A power company being investigated as a possible ignition point for some of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires has defended its decision to keep electrical transmission lines open right before they broke out — because life-threatening winds were just 1 mph below the cutoff.
Steven Powell, the CEO of Southern California Edison — which is already facing lawsuits over the fires — insisted that the winds blowing through Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7 weren’t strong enough to warrant de-energizing the transmission line, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Winds normally have to reach 60 to 80 mph in order for the company to shut down the lines, but the weather last week fell short of that threshold, Powell said Wednesday, without elaborating on exactly how low the readings were.
Power company defends keeping transmission lines open ahead of LA wildfires —because winds just 1mph under cutoff https://t.co/7DMbHxNbf8 pic.twitter.com/IOkXaPYmZG
— New York Post (@nypost) January 16, 2025