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Robert McCullough, a veteran energy analyst who has studied decades of wildfires caused by electrical companies, said that in the 2022 study Edison was warned that “there might be some bad ramifications” of such a power shutoff, including “a surge along these major transmission lines.”

“The thing that has been different, overall, this year is that we have had communities that are not used to undergoing a public safety power shutoff having them, for some people for first time ever; for others, for the first time in recent memory,” he said.

The first severe windstorm that started Jan. 7 prompted a public safety shutoff and also damaged a line servicing the area, requiring repairs, he said.

Power was restored Jan. 10, but another wind system came through days later, requiring another power shutoff, he said.

Additionally, the company said its distribution lines to the west of Eaton Canyon "were de-energized well before the reported start time of the fire" as part of its fire safety shutoff program.