The Los Angeles Times article “Power lines suspected of starting Eaton fire were overdue for ‘ignition risk’ repairs“ is misguided and carelessly misrepresents the facts. Despite SCE’s work to share relevant information with the reporter, they published a story with cherry-picked information that is used out of context.
To be clear: Southern California Edison team members inspect and prioritize repairs following CPUC regulations. In this case, along the Mesa-Sylmar line, there are no work orders that are behind schedule or out of compliance with those regulations.
The story refers to maintenance and planning updates that investor-owned utilities in California share quarterly with the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety. Here are some facts about those reports:
- An approved prioritization method helps us manage multiple repairs and schedule the most urgent ones first. This is standard among all investor-owned utilities in California.
- These reports reflect a point in time based on current conditions, and prioritization and scheduling can change as conditions change.
- We have teams who actively manage these work orders.
At this preliminary stage of the investigation, speculating on the cause of the Eaton Fire is irresponsible and does not help the community and our customers. SCE remains committed to a transparent and thorough investigation and continues to work cooperatively with all interested parties including state fire investigators to quickly complete the agreed upon inspection and testing process.
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