Family of Eaton Fire Victim Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Southern California Edison

The family of an Eaton fire victim has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern California Edison alleging that the utility company’s negligence is to blame for the blaze that killed their 59-year-old loved one. According to the lawsuit, Edison failed to turn off utilities despite clear warnings about extremely dangerous fire conditions, leading to catastrophic consequences. The Eaton fire has, up to this point, killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 buildings.

The cause of the devastating fire still remains under investigation. Many, however, have been quick to blame Edison after video showed evidence of the fire starting under one of the utility’s transmission towers in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7.

At present, four other lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Altadena residents who had to evacuate their houses or lost their homes in the Eaton fire. Their suits also blame the utility company for the blaze. In a statement, Southern California Edison said that it was aware that lawsuits related to the Eaton fire have been filed, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

When the fire began, the area was under a rare “particularly dangerous situation” fire weather warning. Forecasters predicted critically low humidity and Santa Ana wind gusts of up to 100 mph.

The lawsuits filed against Edison allege that the company has a responsibility to turn off the power lines during such extreme weather conditions.  By Jan. 3, Edison had alerts telling them that they needed to de-energize the power they have. The decedent died on Jan. 7, four days after they should have turned off the power.

Southern California Edison has said in statements that it does not believe that its transmission tower was responsible for the fire. The matter is being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. According to the defendant, wind gusts measured by Edison at Eaton Canyon never reached the 60-to-80 mph threshold to warrant de-energizing the tower on Jan. 7. The National Weather Service measured 59 mph wind gusts in the Eaton Canyon area around the time the fire started on Jan. 7.

Talk to an Oakland, California Wrongful Death Lawyer Today 

The Oakland personal injury lawyers at Venardi Zurada, LLP represent the interests of plaintiffs and their families in personal injury lawsuits filed against negligent defendants. We serve the Bay Area from our office locations in Oakland and Walnut Creek. Call our office today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin investigating your case right away.

Source:

latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-16/family-of-eaton-fire-victim-sues-southern-california-edison-for-wrongful-death