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The cash-bound Pasadena Unified School District is suing Edison of Southern California, seeking compensation for the loss of several buildings burned in the Eton fire and the disruption of its operations.
The district, which had been working on a $37 million budget deficit before the Jan. 7 flame, sued Rosemead-based utility and its parent company, Edison International, in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week, accusing the negligence and other causes of actions that led to the fire.
The cause of the fire remains open, but investigators focused on Edison power lines in Eton Canyon, killing 17 people and possibly causing Inferno, which destroyed more than 10,000 homes and other buildings in Altadena.
“The destruction of multiple schools and educational facilities has put a huge strain on students, families and the entire educational community,” said John Fisuke, a counsel representing the district, in a statement. “The lawsuit seeks fair compensation to recover taxpayer resources and district property lost as a result of this catastrophic fire.”
Edison in Southern California is already facing numerous lawsuits seeking damages from Eton Firefighters, and insurance companies are expected to seek compensation for billions of dollars in claims they could pay to homeowners and businesses.
“Eaton Fire has been heartbreaking for the Altadena community. We are considering this case and will respond through legal proceedings,” said Utility spokesman Diane Castro.
The March 19 lawsuit details the major damages suffered by multiple facilities, including Franklin Elementary School, Elliott Arts Magnet Middle School, Edison Campus Housing Odyssey Charter School, Pasadena Rosebud Academy on the Roma Alta Campus, Oaknor Montessori School, and Noise Campus, which resides at Avesin School on the Eve Campus.
They also seek compensation for removal of debris, soot and ashes. Environmental tests; Staff and labor costs. Fire-related crisis response and mental health services for district students. Among other costs, the district has been carrying it since the fire.
The damage to that campus continues several years after the decline in registrations, as the district’s board approves the cuts last month, aiming to cut $12 million from the budget.
The district had around 21,000 students in 2005, but now it has fewer than 14,000, with five campuses closed since 2018. The decline is attributed to the lack of affordable housing in wealthy communities and the availability of multiple charter and private school options.
The lawsuit alleges that despite ample dry vegetation near the power line, the Eton Canyon could not temporarily shut down its power line despite adequate warnings of strong storms from the National Weather Service. It includes photo evidence supporting allegations that the fire “arces in strong winds” that began under the power line.
The utility later submitted a report to the California Public Utilities Commission, showing that the current increased through the four power lines in the canyon around the time the fire broke out.
A Times investigation revealed that Edison knew that some of the towers that are likely to be at Ignition Point were fire hazards. The evidence is still collected, but records the potential “ignition risk” that was filed by a company filed at the state Show Tower on three lines where it is believed to have been postponed for maintenance.
According to Edison Data, reviewed by The Times, the utility has 94 open work orders along three lines, passing through the northern tip of Altadena and Eaton Canyon as of December 31st. It included two work orders: “weed removal” and “structural brushing” flagged as “ignition risk.”
“The cause remains under investigation as part of our continued commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation,” Edison said last week. “Edison in Southern California is beginning the next phase of inspection and testing of Eton Canyon electrical equipment.”
In January, the California Utilities Commission voted to allow utility to raise electricity bills and cover payments to victims of the devastating 2017 Thomas Wild Fires in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
The vote will allow Edison to bill customers more than $1.6 billion out of the $2.7 billion he paid to more than 5,000 fire victims. Edison said most customers have experienced a $1 increase in monthly bills and are planning to increase costs for over 30 years.
The company also asked the committee to approve a second increase in the $5.4 billion payments to victims in Woolsey County in 2018 in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. An investigation determined that Edison’s equipment caused the flames.
Some estimates have resulted in the Eton fire as a victim’s damage of $10 billion, but experts say the final tally will be higher and losses other than those covered by insurance will increase the total further.
However, even if Edison is found to be negligent, the impact on fee payers could be reduced. Congress in 2019 passed a law that would establish $21 billion in funds to help pay for damages caused by utility equipment.
The fund was established after Pacific Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy following a series of wildfires in 2017 and 2018.
To qualify for money, the utility must have acted carefully to prevent the fire. Even if it turns out to be the case, the company will have to pay its initial $1 billion bill before it can access the state fund.
Pedro Pizzaro, chief executive of Edison International, told a Wall Street analyst in January that he was confident that if the utility’s power transmission equipment was “in relation to the fire of the Eton Fire,” the utility could prove “actions regarding the Eton Canyon area power transmission facility are consistent with behavior of reasonable utility.”
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