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Edison under fire: Legal responses to the southern California Eaton Fire

2/19/25

By: Eden Elkayam

The 2025 new year brought with it several destructive wildfires affecting various areas of southern California due to powerful Santa Ana winds, prolonged droughts, and heavy vegetation growth, amidst other potential causes. One of the major fires was the Eaton Fire, which spanned approximately 14,021 acres, burned for 24 days, destroyed almost 10,000 structures, and killed 17 people. In the days since, eyewitnesses and neighbors living in the Eaton Canyon and Altadena communities have been investigating the potential causes of the fire. Specifically, more than 40 lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest electricity utility companies, due to a released video evidencing an electrical sparking at a power transmission tower in Eaton Canyon. This video, which showed sparks flying from an electrical tower and creating an explosive fire within minutes, was one of the first bases raising concerns that the company’s faults may have contributed to the devastating fire. 

Within the lawsuits against the utility company, many Altadena residents are claiming negligence against Southern California Edison, specifically for failing to maintain utility equipment and power lines and not complying with electrical and fire safety standards despite clear forecasts of extreme weather. The complaints outline that Southern California Edison did not respond quickly enough when provided warnings of potential dangers due to the Santa Ana winds approaching, including not clearing vegetation brushes surrounding their equipment and failing to de-energize power lines near the fire’s perimeter. 

In response to devastating news, on January 16, 2025, the family of Evelyn McClendon, one of the various victims of the Eaton Fire, initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern California Edison. The Estate’s lawsuit specifically indicated accusations of negligence against the utility company in failing to properly facilitate power safety shut-offs in the region amidst dangerous conditions reported to it by firefighters on the grounds. This lawsuit, along with the negligence lawsuits, will seek compensatory and punitive damages for the victims of the fires, along with other prayers as inquiries advance. 

The number of lawsuits against Southern California Edison will likely continue to rise as the causes of the fire remain under scrutiny and investigation. Investigators will specifically look into the interaction between the utility tower’s wires and surrounding vegetation and whether Southern California Edison’s maintenance of that equipment could have prevented the electrical arc that likely spawned the fire.  

FMG’s Tort & Catastrophic Loss National Practice Section has a team of attorneys with decades of experience ready to support its clients in any related matters. 

For any questions or further clarification, please contact Eden Elkayam at eden.elkayam@fmglaw.com or your local FMG attorney.