Signage is seen at the United States Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. (Reuters File)
- U.S. government sues Southern California Edison, alleging its equipment sparked January's Eaton Fire and 2022 Fairview Fire. It seeks over $77 million.
- "But for Edison's negligence, these fires would not have started," says Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.
- Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned 10,000 structures; Fairview Fire destroyed 14,000 acres, prompting federal push for utility accountability.
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The U.S. government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Thursday, blaming the utility’s equipment for sparking two wildfires, including the Eaton Fire in January that damaged National Forest System lands.
The lawsuits against the unit of Edison International were filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in Los Angeles federal court.
They seek more than $77 million in damages for the utility’s alleged negligence, trespass by fire and violations of California public safety laws in causing the Eaton Fire and the September 2022 Fairview Fire.
“But for Edison’s negligence, these fires would not have started,” Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said at a press conference. “Fire season is coming up again. We want Edison to change the way it does business.”
Southern California Edison, known as SCE, had no immediate comment.
Wildfires Kill 31 in Southern California
January wildfires in Southern California killed 31 people and destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 structures.
Much of the damage came from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, which killed 19 and burned more than 10,000 structures, and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades.
In the first lawsuit, the Justice Department blamed the January 7 Eaton Fire on faulty SCE power infrastructure or sparks from that infrastructure, causing the burning of nearly 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) in Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County.
The second lawsuit said a sagging SCE power line sparked the September 5, 2022, Fairview Fire, burning nearly 14,000 acres (5,666 hectares) in San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County.
Both lawsuits said SCE knew high winds could spark fires, but failed to upgrade its equipment to reduce the risks.
Essayli is seeking damages of more than $40 million for the Eaton Fire and $37 million for the Fairview Fire to cover fire suppression, rehabilitation, and other costs, and said ratepayers should not be responsible.
A related investigation into responsibility for the Palisades Fire is ongoing, he added.
Property owners, shareholders, and Los Angeles County have also sued SCE or Edison over January’s wildfires.
Edison shares were down 1.6% in afternoon trading.
The cases are U.S. v. Southern California Edison Co et al., U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Nos. 25-08356 and 25-08357.
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(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Rod Nickel)
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