Los Angeles County sues Southern California Edison, alleging utility’s equipment sparked wildfire
Los Angeles County sues Southern California Edison, alleging utility’s equipment sparked wildfire
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County said Wednesday that it’s suing Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked January’s Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people in the Altadena area.
The lawsuit seeks to recover costs and damages sustained from the blaze that damaged “essential community infrastructure” and “massively impacted the County’s natural resources, harmed the environment and wildlife, and threatened public health,” LA County said in a statement.
Costs and damage estimates were expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars, the county said, adding that assessments were ongoing.
Additional costs have been incurred by county departments for ongoing support in assisting residents recovering from the fire’s destruction, according to the lawsuit.
“The County’s case is essential to the restoration and rebuilding process for the community, including residences and businesses, to recover from the devastation,” the statement said.
Edison was reviewing the lawsuit and “will address it through the appropriate legal process,” utility spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy said Wednesday.
The fire’s cause is still under investigation.
The utility has said there is no evidence its equipment started the Eaton Fire. But in required filings with state utility regulators, the utility has reported a fault on a power line connected miles away from those located near the fire’s origin and said it’s looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the blaze.
It has separately acknowledged that its equipment may have caused a smaller fire that broke out the same day and was quickly handled.
The county’s complaint alleges that witnesses, photos, and videos indicate the fire started directly under Edison transmission lines in Eaton Canyon. Dozens of other lawsuits have been filed against the utility, including by homeowners who saw their properties destroyed.
The county seeks to recoup costs and receive compensation for destroyed infrastructure, recreational areas, parks, road damage, cleanup and recovery efforts, flood and mudslide prevention, workers compensation claims, overtime for workers, lost taxes and more.
“We are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County,” County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison said in a statement.
The County, the County Flood Control District, and the County’s Consolidated Fire Protection District are the plaintiffs in the case.
The cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre are also filing suits against Edison for damages to taxpayer resources and public infrastructure incurred from the Eaton Fire, according to the county.
Los Angeles County previously won more than $64 million in a settlement with Southern California Edison over the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and burned more than 150 square miles (388.50 square kilometers) of land. Investigators determined the utility’s equipment sparked that fire, and the utility also paid more than $2 billion to settle related insurance claims.
Utility equipment has sparked some of the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history in recent years.
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press
