Southern California Edison Faces Lawsuits Claiming Company Equipment Started Deadly LA Fire

Several lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison (SCE), claiming its power lines started the Eaton fire in Los Angeles, which has killed at least 16 people.

The Eaton fire is one of two massive wildfires ripping through the Los Angeles area, and has been blamed for the destruction of at least 7,000 structures, including entire residential neighborhoods. Along with the Pacific Palisades fire, it has killed a total of 25 people. The fires began on January 7, spread by high winds through dry underbrush. As of Monday evening, the fire was only 33% contained.

The first complaint (PDF) over the fire was filed by Jeremy Gursey in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, claiming that he and his family were forced to evacuate for several days, during which the fire destroyed their home in Altadena.

In the days following the initial complaint, several additional lawsuits have been filed, each seeking to hold Southern California Edison (SCE) accountable for the devastating fire. These lawsuits allege negligence on the part of the utility company, claiming that SCE’s equipment failures and lack of adequate safety measures directly contributed to the outbreak and spread of the deadly blaze.

Gursey and other plaintiffs indicate several eyewitnesses saw the Eaton fire start underneath Southern California Edison power lines in Eaton Canyon. His complaint includes photos allegedly taken at the start of the blaze directly under SCE transmission towers.

However, Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro has said that the company detected no electrical issues before the start of the fire. The cause is still under investigation.

The company was given several days’ notice of high, sustained winds, which the National Weather Service flagged as a severe fire hazard several days before the fire started, the lawsuit notes. However, Gursey’s lawsuit claims the company has contradicted itself over whether the transmission lines were energized at the start of the fire, alleging that it de-energized lines traversing Eaton Canyon before the fire began as a precaution.

“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that on January 7, 2025, at approximately 6:18 p.m., an electrical failure occurred on energized overhead power lines owned, operated, and controlled by Defendant SCE, causing an arc and/or electrical sparks that ignited susceptible ground vegetation below and resulting in the ignition of the Eaton Fire,” the lawsuit states. “SCE had a duty to properly construct and maintain its electrical infrastructure and manage the surrounding vegetation. Plaintiffs allege, on information and belief, that SCE violated these duties by knowingly operating aging and improperly-maintained infrastructure. SCE was well aware of the risks of negligently operating its electrical equipment.”

The lawsuit notes that SCE’s equipment has been linked to a number of previous fires, including the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Woolsey Fire, the 2019 Easy Fire and the 2022 Coastal Fire.

“Had SCE acted responsibly, the Eaton Fire could have been prevented,” Gursey’s lawsuit states.

He presents claims of negligence, inverse condemnation, premises liability, trespass, private and public nuisance, and violations of public utilities codes and health and safety codes.