, destroyed over 9,400 homes, and consumed nearly 58 square miles of land. Unfortunately, this event marks the third time in 18 years that Sylmar residents have had to evacuate due to wildfires possibly caused by nearby SCE equipment, some resulting in loss of life or homes.

Both reports submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission reveal details about the vulnerable power grid serving Southern California and outline issues like power line surges and malfunctions amid unprecedented Santa Ana winds exceeding 80 mph during that week.

Residents from Sylmar reported to the YSL News network that they heard popping sounds followed by a loud explosion, and then witnessed flames erupting from a large transmission tower located at the edge of the Angeles National Forest.

Although not explicitly mentioned in the SCE report, it’s worth noting that Sylmar serves as a crucial transmission corridor for the entire West Coast. It continually delivers enough electricity from Oregon’s hydro plants, as well as from other parts of California, that can supply power to 3 million homes in Los Angeles County. Robert McCullough, an experienced energy disaster researcher, indicated last month that had the Hurst Fire crossed the 210 freeway, it could have resulted in millions losing power amidst fierce winds.

In their filing, SCE acknowledged a conductor failure — which refers to damage or breakage in a wire within a cable or other equipment — on a prominent transmission tower north of Saddle Ridge Road on the night of January 7. This failure led to damaged equipment falling at the tower’s base.

SCE representative Paul Pimentel commented that while the Los Angeles Fire Department remains engaged in their investigation, “in the absence of additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be linked to the ignition of the Hurst Fire.”

Eaton Fire Cause Still Uncertain

SCE is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that its equipment ignited the Eaton Fire, which blazed through 14,021 acres in Altadena and Pasadena. The cause of that fire remains under investigation and could take months, but lawyers have referenced witness testimonies and surveillance footage suggesting that power lines may have arced near the fire’s starting point on January 7.

While SCE and its parent company, Edison International, continue to look into the fatal wildfire’s origin, a report submitted to the state utilities commission on February 6 noted that incidents identified with the transmission lines and other equipment occurred miles away from the fire’s ignition site and in areas not directly connected to those lines.

In a related statement, SCE acknowledged that recent information, including video from external sources depicting the fire’s onset, implies a potential link to their equipment. The company stressed, however, that there were no typical signs indicating this connection, such as broken conductors or fresh arc marks in the initial fire zone, nor evidence of faults along the energized lines in that area.

Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, stated in the news release, “While we have not yet determined the cause of the Eaton wildfire, SCE is thoroughly exploring all possibilities in its investigation, including the potential involvement of SCE’s equipment.”

The Dangerous Intersection of Power Lines and Wildfires

Faulty electrical equipment and inadequate maintenance have led to devastating wildfires in recent years, sometimes ignited by minor faults, according to government investigations. For instance, the catastrophic fire in Maui in 2023, which resulted in 102 fatalities, was triggered by the “reenergization” of broken power lines during strong winds that scattered sparks into dry vegetation.

California’s deadliest wildfire, the 2018 Camp Fire, began with a single malfunctioning metal hook on a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) transmission tower. This failure allowed a live wire to make contact with another tower, generating temperatures as high as 10,000 degrees, melting metal components, and sending molten debris into parched trees and foliage, igniting them.

Experts suggest several preventive measures could be introduced, like shutting off power during high winds in dry conditions, positioning not only firefighting crews but also electric line repair teams in vulnerable areas, and potentially burying power lines—albeit at a high cost. Unfortunately, fires continue to occur.

Residents of Sylmar have had to evacuate from significant wildfires three times in the past 18 years, and each time, the blazes have damaged transmission towers or old power poles, according to both eyewitnesses and investigations.

The 2008 Sayre Fire destroyed over 600 homes, including around 480 mobile homes, and melted firefighting equipment. It previously held the record for the most properties lost in a single wildfire in Los Angeles prior to January’s firestorm. Arson investigators from the county attributed the fire to SCE equipment, and although the utility did not admit to wrongdoing, it acknowledged that a substation malfunctioned before the fire.

The 2019 Saddle Ridge Fire ignited nearly at the same spot as the Hurst Fire, resulting in one fatality and burning 8,800 acres, as per CalFire reports. The fire’s origin was pinpointed by LAFD arson investigators to an area beneath a high-voltage transmission tower. A special investigator from the California Public Utilities Commission concluded that SCE had failed to maintain two critical components— a small Y-shaped insulator and a skyline “jumper wire”— leading to a series of fiery incidents involving three transmission towers located miles apart.

This time, the Hurst Fire burned fewer than 800 acres without loss of homes or lives, thanks in part to a swift and robust firefighting response and well-practiced community alert systems.

However, energy disaster researcher McCullough stressed that undergrounding power lines in high-risk areas like the Sylmar corridor “absolutely must be done.” The CPUC estimates that the total cost to bury all overhead lines statewide would be approximately $763 billion. McCullough advocates for focusing efforts on the highest risk zones, which, while not inexpensive, would potentially save lives.

Other experts in the field suggest that effective coating for high-risk electrical equipment and other relatively inexpensive measures could also be considered. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which co-owns the Sylmar transmission corridor and services residents in the Palisades Fire area, is not obligated to submit reports to state regulators as a public utility. However, their most recent wildfire mitigation strategy reveals that only 16 miles of its over 11,200 miles of overhead electricity lines have been insulated with spark-resistant materials.

Janet Wilson is a senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun.