Citing “massive costs” responding to the Eaton fire and its aftermath, Los Angeles County, Pasadena and Sierra Madre Wednesday, March 5, filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison alleging the utility’s equipment sparked the catastrophic blaze, which destroyed more than 9,000 structures and left 17 people dead.
Each lawsuit, filed separately in L.A. County Superior Court, seeks damages for the economic toll incurred because of the fire, which broke out on Jan. 7. In addition to homes, schools, businesses and houses of worship, that toll includes damage to government buildings, “community infrastructure” such as parks as well as the costs of responding to the fire.
The lawsuits blame SCE’s equipment for triggering the deadly blaze that cut a mammoth swath of damage through the unincorporated community of Altadena as well as the two neighboring cities.
Related Articles
Surge in visitors leads to closure plan for California hot springs
More than 7,000 gallons of hydrocarbon materials were released in Martinez refinery blaze
Witnesses and phone data lead to suspect in Southern California wildfires
Elias: Rebuilding after L.A. fires may be financially, morally complex
Eaton fire could be first big test for California wildfire fund created to keep utilities out of bankruptcy
The county’s complaint alleges that while the financial toll of fire damage, cleanup and rebuilding efforts are still being determined and could increase, “it is estimated that they will total at least hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“We are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County,” said County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison, who added that the county will seek compensation for damage to the county’s infrastructure, parks, recreational areas and roads, as well as the costs of the huge cleanup and recovery efforts, flood and mudslide prevention, workers compensation claims, overtime for county workers and lost taxes, as well as other costs.
The lawsuits are similar, though officials noted they were filed separately because of “different circumstances and infrastructure impacted.”
Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian said the lawsuits were filed on the same day to reflect a “united front,” and in advance of a key court hearing set for March 17.
“Our focus remains on the full restoration of services to Pasadena residents and businesses,” Derderian said in a statement accompanying the city’s lawsuit announcement. “By working collaboratively with neighboring jurisdictions, we can more effectively address the devastating impacts this fire has had on our communities while ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
According to the lawsuit, witnesses, photos and videos indicate that the fire started directly under SCE transmission lines in Eaton Canyon.
SCE informed the California Public Utilities Commission that a fault occurred on its transmission line around the time the fire started, according to the county.
The county also argues that the utility company had a chance to lessen the risk of its equipment.
But despite repeated warnings, “Edison failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment in and around the area of the Eaton Canyon on January 7, 2025, including multiple transmission lines and other equipment in the Eaton Canyon,” the lawsuit alleges.
Attorneys point to a public filing by SCE with the California Public Utilities Commission that a fault was detected at approximately 6:11 p.m. on its Eagle-Rock-Gould transmission circuit — “at or near the same time that the Eaton Fire ignited under the base of its transmission towers in Eaton Canyon.”
The lawsuits join more than 40 others claiming that Edison’s equipment was to blame for the start of the fire.
Kathleen Dunleavy, spokesperson for Southern California Edison, said: “Our hearts are with the communities impacted by these wildfires. We are reviewing the lawsuits that were recently filed and will address them through the appropriate process.”
The utility said evidence and videos, including one from an ARCO gas station that appears to show arcing a minute or two before flames are seen below, suggest a possible link to SCE’s equipment, “which the company takes seriously.”
“While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that the utility’s equipment was involved,” said Pedro Pizarro, whose Edison International owns Rosemead-based Southern California Edison. “We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts.”
Plaintiffs in the county lawsuit include the county itself, the Flood Control District and the Consolidated Fire Protection District.
Edison’s CEO last week said his company met the state standard for being responsibly managed – a standard he said under state legal reforms in recent years staves off massive damage claims against the company, even if its transmission lines were found to be the cause of the catastrophic Eaton fire.
Pizarro told investors in the utility company’s fourth quarter earnings call that recent reforms in state statutes balance utility accountability with the costs of wildfire recovery and customer protections.
In essence, that balance, even if investigators find that SCE’s Altadena transmission lines ignited the fire, recognizes that wildfire risk can never be zero, he said.
“If it is determined that SCE’s transmission equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton fire, based on the information we have reviewed this far, we are confident that SCE would make a good faith showing that it’s conduct with respect to its transmission facilities in the Eaton Canyon area, was consistent with the actions of a reasonable utility,” Pizarro said. “That is the standard for by which a utility is judged.”
That showing would be significant if the California Wildfire Fund – a state pool of billions of dollars created six years ago to keep utilities out of bankruptcy – could protect the utility.
SCE officials have acknowledged that its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire, the Hurst fire, in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as the Eaton and Palisades fires exploded in the L.A. area, ultimately leaving 29 people and destroying thousands of homes.
By early February, in a court filing, the utility said it was looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the Eaton blaze.
But it maintained there was no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze.
For weeks, SCE officials have said the company was reviewing a video that purports to show “flashes” of electrical arcing from a tower near where the blaze began. The utility said earlier in February that preliminary investigation found no evidence that arcing occurred, while acknowledging that some damage was found on related equipment.
In Thursday’s call, Pizarro said the investigation “continues and is complex.”
“SCE is examining the available evidence to help determine potential causes of ignition, including the possibility of being linked to SEC’s equipment,” he said. “Engineers, photogrammetrist, meteorologists and other experts are reviewing images, videos and other information as part of this review.”
Staff writer Tony Saavedra contributed to this article.
