The New York Times continues to amplify unverified, third-party data from Whisker Labs to advance speculative narratives about events leading up to the Eaton Fire, including in the recent story “Edison’s Power Lines Were Under Strain 14 Hours Before Eaton Fire.“
The Times reports that two faults were observed on Southern California Edison’s transmission lines early on the morning of Jan. 7. This is not new information. SCE’s investigation to date has included careful analysis of all potentially relevant SCE grid data from before and during the Eaton Fire, and our review has already determined that the faults cited by Whisker Labs did not occur on any lines traversing the canyon and are not relevant for SCE equipment in Eaton Canyon.
Here are the facts:
- On Jan. 7 at 4:28 a.m., a potential fault was detected on a 220-kilovolt line, which was automatically deenergized by the grid control system. This took place on the Gould-Sylmar line (around Sunland), estimated to be 17.6 to 18.5 miles from the Eaton Canyon point of interest.
- At 4:36 a.m., there was a retest of that same line, which is normal operating practice. The system again detected a potential fault, and as a result, the line was deenergized automatically and remained offline. A patrol of the line by SCE personnel revealed a downed wire, and the line remained out of service for several weeks while repairs were made. There were no ignitions or public safety issues associated with this equipment.
- These events caused the electrical signatures Whisker Labs observed on their low-voltage sensors, which is normal and occurs any time switching occurs on the grid or lines come in or out of service. There is no evidence that the 220-kV line that failed in the morning is related to the events that occurred in Eaton Canyon later that night.
- Based on wind speeds measured by weather stations that are in closest proximity to SCE equipment, and the fire threat potential, conditions on Jan. 7 did not warrant proactively deenergizing transmission power lines as part of a public safety power shutoff (PSPS).
PSPS is an essential tool used by many electric utilities in the Western United States to reduce wildfire risk. We prioritize safety, in coordination with public safety partners and according to protocols overseen by regulators. SCE considers the need for PSPS when weather and fire experts forecast dangerous conditions, including strong winds and dry vegetation. We do not take these considerations lightly — we know lack of access to electricity is a hardship.
We are disappointed to see that Whisker Labs continues to use the Southern California wildfires as an opportunity to market its product to the media. SCE has worked directly with Whisker Labs in the past to evaluate their technology and found that it may have value in identifying issues within a home and potentially on neutral connections from the distribution system. There is simply not enough information to say that Whisker Labs is able to forecast potential issues on the distribution or transmission systems prior to them occurring.
We remain focused on the critical work underway to learn more about the origin of the Eaton Fire and restoring and rebuilding our communities.
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