Los Angeles County Sues Southern California Utility Over January Fire

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit on March 5 against Southern California Edison (SCE) and its parent company, Edison International, alleging the utility’s equipment caused the deadly Eaton Fire that cost the county hundreds of millions of dollars in response efforts and cleanup.

The fire began on Jan. 7 and became the second-most destructive and fifth-deadliest wildfire in California history, according to the lawsuit.

It burned more than 14,000 acres, claimed approximately 9,400 structures, and damaged hundreds more. It ravaged the unincorporated town of Altadena, and destroyed county parks, a nature center, trails, and other community infrastructure, according to Los Angeles County.

At least 17 people lost their lives, while several firefighters were injured. The fire also damaged childcare facilities, a senior center, assisted living facilities, schools, churches, a Jewish synagogue, and a mosque. Tens of thousands of residents were displaced.

The plaintiffs in the case are the county, the Los Angeles Flood Control District, and the Los Angeles Consolidated Fire Protection District, also known as the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The complaint states that witnesses, photos, and videos suggest the fire ignited at an SCE transmission line in Eaton Canyon, near Mount Markham and San Gabriel Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, within the Angeles National Forest, sparking a fire in the surrounding vegetation. It states that the utility company failed to de-energize its electrical circuits to reduce wildfire risk during a red flag warning.

“The Eaton Fire was not the result of an ‘act of God’ or other force majeure. The Eaton Fire was ignited by sparks from high-voltage transmission lines, distribution lines, appurtenances, and other electrical equipment within EDISON’s utility infrastructure that ignited surrounding vegetation,” the lawsuit states.

SCE notified the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of a fault on its transmission line around the time the fire erupted, according to a March 5 statement from the Office of Los Angeles County Counsel. On Feb. 6, SCE sent a letter to the CPUC acknowledging photographic evidence showing possible arcing and damage to the grounding equipment on two of the three idle conductors at the terminus of the idle Mesa-Sylmar transmission line, according to the office.

“EDISON had a duty to properly maintain and operate its electrical infrastructure, including any equipment that has been decommissioned, yet failed to do so,” the complaint reads. “Further, EDISON had a duty to ensure that flammable vegetation surrounding its infrastructure was maintained and had a duty to utilize public safety power shutoffs when weather conditions made it unsafe to keep its equipment energized and to otherwise ensure that its electrical equipment operated in a safe manner but failed to do so.”

County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison filed the case. Harrison said the costs and losses that are sought include compensation for destroyed infrastructure, recreational areas, parks, road damage, cleanup and recovery efforts, flood and mudslide prevention, and workers’ compensation claims.

“We are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County,” she said in a statement.

The complaint states the county’s costs and damages from the Eaton Fire and its cleanup are still unclear, but it is estimated that the final total will amount to no less than hundreds of millions of dollars.

Brian Leventhal, a spokesperson for SCE, told The Epoch Times that the Eaton Fire remains under investigation and the company will continue with its longstanding commitment to transparency.

“Our hearts are with the communities affected by the wildfires in Southern California,” Leventhal said. “We are reviewing the lawsuit that was recently filed, and we’ll address it through the appropriate legal process. Our investigation is still in the early stages.”