LA County: Edison caused Eaton Fire that killed 19 Play

Southern California Edison caused the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed Altadena — the same day that an unrelated fire hit Malibu and Pacific Palisades.

That's the official conclusion reached yesterday by Los Angeles County Fire.

SCE allowed a high-voltage power line to sit unused for 50 years — a string of cable that stretched through high fire risk foothills but had been taken out of service after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake.

But the power line absorbed energy from adjacent powerful cables, and then caught fire during the strong Santa Ana winds in January 2025.

9,400 structures burned in Altadena as a result of SCE negligence. That's the official conclusion released yesterday.

Although the county report is irrelevant to the Palisades Fire, it is directly relevant to the power company that serves Malibu and most of Southern California.

It is further evidence that Edison faces enormous financial risk in the future — risk that will result in increased power costs.