Edison Must Pay for 2019 Saddleridge Firefighting Costs, US Says

Federal prosecutors sued Edison International‘s Southern California Utility Tuesday, demanding repayment for the costs of fighting the 2019 Saddleridge Fire that scorched about 800 acres of the Angeles National Forest.

The blaze began during high winds at the base of an Edison transmission tower, after a power line from a nearby tower fell onto one of its steel arms, alleged the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

The company failed to properly maintain and inspect power lines in the area, the complaint said, pointing to a conclusion from a division of the California Public Utilities Commission that Southern California Edison failed to follow safety rules. The suit also seeks double or triple damages for wrongful injury to the government’s trees.

The federal government in a pair of lawsuits last month made similar demands that the utility pay for the suppression of the deadly 2025 Eaton fire in Altadena and the Fairview Fire in September 2022. Prosecutors said those two fires were also started by the company’s negligence.

The utility has said its equipment may be linked to the Eaton fire, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation. It’s setting up a program to compensate victims that is expected to begin accepting applications before Thanksgiving.

“Our hearts are with the people and communities that were affected,” Edison spokesperson David Eisenhauer said. “We are reviewing the lawsuit that has been filed and will respond through the legal process.”

The case is USA v. Southern California Edison Co., C.D. Cal., No. 2:25-cv-09547, 10/7/25.