Businesses along Lake Avenue destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. The cause of the fire and others that broke out in Los Angeles last week are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
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At least two lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison power company, on the speculation that faulty power lines may have sparked the Eaton Fire, which has claimed at least 16 lives and destroyed over a thousand structures.
Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have not determined a cause for the fire; the agency says it has just begun its investigation into the Eaton and Palisades wildfires that are still burning. But that hasn’t stopped speculation.
For days, social media accounts have been filled with videos and alleged witness accounts that appear to show flames breaking out under transmission power lines in Eaton canyon. The posts have fueled questions about whether the power company is responsible.
Southern California Edison spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas told NPR that her company was aware of a filing in LA Superior Court, but had not been served or had a chance to review the complaint as of Monday evening.
“Our hearts remain with our communities during the devastating fires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time,” said Ornelas. “SCE will review the complaint when it is received, the cause of the fire continues to be under investigation.”
Attorney Ali Moghaddas, of the law firm Edelson PC, represents Evangeline Iglesias, an Altadena resident whose home burned to the ground. He says the lawsuit was filed quickly to preserve potential evidence that might help reconstruct the scene later in court.
The complaint alleges that Southern California Edison violated public safety and utility codes and was negligent in its handling of power safety shut-offs during known extreme fire conditions and high winds.
SoCal Edison and other power companies say they preemptively turned power off during the height of the fire, following California Public Utilities Commission guidelines.
In an interview with ABC News earlier on Monday, Southern California Edison’s parent company CEO Pedro Pizarro said employees monitoring the lines remotely at the time saw no indications of any electrical anomalies that would typically cause sparking.
“That said, we have not been able to get up close to the equipment yet because firefighters have not deemed the area safe for entry,” Pizarro told ABC’s George Stephanoplous. “So as soon as we can get close to it, we’ll inspect and we’ll be transparent with the public.”
Moghaddas says the utility company’s response is out of a playbook they’ve used to avoid responsibility in the past, and alleges the company has not been transparent about exactly which lines and transmission towers were de-energized during the peak of the Santa Ana winds last week.
“They had the tools to try to mitigate the possibility of this wildfire, and instead, they chose to ignore those warnings,” Moghaddas told NPR. “They didn’t do what they were supposed to do as alleged in our complaint.”
Southern California Edison has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements related to at least seven other wildfires in recent years, including $80 million dollar settlements to the U.S. Forest Service for the 2017 Thomas Fire and to the County of Los Angeles for the 2020 Bobcat Fire.