Federal government sues California utility, alleging equipment sparked deadly wildfires

Key Points

• The federal government has filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility's equipment caused the lethal Eaton Fire in January, which resulted in 17 deaths and significant property damage.
• The lawsuits are seeking over $40 million in damages from Edison, accusing the utility of failing to maintain its infrastructure properly, thereby contributing to the fires.
• A second lawsuit is related to the Fairview Fire from September 2022, claiming negligence led to the ignition of the fire, which burned vast areas and resulted in fatalities.
• The U.S. government is pushing for terms that prevent Edison from recouping lawsuit costs through increased utility rates, emphasizing the urgent need for accountability before the upcoming fire season.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The federal government filed two lawsuits Thursday against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility's equipment sparked fires including January's Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people.

“The lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence resulting in death, destruction, and tens of millions of federal taxpayer dollars spent to clean up one utility company’s mistakes,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said at a news conference Thursday.

The filings allege that Edison failed to properly maintain its power and transmission infrastructure in the area where the Eaton Fire ignited on Jan. 7. It asks for more than $40 million in damages to the federal, state and local governments.

Edison spokesperson Jeff Monford said the utility is reviewing the lawsuits.

“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.”

The company has stated it operates three transmission towers in the Eaton Canyon area overlooking the unincorporated area of Altadena, which was ravaged by the fire. In early reports to the California Public Utility Commission, Edison has said it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton Fire started.

In a July 31 report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the utility said while it has “not conclusively determined” its equipment was responsible for the fire, there was “concerning circumstantial evidence" that suggests its transmission facilities in the area could have been associated with the starting of the fire.

It also said it was “not aware of evidence pointing to another possible source of ignition," according to the report cited in the lawsuit.

Though the investigation into the fire is still ongoing, Essayli said the government is confident moving forward with the lawsuit, especially with fire season quickly approaching.

“There's no reason to wait,” Essayli said. “We believe that the evidence is clear that Edison is at fault, and by their own admissions, no one else is at fault.”

A second lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that Edison's negligence led to the sparking of the Fairview Fire in September 2022, which scorched the San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County.

According to the filing, a sagging power line in Hemet, California, operated by Edison came into contact with a Frontier Communications messenger cable, which created sparks and ignited the vegetation below.

That fire burned more than 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) of forest, killing two people and destroying 44 structures. The government is seeking $37 million in damages incurred by the U.S. Forest Service.

Essayli said he will seek terms that prevent Edison from paying for the lawsuits by raising their utility rates.

Several Altadena residents who lost their homes sued Edison in January, days after the fire broke out. Their attorneys said at the time they believed Edison’s equipment caused it, pointing to video taken during the fire’s early minutes that showed a large blaze directly beneath electrical towers.

Los Angeles County sued Edison in March, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for costs and damages sustained from the blaze.