A power line that was repaired after the dead forest fire of Eaton caught fire last week, although the emergency teams positioned nearby could quickly turn the flames.
The video and photos of the Friday evening fire fair through an electric wire linked to the distribution lines in southern California Edison in Eaton Canyon. The line debris fell to the ground and continued to burn until the firefighters exhausted it.
David Eisenhauer, an Edison spokesperson, said the company was aware of the Friday incident, but found that this happened on “the equipment belonging to customers”. The company had not discovered any problem with its distribution lines in the region at that time, he said.
The line was less than a mile from the Edison transmission tower which is at the center of the investigators probing the fire of the Eaton forest which killed at least 17 people and destroyed thousands of houses. Edison leaders said their early investigation showed that public service equipment had not ignited forest fire on January 7.
Eisenhauer confirmed that the company had recently replaced certain distribution equipment near the site where the electric line had burned on Friday. He said that the company could not disclose the name of the customer who owns the electrical equipment due to the confidentiality rules.
The thread was installed in a parking lot near the natural center of Eaton Canyon which burned in forest fires. The first stakeholders use the lot as a transit zone.
The photos taken by an eyewitness show that Los Angeles County Fire Engine 66 was one of the two trucks that responded to the fire of the electric line.
County fire spokesperson Carlos Herrera said the agency had been flooded with media requests in response to Eaton fire and could not immediately provide comments or details on the incident.
The power line that has taken fire is known as the service fall, which connects the distribution lines of a utility to a customer.
Richard Meier, a private investigator of fires in Palmetto, Florida, said that a service line taking fire could be a sign that he was not robust enough to manage power.
“If the thread is too small, you might have excessive heating,” he said, “and finally the line would take fire.”
Friday, a private investigator in fires working in the region said that he was leaving just after night when he had seen two brilliant flashes.
The investigator, who asked not to be appointed because he was not allowed to speak to the media, said that he shared images of the burning line because of the potential danger to the public.
Eisenhauer, Edison's spokesperson, said that the fire line had not responded to the definition of the company that the company should point out to state regulators.
Among the fires that must be reported, depending on the state rules, are those caused by injuries or material damage of $ 200,000 or more and may have been caused by public services equipment.
The fire Eaton is now 91%contained. He burned 14,021 acres and destroys more than 9,000 houses and other structures.
Staff editor Richard Winton has contributed to this report.
