Pasadena Unified School District sues Southern California Edison for damages from Eaton Fire
The Pasadena Unified School District has filed a lawsuit against SoCal Edison seeking compensation for damages caused by the devastating Eaton Fire.
A total of 17 people died in the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed or damaged over 10,000 structures.
Among the structures damaged or destroyed were several schools in the Pasadena Unified School District, which became the latest entity to file suit against SCE on Friday.
“Documentation submitted with the legal filing includes photographic evidence of the fire’s origin point and references to SCE’s own regulatory filings that acknowledge electrical system anomalies coinciding with the fire’s ignition time and location,” a PUSD media release reads. “The district’s complaint notes that Edison filed reports with the California Public Utilities Commission acknowledging that a ‘fault was detected’ on its transmission circuit at approximately the same time and location the fire began.”
SoCal Edison recently announced that they were looking into a “zombie” power line as the possible origin of the deadly fire.
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FILE – A jungle gym melted and destroyed by the Eaton Fire is seen at a school, Jan. 15, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) -
The Eliot Arts Magnet School in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, US, on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images) -
Altadena, CA – January 11: The Eaton fire burned out this school bus parked outside the burned down Aveson Charter School in Altadena Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) -
Pasadena Unified’s Maintenance and Operations team has been clearing debris after the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire. (Pasadena Unified School District)
The district’s complaint, which includes claims for inverse condemnation, negligence, trespass, nuisance, premises liability and violations of Public Utilities and Health and Safety codes, addresses both direct fire damage and subsequent costs of managing post-fire hazards, emergency response and infrastructure restoration.
Educational facilities that suffered “extensive damage,” according to the suit, are:
- Franklin Elementary School
- Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School
- Odyssey Charter School
- Pasadena Rosebud Academy
- Oak Knoll Montessori School
- Aveson School of Leaders
Pasadena Unified’s suit comes on the heels of Edison being sued by the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre as well as L.A. County.