(The Center Square) – The Pasadena Unified School District is suing Southern California Edison for allegedly causing the devastating Eaton Fire, which damaged several schools.
The district is the latest governmental entity to sue the utility company over the fire, which started Jan. 7. Others filing lawsuits include Los Angeles County, which oversees the unincorporated community of Altadena, and the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre. The suits blame Southern California Edison’s equipment for igniting the blaze.
The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres, destroyed 9,418 structures, damaged another 1,073 structures and resulted in 17 deaths in the Altadena/Pasadena area, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported.
In a news release Friday, the district said the fire caused “extensive damage” to its campuses and that its filing includes “photographic evidence” linking the fire to Southern California Edison. The lawsuit noted Edison filed reports with the California Public Utilities Commission acknowledging that a “fault was detected” on its transmission circuit at about the same time and location the fire began.
The school district reported damage at:
Franklin Elementary SchoolEliot Arts Magnet Middle SchoolThe Edison campus housing Odyssey Charter SchoolThe Loma Alta campus housing Pasadena Rosebud Academy and Oak Knoll Montessori SchoolThe Noyes campus housing Aveson School of Leaders
The lawsuit includes claims for inverse condemnation, negligence, trespass, nuisance, premises liability, and violations of public utilities and health and safety codes.
“The lawsuit seeks to address the devastating impacts this fire has had on the district’s educational infrastructure and the significant losses sustained in the wake of the Eaton Fire,” said Ed Diab, a founding partner of Diab Chambers LLP, which is representing the Pasadena Unified School District in the suit. Diab Chambers LLP, along with Baron & Budd P.C., is representing the school district, as well as Los Angeles County, Pasadena and Sierra Madre in their suits.
Southern California Edison began its first close-up inspections of its Eaton Canyon electrical equipment on March 17.
The company said in a news release that its investigation is being conducted in coordination with fire investigators, Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and the governmental bodies’ lawyers in the lawsuits.
The investigations are expected to take several weeks and involve crews climbing each tower for inspections and taking photos of equipment, Southern California Edison said. The company is also using drones with cameras for its inspections.
