Edison International faces scrutiny over its potential connection to wildfires in Los Angeles, raising concerns about safety and accountability.
Los Angeles: So, there’s this big energy company, Edison International, that’s being looked at for possibly causing some wildfires in the area. They admitted that their equipment had a short circuit right around the time the Hurst Fire started. Talk about bad timing!
They found some faulty gear at a transmission tower, and it all happened just after 10 PM on Tuesday. Over 60,000 folks in California are still without power because of this mess. The Hurst Fire is one of three fires still burning in the state, and it’s about 89% contained now.
Things are getting pretty intense with new evacuation orders, especially with the Palisades fire turning into what they’re calling a ‘fire tornado.’ It’s wild! Edison has said that the fallen equipment happened at the same time as the fire, but they’re not sure if the power line fell before or after the flames started.
As of Saturday, the Hurst Fire has burned around 800 acres and is about 76% contained. A guy named Bob Marshall, who runs a company that tracks electrical activity, mentioned that they saw some spikes in faults before the fires broke out. So, it seems like the power wasn’t cut off right away when things started going wrong.
On the West Coast, it’s getting serious. They think tree branches might have been brushing against the wires, which could have sparked the whole thing. But, no one knows for sure yet. An aerial shot of the Pacific Palisades area shows just how bad it is, with buildings looking like a war zone.
These fires have already taken 16 lives and destroyed over 10,000 structures. The fire started behind a house on Piedra Morada Drive, and at first, they didn’t think utility lines were involved.
Whenever there’s a chance that electrical issues could be linked to a wildfire, utilities have to report it to the California Public Utilities Commission. They’re on the case now, checking if any rules were broken. Edison initially said their equipment didn’t cause the fire, but after some pressure from lawyers, they changed their story and filed a report.
In their filing, they said that their analysis showed no issues with the transmission lines until over an hour after the fire started. It’s a complicated situation, and everyone’s waiting to see what the investigation turns up.
