California
A judge on Tuesday approved a temporary restraining order for Southern California Edison to preserve data and equipment related to the area where the Eaton fire started.
The court filings blame the utility for the fire despite the fact that the blaze’s cause is still under investigation.
Investigators are looking into whether downed Southern California Edison equipment ignited the Hurst fire near Sylmar, officials said.
The family of Evelyn McClendon, 59, has filed a lawsuit that accuses Southern California Edison of negligence in the Eaton fire and blames the utility for her death.
The utility has notified the California Public Utilities Commission that it had received a number of notices, from attorneys representing insurance companies, to preserve evidence regarding the Eaton fire.
This is the third time in as many months that strong Santa Ana winds have prompted Southern California Edison to cut power to its customers over fire risk.
As extreme wind events increase the threat of wildfires, Southern California Edison is shutting off power to some of its customers.
The L.A.-area fires may pose the first big test of California’s wildfire fund, which was set up in 2019 to protect utilities from bankruptcy.
Business
The catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles County have rocked the stock of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison.
Climate & Environment
The California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve Southern California Edison’s wildfire mitigation plan, ignoring requests that the decision be delayed.