Judge orders Southern California Edison to preserve evidence and equipment in Eaton fire

Los Angeles Times (Jan 21, 2025) –A judge ordered Southern California Edison to preserve data, equipment and evidence about the origins of the Eaton fire. Several homeowners have sued the utility company, alleging its equipment may have sparked the blaze.

A judge on Tuesday ordered Southern California Edison to preserve data, equipment and evidence related to the deadly Eaton fire, a decision praised by attorneys who sued the giant utility company and suspect the fire began at the base of an electrical tower.

Issued by L.A. Superior Court Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury Tuesday morning, the ruling approved a temporary restraining order requested by attorneys for an Altadena woman whose home was burned in the fire and is now suing the utility company.

In their request, attorneys asked the court to intervene and order Edison to preserve evidence out of concern the company could destroy evidence linked to the fire.

The ruling is significant because investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have focused their investigation on a hillside in Eaton Canyon and the base of an Edison electrical tower, where residents captured video footage of the first flames of the destructive fire burning at the beginning of the blaze on Jan. 7.

Attorneys for at least one of the homeowners suing Southern California Edison have asked that equipment and data beyond the area around the tower be preserved, arguing relevant information about the utility company’s network could be contained or revealed there.

In the motion, attorneys with the firm Edelson PC argued that Edison could destroy equipment and possible evidence unless attorneys were able to immediately identify “each piece of evidence that had to be preserved.” Read more here.