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The Edison power tower in Southern California, which had been removed as part of an investigation into the cause of the Eaton fire, was damaged Thursday as it was lifted by a helicopter, officials said.
David Eisenhauer, a spokesman for Edison in Southern California, said the damage occurred when the top of the tower was being sent because it had been lifted.
The tower was one of two structures that had been removed as part of an investigation into the cause of the devastating Eaton fire on January 7th. Another idle transmission tower known as the M16T1 or Tower 208 was removed on Wednesday. It was split into two parts and flew to the landing pad and transported to the warehouse.
The tower was successfully removed.
But that was not the case for the second tower near the Gould substation in Lacanada Flintridge.
“We acknowledge that there is potential damage when the SCE tower is transported via helicopters,” Eisenhauer said.
No injuries have been reported due to the incident.
It was not immediately known how much damage the tower had sustained or if it would affect ongoing investigations.
Eisenhauer said the company is still assessing the damage to the tower that was moved to the landing pad on Thursday evening.
The tower was broken down into three parts and taken away for testing Wednesday, but work was suspended when the top contacted the power line.
Eisenhauer said the power lines that contacted the tower were not energised at the time.
The official cause of the fire is under investigation by the Los Angeles County fire, but Edison International CEO Pedro Pizzaro told the Times that induction, a rare event when the Idol Tower and power lines were recreated, is the main theory of how a fatal fire was lit.
As part of an increasing list of law firms that filed lawsuits against SCE, county investigators and utility giants, the two towers were removed and taken to an Irwindale warehouse where they were tested and inspected to find clues.
SCE told state regulators that four lines, including the dormant mesa-Silmerline, saw a surge in currents around the same time the fire broke out.
The company also detected a failure in the Eagle Rock Gouldline. It also connects to the Gould substation.
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