A lawsuit accuses Southern California Edison of starting the Eaton Fire, one of several wildfires that have killed at least 24 people and displaced tens of thousands.
Southern California Edison (SCE), the electrical utility serving Los Angeles, is facing a lawsuit alleging its responsibility for igniting one of the devastating wildfires that have ravaged the region. Jeremy Gursey, whose Altadena residence was destroyed in the Eaton Fire , filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, claiming SCE sparked the blaze, a charge the utility has consistently denied.
Local authorities, meanwhile, are still investigating the cause of the fires, though they are examining an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon as a potential origin point for the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles Times.Gursey cites photographs taken by Altadena residents Jennifer and Marcus Errico as evidence. The Erricos captured an image of a small fire beneath transmission lines running through Eaton Canyon around 6:15 p.m. on January 7th. In a CNN interview, Marcus Errico described seeing a glow on the hillside above his house and observing a small ring of flames around the base of a transformer tower with power lines stretching into the mountains. While Errico acknowledged uncertainty about SCE's direct involvement, he stated definitively that the initial fire in Pasadena and Altadena – with Eaton Canyon bordering both cities – originated beneath that tower on Tuesday night.SCE, in a Sunday statement, asserted that a review of circuits and transmission lines in the Eaton Canyon area revealed its electrical equipment was unlikely to have caused the fire. The utility claimed its analysis showed no interruptions or electrical anomalies in the 12 hours preceding the reported start time until more than an hour after the fire's ignition. Despite this, SCE did not respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit. Shares of SCE's parent company, Edison International, plummeted 10% on Monday and have declined 30% over the past week, reflecting investor concerns about potential financial liabilities arising from the fires.Richard Bridgford, partner at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, representing Gursey in the lawsuit, believes the evidence implicating SCE is mounting. He pointed out that SCE had stated its distribution lines east of Eaton Canyon would be energized, while the ignition point was directly below their line. Bridgford, citing the video evidence and discussions with experts, expressed confidence that SCE would be held responsible for starting the fire. He emphasized the company's failure to de-energize its overhead wires despite a red flag wind warning issued by the National Weather Service, further strengthening the case against SCE. Although definitive evidence remains elusive, Bridgford anticipates more compelling evidence emerging.Gursey's lawsuit, while the first against the electrical utility, is likely not the last. Bridgford, who has represented tens of thousands of wildfire victims in the past, indicated that this case is merely the beginning. He stated that several more lawsuits are in the pipeline, signifying the potential for significant legal repercussions for SCE in the wake of these devastating fires
Southern California Edison Wildfires Lawsuit Eaton Fire California Utility Responsibility
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