Eaton Fire Lawsuit 2025: Legal Help for Survivors

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According to officials, the cause of the Eaton Fire is under investigation. However, news reporting indicates that investigators continue to focus their attention on a single location: an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon. 

The Los Angeles Times reports that the onset of the Eaton Fire was captured on video by nearby residents. The footage shows flames erupting near a Southern California Edison transmission tower and quickly spreading down the canyon towards homes.  

The Eaton Fire was initially reported on January 7, 2025, just after 6 PM. The fire spread rapidly and forced thousands in the Altadena area to evacuate quickly. According to Cal Fire, the Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and is currently 89% contained as of January 21, 2025. Unfortunately, the Eaton Fire has reportedly caused at least 17 deaths, making it one of the most devastating and deadly wildfires in California history.

Firefighters continue to extinguish hot spots within the perimeter of the fire. Residents have been allowed to return to the area in phases to ensure safety, however, critical fire weather conditions are expected to continue this week. A Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning is in effect and dry conditions and winds are expected to continue through Thursday, January 24, 2025.

Damage inspections are ongoing and will continue to be updated. Inspections that have already been completed are available on LA County’s website for Eaton Fire Recovery Information. As of January 21, 2025, Cal Fire estimates that at least 10,500 structures have already been damaged or destroyed in the fire.

On January 9, Southern California Edison submitted a report to the California Public Utilities Commission stating that there is no evidence its equipment was the cause of the Eaton Fire. The report states that the utility company had received a number of notices, from attorneys representing insurance companies, to preserve evidence related to the Eaton Fire. 

Utility incident reports often serve as the first indication that utility equipment may have played a role in starting a fire. This was the case of the 2018 Camp Fire, one of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfires, when PG&E filed a report that indicated that a transmission line was under investigation as a potential ignition source. However, these reports are preliminary, and the evidence does not always support the initial statements.

Reporting also indicates that power lines near the Eaton Fire area were not turned off during unusually dry and windy conditions. Video evidence and witness statements also indicate that utility infrastructure could have been involved in the cause of the fire. Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, this story mirrors the cause of many other utility caused fires in California where the electrical facilities should have been deenergized due to high wind events, but were not. The result was deadly and destructive fires that resulted in billions of dollars of damages, for which the utility companies were found liable.   

The steps and actions you take in the aftermath of the fire can affect your rights and ability to file claims going forward.  We want to help put survivors in the best position in terms of your legal rights going forward. Our team works with our clients to detail all losses and gather supporting information and documents that will be necessary to the success of their case. We can also help navigate wrongful death claims for families who lost loved ones

If we don’t win, you owe us nothing. We will not charge you legal fees or for any the costs of litigating your case unless you win a recovery.  

Our legal team has extensive experience suing utilities for recklessly causing destruction.      

To date, we have represented over 6,300 victims and survivors of utility caused fires and explosions in California.  On behalf of these clients, we have secured over $1.5B in compensation.  Lead counsel, Amanda Riddle was an integral member of the team that negotiated the $13.5 billion settlement with PG&E during the company’s bankruptcy following the 2017 North Bay Fires and the 2018 Camp Fire, which collectively killed over 100 people and destroyed over 30,000 structures in Northern California.