Southern California Edison, the company that provides electricity to Los Angeles County, is being sued by people who lost their homes to the California wildfires, accusing them of causing the devastating wildfires that have raged for more than a week.
The lawsuits filed on January 13 (US time) accuse Southern California Edison (SCE) of negligence, allowing power transmission equipment to cause wildfires .
Up to now, authorities have not yet determined the official cause of the fires on January 7.
The Eaton Fire is one of the two largest, destroying more than 7,000 homes and killing at least 17 people. Despite continuous efforts, authorities had only contained about 33% of the Eaton Fire by the end of January 13.
Attorneys representing those who lost their homes said their clients believe SCE equipment caused the fire. Video taken in the first minutes of the fire showed large flames burning directly under utility poles.
Last week, SCE filed a report with the California Public Utilities Commission regarding the Eaton Fire, saying it had seen no evidence that its equipment was involved in starting the wildfire.
However, the homeless group pointed out that in a report to authorities, SCE admitted that its power poles were located in fire-prone areas.
"Defendants deliberately prioritized profits over safety. Their reckless and willful disregard for human safety was a significant factor in the outbreak of the Eaton fire," Axios quoted an allegation in the lawsuit as saying.
In a statement on January 13, SCE spokesman Jeff Monford confirmed that he was aware of the lawsuit, but had not received any formal request from the court.
"SCE will review the claim once it receives formal notification. The cause of the fire is still under investigation," the official told Axios briefly by phone.
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