Deadly Eaton fire ignited by SoCal Edison, feds allege

Prosecutors seek tens of millions of dollars in damages for January blaze and one in 2022

- By Brittny Mejia and Melody Petersen

CHRISTINA HOUSE Los Angeles Times PEDESTRIANS pass businesses in Altadena destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Jan. 7 blaze claimed 19 lives.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday sued Southern California Edison over its alleged role in the deadly Eaton fire, a blaze that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 homes and other structures in Altadena and the surrounding area.

In a civil complaint, prosecutors allege that the Eaton fire was ignited by “faulty power infrastructure or by sparks from faulty power infrastructure owned, maintained, and operated” by Edison.

The results of the official investigation into the fire by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have not yet been announced. The government’s lawsuit notes that the investigation into the fire remains ongoing.

The government also sued Edison on Thursday for its alleged role in the Fairview fire, which burned near Hemet in 2022. Prosecutors are seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages from Edison, alleging the company’s negligence caused both fires.

Together, the fires burned tens of thousands of acres of National Forest System lands, killed 21 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.