Los Angeles County sued Southern California Edison and its parent company on Wednesday, blaming the utility’s equipment for causing the deadly Eaton fire in January, which killed 17 people and destroyed more than 9,400 buildings near Altadena and Pasadena, Calif. The county’s lawsuit is the most prominent case brought against Edison, which is also facing scores of lawsuits filed by victims of the fire. The cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre are also filing suits against Edison for damages that include the use of taxpayer resources and destruction of public infrastructure during the fire. The official cause of the Eaton fire remains under investigation by the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. An Edison spokeswoman, Kathleen Dunleavy, said the utility had been reviewing the lawsuits and would respond to the complaints in court. In its lawsuit, Los Angeles County said videos, eyewitness accounts and other evidence made clear that Edison equipment caused the Eaton fire on January 7. Preliminary reviews by fire investigators placed the origin of the fire in Eaton Canyon, where Edison maintains four active and three inactive transmission lines. A gas station video appeared to show the beginnings of the fire and data suggest there were electrical faults on Edison’s transmission system. The utility is examining the available evidence and equipment to determine if its equipment might have been involved in starting the fire.
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