Fire investigators have asked Southern California Edison Co. to preserve its equipment near the site where the deadly Eaton fire began earlier this month.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department, the lead agency investigating the blaze, asked the utility to “preserve in place its transmission facilities,” Edison International’s Southern California utility said in a letter to state regulators Monday.
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The Eaton fire is now 98% contained, and is responsible for destroying more than 9,400 structures and causing 17 deaths, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It’s one of the major Los Angeles blazes that have forced thousands of people to evacuate and are considered one of the worst natural disasters in modern US history.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, but they have identified a “preliminary origin area” that’s near three Edison transmission towers, according to the letter.
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The company is already facing a lawsuit over the death of a woman whose home was destroyed by the blaze, while another suit alleges the fire was ignited by a powerful electric arc created by the utility’s equipment.
Edison said it’s complying with investigators’ requests. The shares fell as much as 3.1% Monday in New York.
Top photo: Eaton Fire near Los Angeles, California in January 2025. Source: CalFire.
Topics California Louisiana
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