Altadena Residents Challenge SoCal Edison’s Costly Underground Power Line Proposal in Eaton Fire Zone

Residents of Altadena, a community still reeling from the devastation of last year’s Eaton wildfire, are expressing frustration over the costly measures proposed by their power company to prevent future fires. Southern California Edison has introduced a plan to bury power lines underground, a move that has left numerous homeowners facing potential bills of up to $40,000 to connect their properties to these new lines, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

“Residents are so angry,” shared Connor Cipolla, a survivor of the Eaton wildfire, in an interview with the Times. “We were completely blindsided,” he added, highlighting the community’s surprise and distress over the financial burden suddenly placed upon them.

The plan, which involves burying 63 miles of power lines, aims to mitigate the risk of wildfires. However, it has sparked further discontent among locals. The new construction threatens to damage or destroy oak and pine trees that remarkably survived the inferno, raising environmental concerns alongside the financial ones.

Cipolla, who experienced damage from smoke and ash during the wildfire, is facing a personal financial strain, with estimates for connecting his home to the underground network ranging between $20,000 and $40,000. This additional expense has compounded the community’s outrage, as they struggle to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the fire.

Angry homeowners in the unincorporated community of Los Angeles County are also infuriated that the SoCal Edison plan to bury 63 miles of powerlines could destroy local oak and pine trees that survived the fire.

Cipolla, whose home was damaged by smoke and ash, told the Times that he would have to pay between $20,000 to $40,000 to connect to Edison’s new underground line.

A neighbor received a $30,000 estimate for the work, Cipolla said.

To make matters worse, the Altadena residents have found dozens of SoCal Edison sites where deep tranches planned by the utility could sever the roots of precious remaining trees, the Times reports.

Homeowner Robert Steller said he’s trying to block the utility crew from burying a large transformer between two cedar trees.

The plan would “be downright fatal” to the venerable trees, Steller said.

The utility considers the buried lines an upgrade that it hopes will make Altadena’s power safer and more reliable.

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The underground wires will also lower the risk that the company would have to initiate backouts to prevent fires.

SoCal Edison spokesman Scott Johnson told The Post that his utility is trying to get government funding to help pay for the furious homeowners’ electrical connection fees.

A state commission says the customer must pick up the bill for such connection services, Johnson said.

Johnson did not know how many households were being impacted.

“We are undergrounding the lines to support the recovery and most importantly, our wildfire resiliency,” he said.

The utility is also working to protect local trees, according to the spokesman.

The Eaton fire last January killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze remains ongoing.

Edison officials said a dormant power line may have sparked the deadly inferno.