Sparks from an idle transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison caused the 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses, Los Angeles County fire officials said in a report released Tuesday. It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 square miles, the AP reports. The Eaton fire burned at the same time as the wind-whipped Palisades fire. An AP analysis at the time showed both blazes torched more urban area than any California fire in decades. The Eaton fire was caused by electrical arcing on the utility's out-of-service tower atop a ridge covered with dry fuel, the agency said in a statement. When bare, uninsulated wires touch or come close together it can cause arcing, which is when electricity jumps through the air, producing sparks.
The report said SoCal Edison 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 utility indicated previously its equipment may be involved. In early reports to the California Public Utility Commission, SoCal Edison said it detected a "fault" on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton fire started. Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison, said the utility is reviewing the report. "We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the very beginning," Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy added the utility has claims against other agencies over issues such as emergency response and the condition of surrounding vegetation. SoCal Edison claimed in lawsuits earlier this year that Los Angeles County agencies failed to 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. "Ignition is different from spread," Dunleavy said. "A fire of that magnitude—it's never just one thing. There are numerous factors." Attorney Gerald Singleton, whose firm represents some Eaton fire victims in pending civil cases against SoCal Edison, said the report confirms that the utility's failure to maintain its equipment caused the blaze.
The Los Angeles County Arson Fire Investigation Unit jointly conducted the Eaton fire investigation with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire. The blaze was sparked during extreme weather conditions that included high temperatures, low humidity, and powerful winds. Two "electrical arcing events" occurred in quick succession, causing an unknown burning material to fall from the tower to the ground below, according to the report. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that it will review the investigative report and will work with local, state and federal authorities to determine if criminal charges are warranted. The California Department of Justice didn't immediately comment.
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