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Smoke from the 2017 Creek Fire fills the sky as seen from the 210 Freeway. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service/Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
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The federal government on Wednesday sued Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility was negligent in causing the fast-moving and wind-driven 2017 Creek Fire that raced through the Angeles National Forest.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, seeks more than $40 million in damages from the utility, which allegedly brought about the fire when its equipment ignited historically dry vegetation during a season of powerful Santa Ana winds.
“SCE breached its duty of care and was negligent in causing the Creek Fire, including its failure to construct, maintain, and operate its power lines and equipment in a safe and effective working order (to) prevent fires and damage to the land and property of adjacent landowners, including the United States,” the complaint states.
In 2019, the U.S. sued the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power alleging that utility’s equipment was responsible for the fire that began Dec. 5, 2017. But in Wednesday’s complaint, the plaintiffs said that with the filing of the new lawsuit, it is dropping the LADWP case.
Jeff Monford, an Edison International spokesman, said in a statement that the utility’s “thoughts remain with the people affected by the Creek Fire, and we will review the case and discuss it during court proceedings. We remain committed to wildfire mitigation and safety through grid hardening, situational awareness and operational enhancements.”
The Creek Fire destroyed 60 homes and scorched 15,000 acres, including about 7,700 acres on federal lands. The government is seeking more than $40 million from the utility for firefighting and forest restoration costs.
The fire was the second-largest of over two-dozen wildfires that ravaged parts of Southern California in December 2017.
