Southern California Edison sued over Los Angeles wildfires

WASHINGTON

Southern California Edison, a unit of utility firm Edison International, was sued Monday over claims that its electrical equipment started one of the Los Angeles wildfires, according to local media.

Homeowners and renters who lost their homes in the Eaton fire filed lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment despite red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

Separately, Edison International Chief Executive Officer Pedro Pizarro told Bloomberg that the utility did not detect any electrical issues on a transmission line near the start of the deadly Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area.

"We have not seen in our telemetry any indication of an electrical anomaly," Pizarro was quoted as saying during an interview Monday on Bloomberg Television.

"Typically, when you have a fire across infrastructure, you see voltage dropping. We have not seen that in our study," he added.

At least 24 people have died since multiple fires began last Tuesday and more than 12,000 structures including homes, businesses and houses of worship have been reduced to ashes.

More than 40,000 acres have been scorched by the Eaton, Palisades, Kenneth and Hurst fires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Efforts to contain the fires continue.