Dozens of Altadena homes, some near Eaton Canyon, still had power when the Eaton Fire broke out near a large power pole around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to residents and a company network monitoring.
The fact that power was not cut off on the transmission line between the hillside of Eaton Canyon and nearby homes when the fire risk was high raises questions, two experts say. In California, electricity providers cut power when high winds threaten to down power lines, potentially igniting vegetation.
PHOTO RINGO CHIU, REUTERS
Wind-blown embers on the foothills of Mount Wilson, near Eaton Canyon, Thursday
On Tuesday evening, the Santa Ana, a warm, dry winter wind that blows toward the Pacific, fanned the Eaton Fire and pushed it toward Altadena.
The cause of the Eaton fire and others around Los Angeles — most remain uncontained — is under investigation.
In the days before the fires, the weather forecast warned that the Santa Ana would blow very hard and could spark wildfires in the mountains where the thick brush is thirsty from the drought.
Under these conditions, power providers typically check the condition of their transmission and distribution lines, as broken wires have previously sparked catastrophic fires in California.
A windstorm can knock down or break wooden posts or even tear out wires. If these wires are under tension and fall into dry grass or brush, it can be disastrous.
The forecast called for winds of 80 to 100 mph in the Altadena area last Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, particularly in the San Gabriel Mountains and their foothills, where Eaton Canyon is located: “High winds are likely to “down numerous trees and power lines and cause widespread power outages,” the US Weather Service warned.
PHOTO RINGO CHIU, REUTERS
Power lines damaged by Eaton fire in Altadena on Friday
Southern California Edison (SCE) supplies electricity to much of Altadena. Pasadena Water and Power serves a small section that borders the canyon (and neighboring Pasadena).
On Wednesday, SCE acknowledged in a press release that the fire had broken out in its service area. But, SCE added, it had prepared by cutting off electricity to Altadena – a high-risk region – on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours before the fire started: “The distribution lines located just to the west of Eaton Canyon were shut down well before the fire started,” the company said.
Some houses still under tension
However, according to Whisker Labs, a company that uses a network of sensors to monitor networks throughout the United States, some homes in the company’s service area still had power when the fire started. Homes on Midlothian Drive, just west of the canyon, and some homes north of East Altadena Drive had power throughout the afternoon and after the fire started around 6:15 p.m. says Whisker Labs CEO Bob Marshall.
Data from Whisker Labs also shows that the region’s power grid was struggling in the hours before the fire, Marshall said. They show many “faults” – when an electrical wire comes into contact with vegetation or another wire and produces sparks – during this period.
According to an SCE spokesperson, the company uses an extensive network of cameras and weather monitoring systems to assess “highly localized conditions” and decide whether to disconnect a neighborhood, and it took this event very seriously.
PHOTO JEN OSBORNE, THE WASHINGTON POST
Altadena home consumed by flames during Eaton Fire Thursday
According to Whisker data, many, many homes in Altadena were disconnected, but not all. That means electricity was still flowing through wires and lines above homes and up the hillside of Eaton Canyon, according to Marshall and Michael Wara, a climate and energy expert at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
“It’s very surprising,” Mr. Wara said of the Whisker Labs data.
Asked about this, an SCE spokesperson said: “We will review all available information as part of our investigation. »
Late Thursday, SCE notified the public utilities commission that it had “received letters requesting preservation of evidence from attorneys representing insurance companies in connection with the fire” and that “some Publications appear to suggest that SCE material may be associated with the cause.
SCE says it reviewed its data on live transmission lines in the area for the 12 hours before the fire started and found “no electrical or operational interruptions or anomalies for more than an hour.” after the declared time of the start of the fire.
“There was no power outage”
At 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Marcus Errico rushed home to tell his wife, Jennifer, that the power pole on the hillside behind the house was on fire. Mme Errico ran towards the gallery and saw the flames shooting from the base of the pylon. She took photos of the fire spreading under the tower on the east side of the canyon.
In its release, SCE confirms that it “owns transmission facilities on the east side of Eaton Canyon.” Its 220 kilovolt transmission line supplies much of the community.
The Erricos live at the end of a cul-de-sac that almost touches the Eaton Canyon Natural Area. It’s still in Pasadena, but Altadena starts a few blocks away.
Their electricity supplier is Pasadena Water and Power. Tuesday at 1 p.m., the City warned that it could cut off electricity “to reduce the risk of fire.”
PHOTO DAVID RYDER, REUTERS
Smoke from the Palisades fire rising above power lines Saturday
But according to Mme Errico, there was power at her house and throughout the neighborhood all day.
“The lights were on across the canyon and above us in Altadena,” she said. “There was no power outage around us. »
When the Erricos returned from their evacuation the next day, they found that the house was miraculously intact. According to Mme Errico, the porch light was still on.
Asked whether it had cut power as part of the city’s plan, Pasadena Water and Power declined to make a statement.
SCE did not respond to questions about the Whisker Labs data.
This article was published in the Washington Post.
Read the original text (in English; subscription required)
