DOJ sues utility company SoCal Edison over deadly California wildfires

The U.S. Department of Justice has officially taken legal action against a major electricity

provider in California. The DOJ filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison

accusing the electric company of negligence and causing two deadly wildfires, the Eaton Fire, which happened earlier this year, and the Fairview Fire, which occurred in 2022

The lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence resulting in death

destruction, and tens of millions of federal taxpayer dollars spent to clean up one utility

company's mistakes, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Assaylee said in a statement. At least 21 individuals

lost their lives in the Eaton and Fairview fires, which also caused extensive damage to tens of

thousands of residential and commercial structures, as well as large areas of national forest land

According to the DOJ the Eaton fire ignited from faulty power infrastructure owned maintained and operated by SoCal Edison The federal government is seeking more than million in damages which include fire suppression costs rehabilitation of burned areas

and other environmental damages. In the lawsuit related to the Eaton Fire, the DOJ claims SoCal

Edison admitted that it noticed a fault on one of its transmission lines around the same time the

fire began this January. The DOJ also accuses SoCal Edison of not properly maintaining its

equipment, leading to the Fairview fire, which broke out in September 2022. The Fairview fire

burned nearly 14,000 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest and damaged service

roads. The federal government is seeking approximately $37 million in damages, including approximately $20 million in fire suppression costs. Los Angeles County is also

suing SoCal Edison, claiming the company's equipment sparked the Eaton fire. For Straight

Arrow News. I'm Lauren Keenan. If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app

or visit san.com