The US government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Thursday, blaming the utility’s equipment for sparking two wildfires, including the Eaton fire in January that damaged National Forest System lands.
The lawsuits against the unit of Edison International were filed by the US Department of Justice in Los Angeles federal court.
They seek more than $77m in damages for the utility’s alleged negligence, trespass by fire, and violations of California public safety laws in causing the Eaton fire and the September 2022 Fairview fire.
“But for Edison’s negligence, these fires would not have started,” Bill Essayli, the acting US attorney in Los Angeles, said at a press conference. “Fire season is coming up again. We want Edison to change the way it does business.”
Southern California Edison, known as SCE, had no immediate comment. January wildfires in southern California killed 31 people and destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 structures.
Much of the damage came from the Eaton fire in Altadena, which killed 19 and burned more than 10,000 structures, and the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades.
In the first lawsuit, the justice department blamed the 7 January Eaton fire on faulty SCE power infrastructure or sparks from that infrastructure, causing the burning of nearly 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) in the Angeles national forest in Los Angeles county.
The second lawsuit said a sagging SCE power line sparked the 5 September 2022 Fairview fire, burning nearly 14,000 acres (5,666 hectares) in the San Bernardino national forest in Riverside county.
Both lawsuits said SCE knew high winds could spark fires, but failed to upgrade its equipment to reduce the risks.
Essayli is seeking damages of more than $40m for the Eaton fire and $37m for the Fairview fire to cover fire suppression, rehabilitation and other costs, and said ratepayers should not be responsible.
A related investigation into responsibility for the Palisades fire is ongoing, he added.
Property owners, shareholders and Los Angeles county have also sued SCE or Edison over January’s wildfires.
Edison shares were down 1.6% in afternoon trading.
