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US Sues Southern California Edison for Saddleridge Wildfire

The U.S. Government sued Southern California Edison for helping restore National Forest System land burned in the Saddleridge Wildfire near Los Angeles, in 2019.

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday seeks damages to cover fire suppression and rehabilitation costs arising from Edison International's alleged negligence and trespassing by fire, as well as violations of California's public safety laws.

Southern California Edison's spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas stated in a press release that the utility will review the complaint and respond via the legal process. The utility expressed its sympathy to the victims of fires.

According to the Department of Justice, the Saddleridge Fire began at the base of an transmission tower near Sylmar in California during high winds after a powerline attached to another tower nearby fell on a steel arm, causing an electrical fault. According to a complaint filed at the Los Angeles federal courts, the fire on October 10, 2019, burned approximately 800 acres (324 ha) in the Angeles National Forest. It also damaged neighboring communities, and caused one death.

Cal Fire reported that the Saddleridge Fire had burned 8,799 hectares (3,561 acres) in total.

The government claimed that Southern California Edison was "aware of the potential dangers posed by high wind" and had failed to maintain its transmission lines, power lines, and other equipment. The government filed the lawsuit five weeks after it sued Southern California Edison for blaming their equipment for igniting the Eaton Fire and Fairview Fire of September 2022. The January wildfires, which included the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire in Southern California, caused 31 deaths and damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 buildings.

U.S. v. Southern California Edison Co et al. U.S. District Court Central District of California No. 25-09547. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, New York; editing by Matthew Lewis

(source: Reuters)