Lawsuits allege Southern California Edison started the Eaton Fire

By Blanca Begert | 01/14/2025 06:26 AM EST

Plaintiffs accused the utility’s live transmission lines of sparking the fires and are seeking damages.

Robert Lara searches through the wreckage of his home after it was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.

Robert Lara searches through the wreckage of his home after it was destroyed in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Thursday. Nic Coury/AP

Homeowners who lost their properties in the Eaton Fire filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Monday, the first suits related to the fires that have displaced 150,000 people, destroyed over 12,000 structures and killed at least 24 people across Los Angeles since Jan. 7.

The law firm Edelson PC filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday on behalf of a former FedEx worker, Evangeline Iglesias, who lost her home in the Eaton Fire that broke out just outside Los Angeles last Tuesday, killing 16 people and destroying approximately 7,000 structures in Altadena and Pasadena.

The complaint points to evidence from eyewitness accounts, photo and video allegedly showing that the fire was caused by electrical equipment operated by Southern California Edison. Alleging that SCE knew of the risks associated with keeping its lines energized during dangerous fire weather conditions, the firm is seeking compensatory as well as punitive damages.

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The firm Bridgford Law filed another lawsuit Monday on behalf of a group of homeowners, renters and business owners with properties destroyed by the Eaton Fire. The suit alleges a Southern California Edison tower carrying energized high voltage lines caused the fire.

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