The wind-driven wildfires that devoured thousands of homes in Los Angeles County, turning whole neighborhoods into moonscapes, have yet to be extinguished, but the legal battles are already beginning.
At least three suits representing more than a dozen victims were filed Monday, Jan. 13, in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Southern California Edison, blaming the utility for igniting the Eaton fire, which reduced areas of Altadena to rubble and caused 16 deaths.
Attorneys were poised Monday to file more suits in the catastrophic Pacific Palisades blaze, signaling a wildfire of litigation.
The legal complaints in the Eaton fire allege the 14,117-acre blaze was caused by sparks from Edison high-voltage power lines that were not “de-energized” despite the high threat of fire. Two of the suits say a resident near the area where the fire was first reported noticed the power flicker minutes before the blaze began.
The power lines arced, sending a “shower” of sparks to the dry brush below the transmission tower, said one lawsuit representing multiple victims led by Lincoln Anthony Wallen.
“The Eaton fire has become a traumatic event for its victims, who, through no fault of their own, went from homeowners to homeless in a matter of hours,” said the Wallen suit filed by Alexander “Trey” Robertson IV and other attorneys.
Another suit by Michael Kreiner said: “Despite knowing of an extreme fire risk, defendants deliberately prioritized profits over safety. This recklessness and conscious disregard for human safety was a substantial factor in bringing about the Eaton Fire.”
On Thursday, Edison filed a report with the California Public Utilities Commission that an analysis showed there were no interruptions or operational/electrical anomalies in the 12 hours before the fire started and not until more than one hour after the blaze was first reported.
Gabriela Ornelas, an SCE spokesperson, said Edison was aware of the litigation and will review the legal complaints once the company is served. “The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation,” Ornelas said.
Pedro Pizarro, CEO of the parent company of SCE, confirmed to KABC-TV that the utility is doing its own investigation.
“We’ve seen in your reporting the videos, we’ve seen the photos, so we know that there was fire there. We don’t know what caused it,” Pizarro said. “Whatever we find, we’ll be transparent with our public.”
Attorney Robertson responded: “I’ve litigated about seven wildfire cases against Edison and this is exponentially bigger than any other Southern California wildfire. They always start out disputing liability but in the end, they agree to mediate.”
Los Angeles County fire officials also reiterated that their investigation is continuing.
The lawsuits contain cellphone generated photos of flames licking at the bottom of a transmission tower. Two suits seemed to rely heavily on a report by Pasadena resident Brendan Thorn, who lived on Canyon Close Road, adjacent to Eaton Canyon. He said he noticed his power flicker at 6:10 p.m. on Jan. 7.
A few minutes later, a neighbor called him to say there was a fire under the power lines in Eaton Canyon. “Sure enough, I walk outside and those towers right up there at the very base of it, right around the bottom there was a fire maybe knee-high starting about there,” Thorn was quoted in a lawsuit by Jeremy Gursey. The Eaton fire was first reported at 6:18 p.m.
Attorneys filing the lawsuits were Robertson & Associates; Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis; Lipsmith LLP; Singleton Schreiber; and Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian
On the 799-acre Hurst fire, Edison sent a report Friday to the state utilities commission saying fire agencies were investigating whether SCE equipment was involved in the ignition. SCE said the fire was reported at approximately 10:10 p.m. on Jan. 7, and preliminary information shows the Eagle Rock-Sylmar circuit experienced a relay at 10:11 p.m.
A downed powerline was discovered at a tower associated with the Eagle Rock-Sylmar circuit, but SCE said it does not know whether the damage occurred before or after the start of the fire.
In Pacific Palisades, published reports indicate fire investigators are looking at a hiking area called Skull Rock as the potential point of origin for the blaze that has burned 23,713 acres. The site was the scene of another fire on New Year’s Day.
About six days prior to the start of the Palisades fire, just 15 minutes past the turn of the new year, Los Angeles city firefighters rushed to the hillside community shortly to put out a brush fire.
For more than four hours, crews battled a roughly 8-acre fire that started just off the 1600 block of Via Las Palmas, with the assistance of a helicopter making water drops.
Residents told the Washington Post that fireworks could be heard in the area shortly before the fire was reported.
Forward progress of the fire was stopped just past 3:30 a.m. that morning and the blaze was completely contained just before 5 a.m., the LAFD said in a series of updates.
As investigators probe the cause of the Palisades fire, it was unknown Monday if they were considering the possibility of a reignition of the New Year’s Day fire, which started less than a mile north from where the Palisades fire originated.
The Post, citing its own analysis of photos, videos, satellite imagery and radio communications as well as witness interviews, said the start of the Palisades fire was in the vicinity of the old fire and experts told the paper it was possible it could have reignited amid windy conditions.
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The Palisades fire, which has burned since about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 has burned more than 23,700 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 5,300 structures, authorities said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over the weekend sent a team of 15 investigators from around the country to probe the cause of the Palisades fire, spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun said.
One team would handle analysis at the scene, including examining damage, debris and burn patters, while the other will focus on gathering external information, including surveillance footage, digital evidence and witness statements, Colbrun said.
