SCE sued by US attorney for role in LA fires
Haleemon Anderson
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The United States Attorney’s office announced two lawsuits against Southern California Edison Co., today, alleging that faulty transmission and power lines led to the devastating Eaton and Fairview fires.
The filings cite “a troubling pattern of negligence,” and allege that the company’s negligence caused the deadly fires, which burned tens of thousands of acres of National Forest System lands, killed a total of 21 people, and destroyed thousands of buildings.
Both fires damaged federal government-owned land and property. The United States is seeking to recover tens of millions in damages incurred by the Forest Service, including fire suppression costs, rehabilitation of burned areas and other environmental damages.
“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,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
According to the lawsuit, SCE admitted that it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton Fire started.
Federal prosecutors allege SCE’s equipment caused the Jan. 7 blaze. Forty million in damages is sought in connection to the fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena and killed 19 people, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.
The Eaton fire ignited around 6:20 p.m. Jan. 7 near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the foothills above Altadena during hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, according to Cal Fire. The blaze burned roughly 14,021 acres over 24 days, destroying about 9,414 structures and damaging another 1,074. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
The Fairview fire burned 44 structures, claimed two lives, and injured three people — including two firefighters– in addition to damage caused to the national forest.
The lawsuit alleges that SCE failed to properly maintain its power and transmission lines in or around the area where the Fairview Fire ignited. It also failed to ensure the minimum clearance between its power lines and the Frontier Communications messenger cable in the area where the fire started.
The United States is seeking to recover nearly $37 million in damages incurred by the Forest Service, including about $20 million in fire suppression costs, according to the Fairview suit.