The video was released Sunday by a law firm representing a woman whose house was destroyed by the fire and is suing Southern California Edison, the primary electrical utility for Los Angeles. The video also is mentioned in a court filing from the firm Monday, asking a court to order SCE to preserve certain physical evidence the plaintiff alleges may show the cause of the sparking. The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and no official cause has been determined.
But the video obtained by law firm Edelson PC shows what the firm believes was the start of the fire. The video from the gas station camera, which CNN verified is located at North Altadena Drive in Pasadena and points in the direction of the fire, shows what appear to be electrical sparks on power lines on the evening of January 7.
A timestamp on the video reads January 8, , at a. The law firm explained the time shown is in Coordinated Universal Time, which is 8 hours ahead of Pacific Time, or January 7 at p. State investigators have said the Eaton Fire started on January 7 at p. A fire is seen in the distance and a fire truck can be seen driving in the direction of the fire. SCE and Edelson PC came to an agreement Monday during a court hearing to have SCE preserve evidence for at least 21 days in several circuits until all parties have had a fair and thorough opportunity to examine and inspect the area near the origin of the fire.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February SCE agreed to keep some circuits de-energized unless they are instructed to power them on by California energy regulators, in which case SCE will give Edelson PC 48 hours notice. Other video, captured from nearby residents and shared with CNN, shows what appears to be the moments the flames from the Eaton Fire began and spread.
Pedro Rojas took video from the backyard of his Pasadena home around p. Flames can be seen at the base of an electrical transmission tower at p. Plumes of smoke can be seen billowing out of the area as gusts of wind can be heard throughout the video.
