U.S. claims Edison's equipment ignited '19 Sylmar fire

Federal prosecutors sued Southern California Edison, saying its equipment ignited the 2019 Saddleridge fire, which burned nearly 9,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes in the San Fernando Valley.

- MELODY PETERSEN

THE 2019 wildfire tore through parts of Sylmar, Granada Hills and Porter Ranch, killing at least one person.

(BRIAN VAN DER BRUG Los Angeles Times)

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday claims that Edison was negligent in designing, constructing and maintaining its high-voltage transmission line that runs through Sylmar. Equipment on the line is now suspected of causing both the 2019 fire as well as the Hurst fire on Jan. 7.

Edison has acknowledged that its equipment may have ignited the Jan. 7 fire, but it has been arguing for years in a lawsuit brought by Saddleridge fire victims that its equipment did not start the 2019 fire.

Lawyers for the victims say they have evidence showing the transmission line is not properly grounded, leading to two wildfires in six years. Edison's lawyers call those claims an "exotic ignition theory" that is wrong.

In the new lawsuit, the federal government is seeking to recover costs for the damage the 2019 fire caused to 800 acres of national forest, including for the destruction of wildlife and habitats. The lawsuit also requests reimbursement for the federal government's costs of fighting the fire.