The Department of Justice is demanding south of California Edison for the Eaton fire, looking for dozens of millions of dollars in damages for alleged negligence that states that it led to the deadly fire.
The January fire, one of the most destructive in the history of California, killed 19 people and burned more than 14,000 acres, including almost 8,000 land acres in the National Forest of Angels, authorities said.
A cause remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire. However, the Department of Justice alleges that the fire was lit “from a defective energy infrastructure owned, maintained and operated” by southern California Edison.
In this archive photo of January 8, 2025, flames of the Eaton fire driven by the wind wrapped in a house in Altadena, California.
Robyn Beck/AFP through Getty Images, Archive
The Department of Justice is also demanding the public services company for damages caused by The Fire Fire 2022 FairviewThat killed two people and burned more than 28,000 acres, including almost 14,000 acres within the San Bernardino National Forest, authorities said.
State firefighters determined that the fire began after an electric line of Socal Edison came into contact with a border communications messaging cable, creating an arc and causing sparks to fall and turn on the vegetation below.
“The demands filed today allege a worrying pattern of negligence that results in death, destruction and dozens of millions of federal dollars of worn taxpayers to clean the errors of a public service company,” said United States prosecutor Bill Essayli, in a statement. “We hope that today’s presentations are the first step to cause the beginning of a cultural change in southern California Edison, one that will make it a responsible and conscientious company that helps, does not harm our community. Workers’ Californians should not collect the account of Edison’s negligence.”
The Department of Justice said it is looking for more than $ 40 million in damage to the Eaton fire for the costs incurred by the United States forest service, including fire suppression and rehabilitation. He is looking to recover about $ 37 million for damage to FairView, he said.
This is a development story. Consult the updates again.
