Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison International, is facing multiple lawsuits after its electrical equipment was implicated in sparking one of the major wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area. The lawsuits, filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, allege that SCE’s infrastructure played a critical role in igniting the Eaton Fire, which has already caused widespread destruction in the region.
The legal actions mark the beginning of what is expected to be a wave of lawsuits following the recent wildfires in Southern California. The Eaton Fire, which broke out last Tuesday in the Pasadena area, has already claimed at least 24 lives, left more than 90,000 people displaced, and caused widespread devastation. The fire has scorched over 14,000 acres, making it one of the largest and most destructive fires in California’s history.
According to the lawsuits, eyewitnesses reported seeing flames near a transmission tower owned by SCE before powerful Santa Ana winds spread the fire. Some witnesses shared videos on social media, including footage showing a fire at the base of a transmission tower shortly after the Eaton Fire began. One eyewitness, Brendan Thorn, who lives near Eaton Canyon, reported seeing “knee-high” flames around transmission towers soon after the fire ignited.
The lawsuits cite evidence from Whisker Lab, an electrical monitoring company, which indicated that there were several disruptions in the local power grid that could have sparked the fire. Additionally, the lawsuits claim that SCE’s equipment was still energized when the fire broke out, contradicting the company’s earlier statements. SCE previously claimed that its distribution lines west of Eaton Canyon were de-energized prior to the fire.
In a recent TV interview, Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro stated that the company is continuing its investigation into the fires and has not identified any electrical issues with its equipment at the time of the Eaton Fire. He suggested that there could be another cause for the blaze but acknowledged that the company had not yet been able to inspect the equipment closely.
Southern California Edison has also filed safety incident reports for both the Eaton and Hurst fires, acknowledging the possibility that its equipment may have contributed to the fires. However, the company has not yet been definitively linked to the fire’s ignition by any fire agencies.
As the lawsuits unfold, SCE’s shares have been significantly impacted, dropping nearly 12% to $57.24 on Monday and falling by approximately 27% since the fires began last week.
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