2025-01-11 09:22:35 :
(Bloomberg) — Southern California utility Edison International said fire agencies are investigating whether the company’s equipment was involved in igniting the Hurst Fire near San Fernando.
A downed conductor was found on a tower associated with the Eagle Rock Sylmar 220 kV circuit, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday, citing preliminary information. However, Southern California Edison said it did not know whether the damage occurred before or after the fire.
The Hurst Fire broke out late Tuesday and has burned 771 acres (312 hectares) and is 70% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Edison’s stock price plummeted as investors worried that Edison’s utility equipment could be linked to the devastating wildfires that broke out during the Santa Ana storm in Los Angeles. The utility said attorneys representing insurance companies have asked it to preserve evidence from the Eaton fire, which destroyed thousands of buildings and killed at least five people.
So far, no fire agency has implicated Edison’s electrical facilities in the fire, and there have been no requests to remove or retain the equipment, according to a company filing released to California regulators late Thursday.
California has a history of devastating wildfires caused by electrical equipment during high winds. PG&E Corp., the state’s largest utility, filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after its power lines sparked a series of deadly fires.
–With help from Bill Haubert.
(Updated with wildfire details starting in third paragraph)
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