Los Angeles County, Pasadena sue SoCal Edison over Eaton Fire

PASADENA, Calif. (KESQ) - Los Angeles County and the city of Pasadena both filed lawsuits today against Southern California Edison alleging the utility's equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire that scorched more than 14,000 acres and destroyed thousands of structures.

"The county's complaint against SCE alleges that witnesses, photos, and videos indicate the fire started directly under SCE transmission lines in Eaton Canyon,'' according to a statement from the county. "After the fire started, SCE informed the California Public Utilities Commission that a `fault' occurred on its transmission line around the time the fire started. On February 6, SCE sent a letter to the CPUC stating that photographic evidence of its tower at the end of the idle Mesa-Sylmar transmission line shows signs of potential arcing and damage on the grounding equipment for two of the three idle conductors.''  

The city of Pasadena's complaint raises similar allegations. Both the city and county lawsuits seek to recover costs incurred responding and recovering from the blaze, which began amid a massive Jan. 7 windstorm.   

"The destruction of public facilities essential to Pasadena's operations requires significant investment to restore and rebuild,'' Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian said in a statement. "While our
restoration efforts continue, we have a responsibility to pursue appropriate compensation for the costs of rebuilding the public infrastructure our community relies upon.''

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from Edison. The utility has already been targeted in multiple lawsuits by residents blaming the company for sparking the fire.

Edison officials have said previously that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

"While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE's equipment was involved,'' Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of SCE's parent company, Edison International, said in a statement last month. "We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts."  

SCE officials said its investigation into the fire's cause was likely to take several more months.

"Our hearts go out to everyone who has suffered losses,'' Pizarro said. "We are working with the local communities SCE serves to rebuild and emerge stronger. We understand the community wants answers, and we remain committed to a thorough and transparent investigation."

The Eaton Fire caused at least 17 deaths, destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 more while burning 14,021 acres.