2022 Fairview fire   credit: CAL FIRE

September 4, 2025 - LOS ANGELES – The United States filed two lawsuits today seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages against Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), alleging the company’s negligence caused the deadly Eaton and Fairview fires, which burned tens of thousands of acres of National Forest System lands, killed a total of 21 people, and destroyed thousands of buildings.

“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,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We hope that today’s filings are the first step in causing the beginnings of a culture change at Southern California Edison, one that will make it a responsible, conscientious company that helps – not harms – our community. Hardworking Californians should not pick up the tab for Edison’s negligence.”

         Eaton Fire

On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire ignited on or near National Forest Systems lands within the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County. The fire ignited from faulty power infrastructure owned, maintained, and operated by SCE.

The Eaton Fire burned nearly 8,000 acres of land in the Angeles National Forest, destroying or damaging Forest Service roads, trails, campgrounds, and other facilities. Miles of recreational trails visited by hundreds of thousands of people per year were closed because of the fire, which also impacted water quality in the burn area and beyond.

In addition to the national forest, the Eaton Fire killed 18 people and burned more than 10,000 structures. 

SCE stated that it operates transmission towers in the Eaton Canyon area where the fire appears to have ignited. SCE admitted that it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton Fire started, according to the lawsuit. SCE negligently failed to properly maintain its power and transmission lines and infrastructure in the area where the Eaton Fire ignited. In a July 31 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SCE reported that it was “not aware of evidence pointing to another possible source of ignition.”

The United States Forest Service incurred millions of dollars in costs to suppress the Eaton Fire. The United States seeks more than $40 million in damages. Those damages include, but are not limited to fire suppression costs, rehabilitation of burned areas, and other environmental damages.

         Fairview Fire

On September 5, 2022, a sagging power line owned, maintained and operated by SoCal Edison came into contact with a Frontier communications messenger cable, creating sparks that ignited vegetation below the lines in Hemet. 

The Fairview Fire burned nearly 14,000 acres within the San Bernardino National Forest. Forest Service roads were destroyed or damaged by the fire. The roads also were put at risk from falling rocks, debris slides, debris flows, and hyper-concentrated floods. 

The Red Mountain Lookout, a facility used for fire detection in the forest’s remote areas was destroyed. The fire’s effects have been, and will continue to be, detrimental to wildlife and habitats, including federally protected threatened and endangered species.

In addition to the damage caused to the national forest, the fire burned 44 structures, claimed two lives, and injured three people – including two firefighters.

The lawsuit alleges that SCE failed to properly maintain its power and transmission lines in or around the area where the Fairview Fire ignited. It also failed to ensure the minimum clearance between its power lines and the Frontier Communications messenger cable in the area where the fire ignited.

The United States is seeking to recover approximately $37 million in damages incurred by the Forest Service, including approximately $20 million in fire suppression costs.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul Bart Green of the Complex and Defensive Litigation Section is handling the Eaton Fire lawsuit. Assistant United States Attorney Margaret M. Chen, also of the Complex and Defensive Litigation Section, is handling the Fairview Fire lawsuit.

Source: DOJ Release