Attorneys for fire victim say utility may have destroyed evidence of what caused deadly L.A.-area fire

In this photo provided by Pasadena, Calif., resident Matt Logelin, flames burn beneath transmission towers owned by Southern California Edison in Eaton Canyon in the early evening of Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Matt Logelin via AP)

LOS ANGELES — Attorneys for a woman who is among thousands who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire outside Los Angeles say Southern California Edison crews working to repair and restore power in the area may have destroyed evidence that could help determine what sparked the wildfire.

The fire has killed at least 16 people and destroyed more than 7,000 structures in Altadena. Video and photos taken by residents captured flames beneath Edison’s electrical towers in the Eaton Canyon area in the early minutes of the fire. One resident said he heard a loud pop at the outset of the conflagration.

Now, attorneys for Altadena resident Evangeline Iglesias have asked a judge to order Edison to preserve evidence in the area, concerned that the utility is discarding equipment that may hold clues to the fire’s origin.

“SCE’s counsel stated in no uncertain terms that SCE planned to destroy ‘damaged distribution and related equipment in Altadena’ and ‘electrical infrastructure’” in Eaton Canyon unless plaintiff’s attorneys identified each specific piece of evidence that had to be preserved, attorneys wrote.

Her lawyers say they have received nearly 1,000 inquiries from “residents who will need this very same evidence in order to recover.”

Gabriela Ornelas, an Edison spokesperson, wouldn’t comment Friday on any lawsuits or the sound heard as the fire ignited because the cause is still under investigation.

“Our hearts remain with our communities during the devastating fires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time,” she said.

In a filing to the California Public Utilities Commission, Edison reported two days after the fire started that it had not received any suggestions that its equipment was involved in the ignition.

“Preliminary analysis by SCE of electrical circuit information for the energized transmission lines going through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire,” the utility reported. This assertion was repeated in a Jan. 14 letter written by SCE’s attorneys in response to the request to preserve evidence.

Aerial images provided by the Vexcel Data Program show eight work trucks in the area northwest of the Eaton Valley electrical towers four days after the start of the fire. Several trucks matched the type used by Edison work crews but the logos weren’t visible in the images. Ornelas said she did not have information about the trucks or their work.

In a filing in response to the request to preserve evidence, Edison lawyers said the utility must “immediately undertake reconstruction work in Altadena to make the area safe for the public and to remove damaged equipment.” The filing asked plaintiff attorneys to “inform us immediately if you are in possession of any information or evidence suggesting that SCE’s distribution facilities in Altadena are relevant to the Eaton Fire.”

One resident of the neighborhood who saw the fire as it began said he heard a loud pop as flames shot up beneath the electrical towers minutes before the wind whipped the blaze into one of the worst in state history.

Matt Logelin, whose backyard overlooks the Eaton Canyon area, was making dinner for his children when he heard the sound. At first, he thought it might be a tree branch that snapped in the strong wind.

“I looked out the window just to kind of watch the wind. And I saw a tiny fire up on the hill,” he said. He grabbed his phone and snapped a photo at 6:13 p.m. Twenty-three minutes later, the sky was glowing orange and flames filled the canyon.

Logelin immediately called 911 to report the breakout of the fire and ran to his neighbors to alert them. He snapped another photo at 6:21 p.m. that showed the orange flames had already spread across the hills. By 6:35 p.m. he and his family were in the car driving to safety.

Logelin’s house and others on his street survived but he has no idea when he’ll be able to move back in.

“It’s miraculous,” he said. “When I was running out the front door, there were embers flying into the backyard. There are embers flying over the house into the front yard. I thought the house was gone for sure.”

Across Los Angeles County in Pacific Palisades, investigators with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have taken the lead on finding the cause of that blaze, which started hours before the Eaton. The Palisades Fire killed at least eight people and destroyed thousands of structures.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley told residents at a town hall Thursday that among the possible causes of that fire was a New Year’s Day grass fire that might have reignited with the savage winds of Jan. 7.

“We know everyone wants answers, and the community deserves answers,” said Jose Medina, ATF’s acting agent in charge in Los Angeles. “ATF will give you those answers but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation.”

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Associated Press reporter Christopher L. Keller contributed to this story from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jason Dearen, The Associated Press