Los Angeles, Pasadena sue utilities company over wildfires

Both Los Angeles County and the city of Pasadena filed separate lawsuits on Wednesday against utilities provider Southern California Edison for the damages incurred during the devastating Eaton wildfire in January. Both lawsuits allege that equipment belonging to Southern California Edison sparked the fire that ultimately killed over a dozen people, consumed 14,000 acres of land, and destroyed thousands of buildings and homes.

Both lawsuits cited a report by the California Public Utilities Commission that reported Southern California Edison recorded an abnormal energy current between power lines near the Eaton fire’s point of origin. Los Angeles County also cited a letter from the utility company to California officials saying the company had photo evidence of a transmission line showing signs of potential arching. Pasadena’s complaint included additional claims of negligence and public health and safety violations against the company.

How much are officials seeking in damages? Los Angeles County attorneys sought compensation from the company for the destroyed government infrastructure and road damage, along with cleanup and recovery efforts. The filing also requested that Southern California Edison be required to cover the cost of flooding and mudslide prevention, workers' compensation claims, and overtime for county workers because of the fire. Authorities are still calculating the costs but Los Angeles County is going to be seeking at least hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, according to a statement from the office of County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison. Pasadena officials also did not name a specific restitution number, but said they hope to have the utility company pay for damages to the city’s critical water management system and police training facility, among other losses.

Dig deeper: Read my previous story on Southern California Edison’s first report of the electrical fault in January.