A judge on Tuesday ordered Southern California Edison to preserve data, equipment and evidence related to the deadly Eaton fire, which was praised by attorneys suing the major utility company and said the fire started at the base of a power tower.
LA High Court Justice Ashfaq G. Chaudhry's ruling Tuesday morning approved a temporary restraining order sought by attorneys for an Altadena woman whose house burned in the fire and is now suing the utility company.
In their motion, the lawyers asked the court to intervene and order Edison to preserve the evidence because of concerns that the company would destroy evidence related to the fire.
The ruling is significant because investigators from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have focused their investigation on Eaton Canyon and the mountain range. Basement of Edison Power TowerJan. Residents captured video footage of the first flames of the devastating fire burning early on the 7th.
In the motion, attorneys for Edelson PC argued that Edison could destroy equipment and potential evidence if prosecutors could not immediately identify “every piece of evidence to be protected.”
A spokesperson for the utility company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a court filing, attorneys for Southern California Edison opposed the temporary injunction, arguing that the company is complying with requests to preserve evidence. They said Edison was securing equipment from a 1-square-mile area in East Altadena and near the suspected ignition point in Eaton Canyon, and was taking videos and pictures to document repairs and equipment replacements in the area.
Edison has documented repairs and replacement work outside that “safety zone,” but argued in court filings that it was not required to do so because the county and investigators investigating the cause of the fire did not disclose the need to do so.
“The local government has not expressed interest in any of SCE's distribution facilities Anywhere in Altadena,” a court filing states. “SCE goes beyond its security obligations. SCE does not move or remove its equipment within the district's original origin area.
The judge's ruling comes after Edison consulted with attorneys suing the company to determine which areas of evidence should be protected.
The attorneys suing Edison argued in their lawsuit that Edison has destroyed equipment and evidence in the past when electrical appliances were suspected of causing destructive fires.
“Utility companies have a troubling history of destroying or damaging critical resources during and after the chaos of major fires,” said Ali Moghadas, an attorney at Edelson PC, in an email. “Today's court order sends a clear message: That won't happen here.”
The Eaton Fire It burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed 9,416 buildings, and killed at least 17 people.
According to court filings, the company was not allowed access to the site of the suspected fire until Jan. 16, but was accompanied on that date by lawyers suing the company and investigators hired by the companies.
Last week, residents and homeowners began filing lawsuits against Southern California Edison after sources said the fire was fueled by its electrical equipment.
At least 20 lawsuits have been filed against Edison in connection with the Eaton fire, according to court filings.
Fire officials have not released an official cause of the fire, and officials in Edison have said there are no signs of a suspicious start to the fire.
The judge also ordered Edison to hand over data on power towers to prosecutors.
