lawsuits claim that a power line may have caused the LA fire

The Los Angeles Firefighter’s Case Against Southern California Edison: “The Public’s Advocates” vs. Power Company Investigations

Some residents are starting to blame the local power utility for the fires that have burned across Los Angeles. Southern California Edison is facing multiple lawsuits alleging the company is responsible for the deadly Eaton fire that nearly leveled Altadena.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has not been able to determine the cause of the fire while it is still burning. But that hasn’t stopped speculation.

“Our hearts remain with our communities, and we are committed to supporting them through this difficult time,” said Ornelas. “SCE will review the complaint when it is received, the cause of the fire continues to be under investigation.”

“We have video, we have photographs, we have eyewitness accounts, not just from our clients but other residents that were there and alleged to have seen sparking, to have seen arcing occurring on those lines that subsequently triggered a fire,” Ali Moghaddas, an attorney representing an Altadena resident who lost her home, told NBC.

According to the California Public Utilities Commission guidelines, power companies turn off power during the height of a fire.

In an interview on Monday with ABC News, Pedro Pizarro said employees that monitored the lines remotely did not see any electrical anomalies that would typically cause sparking.

“That said, we have not been able to get up close to the equipment yet because firefighters have not deemed the area safe for entry,” Pizarro told ABC’s George Stephanoplous. “So as soon as we can get close to it, we’ll inspect and we’ll be transparent with the public.”

Moghaddas says the utility company’s response is out of a playbook they’ve used to avoid responsibility in the past, and alleges the company has not been transparent about exactly which lines and transmission towers were de-energized during the peak of the Santa Ana winds last week.

“They had the tools to try to mitigate the possibility of this wildfire, and instead, they chose to ignore those warnings,” Moghaddas told NPR. “They didn’t do what they were supposed to do as alleged in our complaint.”

Southern California Edison has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements related to at least seven other wildfires in recent years, including $80 million dollar settlements to the U.S. Forest Service for the 2017 Thomas Fire and to the County of Los Angeles for the 2020 Bobcat Fire.

Strong winds are predicted to fan the flames in the coming days and the fire remains only 35 percent contained as of Tuesday morning. Already, the blaze has scorched more than 14,000 acres and 7,000 structures. Over the past week, at least 2 dozen people have been killed by fires in the vicinity.

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