Days after the Eaton fire in Los Angeles first ignited, firefighters warned that downed power lines owned and operated by Southern California Edison were live and starting new fires, first responder radio traffic obtained by NPR reveals.
The radio communications also indicate the utility company failed to respond quickly to multiple requests from firefighters to shut power off and sent confusing and sometimes incorrect information to first responders working on the Eaton fire, which ultimately claimed 17 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages.
The new audio evidence comes after video and voltage data have already linked transmission towers operated by Edison to the fire’s initial start on Jan. 7 and multiple lawsuits have been filed that claim the company is liable for fire damages.
The Eaton fire took more than three weeks to fully contain, burning 14,000 acres and more than 10,000 structures. NPR downloaded and analyzed almost 100 hours of radio traffic between firefighters responding to the Eaton fire from broadcastify.com, a live audio streaming platform. The audio suggests Edison’s work in affected areas during the fire played a role in slowing down firefighting efforts.
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