Four months after Eaton Fire, SoCal Edison removes tower suspected of starting deadly blaze

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Four months after the Eaton Fire ignited, a tower suspected of starting the devastating blaze was removed by Southern California Edison.

AIR7 was at the scene Wednesday afternoon as a helicopter lifted a part of the transmission tower out of Eaton Canyon. About an hour later, a second part of the tower was moved.

The parts will be moved to a warehouse where they will be dismantled and then undergo lab testing, according to Southern California Edison.

"This is all part of an effort to get as much information as we can to have a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire," Dave Eisenhauer of Southern California Edison told Eyewitness News.

The tower is at the center of multiple lawsuits against Southern California Edison.

Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre and many Altadena homeowners are suing the utility company, accusing it of sparking the Eaton Fire because it did not de-energize power amid a powerful wind event.

Those living around the transmission tower have said they started seeing their lights flicker on and off minutes before witnesses and surveillance cameras captured flames below and around the tower.

Investigators for those suing the utility were also on hand during the removal and will be part of the ongoing testing to determine exactly what sparked the destructive blaze.

The Eaton Fire sparked Jan. 7, leveling entire neighborhoods and scorching more than 14,000 acres. At least 18 people died in the fire, according to Cal Fire.

Eisenhauer said the cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.

Southern California Edison said it may take a year to 18 months for its investigation to conclude.