SoCal Edison Equipment Blamed for Eaton Fire
The 18-month investigation concluded that the fire, which killed 19 people, was caused by an electrical arc on a de-energized tower.
The 18-month investigation concluded that the fire, which killed 19 people, was caused by an electrical arc on a de-energized tower.
Los Angeles County fire officials officially announced on Monday that equipment from utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) caused the devastating Eaton Fire in 2025. The report, released on August 4, 2026, states that the fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses, was sparked by an electrical arc on a tower that was not in service.
"After an 18-month thorough review of all evidence, along with retained electrical and metallurgical experts, the investigation concluded that the cause of the fire conflagration was an electrical arc that occurred on a de-energized Southern California Edison (SCE) tower," the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the fire, which scorched 57 square kilometers.
The Eaton Fire broke out simultaneously with the Palisades Fire, the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history. While the Eaton Fire claimed 19 lives, the Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Eighteen of the 19 fatalities in the Eaton Fire lived in western Altadena, the area hardest hit.
Earlier this year, SCE argued in lawsuits that Los Angeles County agencies failed to send timely evacuation warnings to residents of eastern and western Altadena. They also claimed that water utilities, including Pasadena Water and Power, did not provide sufficient water as the fire spread, leaving firefighters with limited resources. Los Angeles County declined to comment on the latest court filings.
Jonathan Rinderknecht has been charged with starting the Palisades Fire. Prosecutors allege that on January 1, 2025, he used a barbecue lighter to ignite a fire that smoldered undetected deep in the roots before flaring up again on January 7. His first federal arson trial ended in a hung jury in June 2026, with a new trial scheduled for this fall.
