Truck Carrying Fireworks Catches Fire and Explodes on Tennessee Interstate
Newly surfaced security camera footage from a Pasadena tennis club appears to show two bright flashes near a Southern California Edison electrical tower at 6:11 PM on January 7, 2025, moments before the Eaton Fire erupted. The footage, obtained by ABC7, shows the fire spreading rapidly from that location, with massive smoke and flames visible within 20 minutes of the initial flashes. The video adds significant visual evidence to ongoing litigation seeking to hold Edison responsible for a wildfire that killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures.
Surveillance footage from the Gerrish Swim & Tennis Club in Pasadena, California, captures what attorneys representing Altadena homeowners describe as the ignition point of the Eaton Fire — two bright flashes near an electrical tower carrying a century-old, inactive Southern California Edison transmission line at 6:11 PM on January 7, 2025. The security camera footage shows smoke and a bright glow spreading across the horizon by 6:18 PM, and massive fire engulfing the area by 6:31 PM, illustrating how rapidly the blaze grew. Court documents filed alongside the footage note that Edison separately reported two electrical faults on a different transmission line more than five miles away at the same time as the flashes. Property insurers and the Trump administration have both filed legal actions against Edison, alleging the utility caused the Eaton and Fairview fires and seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages. Edison has not accepted responsibility, stating the inactive line is part of its ongoing investigation and that it has been working with authorities to determine the fire's cause. The Eaton Fire ranks among the most destructive wildfires in Southern California history, burning more than 14,000 acres and leaving entire neighborhoods reduced to empty lots.
What's missing
The footage does not definitively establish causation; independent fire investigators' or state regulators' assessments of this specific video have not been reported.
What different sources said
- The GuardianLeft
Truck carrying fireworks catches fire and explodes in Tennessee
- New York PostRight
Staggering new video shows Eaton Fire igniting — before quickly exploding into massive inferno
- BBCCenter
US truck carrying fireworks catches fire, sparking spectacular display
- ABC NewsCenter
WATCH: Massive explosions captured on video destroy multiple homes
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