Around nine months after one of California’s most destructive wildfires scorched through Los Angeles, Southern California Edison is offering residents thousands of dollars after the utility’s equipment was accused of starting the fire.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed two lawsuits against Edison, alleging that faulty power infrastructure operated by the company ignited the deadly Eaton Fire. The DOJ accused the utility of negligence, as it “failed to properly maintain its power and transmission lines and infrastructure in the area where the Eaton Fire ignited,” according to a Sept. 4 news release.
The Eaton Fire, which erupted on Jan. 7 in the San Gabriel Mountains, burned through 14,021 acres for 24 days and destroyed more than 9,000 structures. According to Cal Fire, at least 18 people died from the wildfire. (However, a new study published on Aug. 6 in JAMA estimates that 440 deaths occurred during the Los Angeles fires, including the Eaton Fire.)…