Another lawsuit claims SoCal Edison equipment started Eaton Fire

Another group has filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison blaming the company's equipment for sparking the deadly Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena. SoCal Edison says it's still too early to pinpoint a cause, but those who filed the lawsuit say they're confident SCE is to blame.

"Southern California Edison started the Eaton Fire, and we're here to get justice and hold them accountable," said attorney Doug Boxer at a press conference Tuesday.

Boxer, along with the group LA Fire Justice, put together a 3D model of Altadena using surveillance footage and witness testimony, and they say it pinpoints the Eaton Fire's origin.

"In the years I've been doing this, along with my litigating partner, this evidence is pretty clear-cut," Boxer said.

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SoCal Edison is pushing back against those claims, however.

"At this point in time, no one knows what started the Eaton Fire," Kathleen Dunleavy with SoCal Edison. "The investigation is at a very early stage."

SCE says it's working with investigators to determine if their equipment was at fault, though they haven't said how long the investigation will take.

"We will continue to investigate the involvement of SCE's equipment," said Dunleavy.

In a separate lawsuit, attorney Jay Edelson released a video showing an apparent spark at a transmission tower right before the Eaton Fire spread.

Boxer questioned why that transmission tower wasn't powered off, despite the National Weather Service issuing strong wind warnings in the area. SoCal Edison CEO Steven D. Powell recently told the LA Times that the winds that day were not strong enough to trigger a de-energization at that transmission station. 

SoCal Edison has 30 days to respond to this most recent lawsuit.

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