Los Angeles county fire officials said on Tuesday that the deadly 2025 Eaton fire in the area was caused by equipment belonging to Southern California Edison. The blaze killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses, according to a report released after an 18-month investigation.
The county’s arson fire investigation unit, working jointly with the California department of forestry and fire protection, concluded that the fire started at an out-of-service tower owned by the utility. Investigators said the cause was “electrical arcing events” on the Southern California Edison (SCE) tower.
“After 18 months of thorough review of all evidence, alongside retained electrical and metallurgical experts, the investigation concluded that the cause of the wildfire conflagration was due to the electrical arcing events that took place on the out-of-service Southern Edison (SCE) tower,”
Firefighters took nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 sq miles (57 sq km). The report said the fire burned more than two weeks before it was fully contained.
Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, said the company had received the report and was reviewing it.
“We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the very beginning,”
Dunleavy said. She added that SCE had previously acknowledged “it was likely our equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton fire”.
“it was likely our equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton fire”
She said the utility continues to support the community.
SoCal Edison has argued in lawsuits filed earlier this year that Los Angeles county agencies did not send timely evacuation warnings to residents in east and west Altadena. Eighteen of the 19 people who died in the fire lived in west Altadena.
The utility has also claimed that water agencies, including Pasadena Water and Power, did not provide enough water as the fire spread, leaving firefighters with limited resources. Los Angeles county declined to comment on the latest court filings.
What did investigators find about the tower?
Investigators said electrical arcing on the utility’s out-of-service tower ignited the dry brush below. They also said the utility was responsible for maintaining and operating its electrical lines and equipment “in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them.”
The blaze began during extreme weather conditions that included high temperatures, low humidity and powerful winds. Two “electrical arcing events” happened in quick succession, causing an unknown burning material to fall from the tower to the ground below, according to the report.
Within 12 seconds, dry grass and brush were ignited and the fire rapidly developed “into a conflagration engulfing the areas of the San Gabriel Mountains, Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and La Cañada Flintridge”, the report said. It took more than two weeks to fully contain the wildfire.
What did the 911 call describe?
The report cites an interview with a Pasadena resident who called 911 on 7 January after spotting flames across the canyon from his home’s rear window. The caller described it “as a 10in x 10in fire at the base of a high-voltage electrical tower”, the report said.
How does this fit into the wider Los Angeles fire crisis?
The Eaton fire burned at the same time as the Palisades fire, which remains the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles to date and is among the five worst in California’s history. The Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings in Pacific Palisades, ripping through hillside neighborhoods and destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views.
The man accused of sparking the Palisades fire will be tried again this fall after his first federal arson case in June. Prosecutors said Jonathan Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on 1 January 2025 to spark a blaze that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up on 7 January.
Key Facts
- Los Angeles county fire officials said the Eaton fire was caused by Southern California Edison equipment.
- The fire killed 19 people and damaged or destroyed more than 9,000 homes and businesses.
- Investigators said an out-of-service SCE tower produced “electrical arcing events” that ignited dry brush below.
- Firefighters took nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 sq miles (57 sq km).
- The report says a Pasadena resident called 911 on 7 January after seeing a small fire near a high-voltage tower.
