L.A. County, Cities Sue SCE for Fire Damages

Los Angeles County, along with the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, has filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison (SCE) and its parent company Edison International, alleging their equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire in January. The fire, which burned over 14,000 acres, destroyed approximately 9,400 structures, and led to 17 fatalities, is cited as causing extensive damage to community infrastructure and natural resources, resulting in significant financial losses for the county. The lawsuits claim that SCE's transmission lines were the source of the fire, supported by reports of equipment faults and photographic evidence. The municipalities seek to recover costs estimated to be in the hundreds of millions for fire response, recovery efforts, and infrastructural repairs. SCE has acknowledged anomalies in their system at the time but has yet to determine the exact cause of the fire. This legal action is part of broader efforts to hold SCE accountable for the disaster and aid in community rebuilding.