One of the complaints filed on Thursday asserts that the energy company neglected to properly maintain its transmission and power infrastructure, which led to the deadly Eaton Fire that year.
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The Fairview Fire near the San Bernardino National Forest in September 2022 is claimed by the second lawsuit as a result of another level of carelessness.
At a press conference, US Attorney Bill Essayli stated that “the lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence that resulted in the deaths, destruction, and the spending tens of millions of dollars of federal taxpayer dollars on fixing one utility company’s mistakes.”
California’s western energy utilities have frequently been accused of blaming ineffective maintenance practices in dangerous locations for failing to maintain the area.
Republican president Donald Trump’s administration has also frequently criticized the state’s fire prevention policies. The state is a Democratic stronghold.
When Trump took office for a second term in January, the Eaton Fire was one of several blazes that left thousands of homes and covered southern California with layers of smoke.
According to the state firefighting agency CAL FIRE, the fire claimed the lives of at least 19 people and injured nine firefighters.
Three transmission towers were run by Southern California Edison close to the fire’s location. The utility company  claimed in a report that it had found a “fault” on one of its transmission lines shortly before the Eaton Fire started.
The company claimed it had “not conclusively determined” that its equipment was to blame for the fire, but an investigation into the source of the fire is still being conducted.
Federal prosecutors argued there was still enough evidence to bring a lawsuit. Federal, state, and local governments are being sued for $ 40 million.
Essayli said, “There is no reason to wait.” We think that Edison is at fault, and that no one else, as they have already admitted, is at fault.
The San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County was the site of the second lawsuit, which alleges a messenger cable and a swinging power cable sparked flames that continued to burn through the San Bernardino National Forest.
The utility is looking into the lawsuits, according to Edison spokesman Jeff Monford.
According to Monford, “We continue to work to reduce the likelihood that our equipment starts to burn.” Through improved operational practices, situational awareness, and grid hardening, Southern California Edison is committed to reducing wildfires.
While there are many factors that contribute to a wildfire’s spread and destructiveness, some Californians have called for more control over utilities due to errors by utility companies.
The energy utility PG&, E admitted guilt in June 2020 to numerous manslaughter counts related to the Camp Fire, which was started because the company had maintained the equipment in violation of state laws. 85 people died in the state’s most deadly fire in 2018 alone.
Source: Aljazeera
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