The federal government has filed two separate lawsuits against the Southern California Edison Company, alleging that the power firm’s infrastructure sparked two wildfires, including the devastating Eaton Fire.
In January, the Eaton Fire scorched nearly 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County and killed 19 people. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the Justice Department says the deadly blaze “ignited from faulty power infrastructure or by sparks from faulty power infrastructure owned, maintained, and operated” by the utility company.
The blaze swept through nearly 8,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest — destroying roads, trails, and campgrounds —and caused “catastrophic damage” to neighboring communities, burning over 10,000 structures, the lawsuit filed Thursday states.
The DOJ has accused the company of negligence, among other claims, and is seeking $77 million in damages across the two suits.
"But for Edison's negligence, these fires would not have started," Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said at a press conference. "Fire season is coming up again. We want Edison to change the way it does business."
“The Eaton Fire was heartbreaking. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, we will review this lawsuit and respond through the appropriate legal channels,” Jeff Monford, spokesperson for Southern California Edison, toldThe Independent in a phone call.
In a separate suit also filed Thursday, the government says the electric company is responsible for the September 2022 Fairview Fire, which burned nearly 14,000 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest.
“A sagging power line owned, maintained, and operated” by the Southern California Edison Company “came into contact with a Frontier Communications messenger cable, creating sparks that ignited vegetation below the lines in Hemet, California,” the suit alleges.
As the blaze roared through Riverside County, it claimed two lives, injured three people and burned 44 structures, the suit says.
“Our thoughts are with the community affected by the Fairview Fire. We are reviewing the lawsuit and will respond through the appropriate legal channels. We continue our work to reduce the likelihood of our equipment starting a wildfire,” Monford said.
“Southern California Edison is committed to wildfire mitigation through grid hardening, situational awareness and enhanced operational practices,” he added.
The federal government is seeking damages of more than $40 million for the Eaton Fire and $37 million for the Fairview Fire, Essayli said. Another investigation into responsibility for the Palisades Fire is ongoing, the attorney added.
State officials said in July that the cost of the damages from the Eaton Fire could deplete the entirety of the state’s $21 billion wildfire fund if Edison is found responsible for igniting the blaze, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Meanwhile, the Fairview Fire cost roughly $38 million for fire suppression and $1.2 million in utility facility damage, according to a California Public Utilities Commission report.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the Eaton Fire, the Palisades Fire, and other blazes that ignited that on January 7.
The Palisades Fire rapidly spread across 23,000 acres in Los Angeles County, killing 12 people and destroying over 6,000 structures.
The DOJ’s lawsuit related to the Eaton Fire comes months after law firm Edelson PC posted a video on social media in late January, pointing fingers at the power company for being responsible for the blaze.
“We’ve obtained video that indicates the Eaton fire in Los Angeles started after an apparent arc on SoCal Edison lines,” the firm wrote in the post. “We’re back in court for a hearing tomorrow fighting to make sure that SoCal Edison keeps all the evidence that we will put before a jury in this case.”
The firm filed several complaints against the power company on behalf of victims; those cases are ongoing.
“That video requires careful analysis,” a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, told The Independent after the video was posted.
“When we received it, we shared it quickly with fire investigators so that they had it as part of our commitment to transparency,” he continued. “I would also say it’s premature for anyone to comment on footage until experts complete a review. And so, we’ve reached out to the authorities after receiving it to make sure they had it, and we continue to fully cooperate with the investigation.”
In April, Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro told the Los Angeles Times that one of the company’s dormant transmission lines was “a leading hypothesis” for the start of the Eaton Fire. The company plans to take steps to strengthen idles lines out of “an abundance of caution,” he said at the time.
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