Edison equipment caused deadly Eaton Fire, LA County Fire investigators conclude

The deadly and destructive Eaton Fire was caused by Southern California Edison equipment, according to two reports released Tuesday by the L.A. County Fire Department. The determination is in line with theories shared by the utility itself several months after the fire ignited in January last year.

The L.A. County Fire Department’s arson unit, with assistance from the state’s Cal Fire, was tasked with leading the investigation into the cause of the fire over the last 18 months.

Investigators ultimately determined that arcing electrical lines near an Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon “ejected hot metal particles” that fell into dry vegetation at the tower’s base. Twelve seconds later, what became the Eaton Fire ignited.

“The cause of this fire is ELECTRICAL in nature,” investigators concluded.

At least 19 people died and close to 10,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in the fire that began Jan. 7, 2025, and wasn’t fully contained until Jan. 31.

An Edison spokesperson said the company is “currently reviewing” the report, but declined to share if it planned to dispute the findings.

“ We have taken the potential role in the start of the fire very seriously from the beginning,” said spokesperson Scott Johnson. “ As we've previously said, Southern California Edison believes it is likely that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton Fire.”

Johnson pointed to the company’s compensation program, which has offered more than $775 million in claims to more than 4,000 applicants.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, the unincorporated community that experienced the majority of the fire’s destruction and where all of the deaths occurred, said the report brings more “insight and answers.”

“While the report does not close this chapter, I hope it brings greater clarity and a measure of closure to those who have endured so much,” Barger said in a statement.

But for many Eaton Fire survivors, including Zaire Calvin, the report brings little closure.

“ I'm very angry about the fact that this has already been known, and that Edison still hasn't accepted responsibility,” said Calvin, whose sister, Evelyn McClendon, died in the fire and who lost his home and multiple family homes.

“ Edison cares about their record profits,” he added. “Edison cares about their money. So again, it just goes back to when is Edison gonna care about the actual people who are in the community?”

The L.A. County Fire Department report comes just days after Southern California Edison shared its latest quarterly earnings, logging $669 million in net income, up $193 million from the year before. The year the Eaton Fire sparked, the utility’s parent company, Edison International, made record profits of $4.5 billion. Also in 2025, CEO Pedro Pizarro received a 20% pay raise.

The long-awaited investigation from the county Fire Department has also been a subject of discussion at trial hearings for the lawsuits against the utility. Edison lawyers have argued that without an official cause of the fire, a trial date cannot be set.

Amanda Riddle, an attorney for plaintiffs suing the utility, said that point is now moot.

“It's just one less excuse that Edison has to delay compensating the victims of the Eaton Fire,” she said.

Riddle said her team will bring the Fire Department’s report to a case management hearing later this month. Meanwhile, a trial date has been set for Jan. 25, 2027.