Edison sues L.A. County and other agencies, saying they share blame for Eaton fire deaths, destruction
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Southern California Edison sued Los Angeles County, water agencies and two companies including SoCalGas on Friday, saying their mistakes contributed to the deadly and destructive toll of last year’s Eaton wildfire.Edison now faces hundreds of lawsuits by victims of the fire, which claim its transmission line started the devastating fire that killed at least 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena.The cost of settling those lawsuits could be many billions of dollars.Doug Dixon, an attorney who represents Edison in the fire litigation, told The Times that Edison filed the lawsuits “to ensure that all those who bear responsibility are at the table in this legal process.”The utility’s two legal filings in L.A.
County Superior Court paint a picture of sweeping mismanagement of the emergency response on the night of the fire.Edison blames the county fire department, sheriff’s department and office of emergency management for their failure to warn Altadena residents west of Lake Avenue to evacuate.The Times revealed last January that west Altadena never received evacuation warnings, and orders to evacuate came hours after flames and smoke threatened the community.All but one of the 19 who died in the Eaton fire were found in west Altadena.Edison also sued L.A.
County for failing to send fire trucks to the community.A Times investigation found that during a critical moment in the fire, only one county fire truck was west of Lake Avenue.The electric company also filed suit against six water agencies, including Pasadena Water & Power, claiming there were insufficient water supplies available for firefighters.“Compounding the unfolding disaster, the water systems servicing the areas impacted by the Eaton Fire failed as the fire spread, leaving firefighters and residents with no water to fight the fire,” the lawsuit states.Another lawsuit aims at SoCalGas.
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