Los Angeles exploring legal action against SoCal Edison over Hurst Fire

SYLMAR, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Southern California Edison could soon be facing new legal action - this time over the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles.

The L.A. City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a motion to explore potential legal action against the utility, which provides electricity to millions of customers across Southern California.

The Hurst Fire was one of several wildfires that broke out Jan. 7. It burned nearly 800 acres, but unlike the Eaton or Palisades fires, it didn't cause any deaths or damage to homes.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire appeared to have originated in an area north of Saddle Ridge Road, where SoCal Edison has a transmission tower, known as Tower 6.

The motion stated Tower 6, which supports SCE circuits in Sylmar and Eagle Rock, was damaged and in need of repairs.

"SCE is retaining this material as incident-related evidence. The cause of the Hurst remains under investigation and SCE has stated it will continue to cooperate with fire investigators," the motion reads.

In a February regulatory filing, Southern California Edison acknowledged its equipment may have been linked to the ignition of the Hurst Fire.

In a filing with the state Public Utilities Commission, Paul Pimentel of SCE wrote that while the Los Angeles Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, "Absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire."

The filing noted that the fire originated in the vicinity of an SCE transmission tower north of Saddle Ridge Road. Edison concedes in the filing that a conductor failure occurred on the tower the night of Jan. 7, causing damaged equipment to fall to the ground at the base of the tower.

SCE has already been targeted in multiple lawsuits accusing its equipment of sparking the Eaton Fire, which burned 14,021 acres in the Altadena and Pasadena areas. The cause of that fire is still under investigation, but attorneys previously pointed to surveillance video that appears to show SCE power lines arcing in the vicinity of the fire's origin on Jan. 7.

"While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE's equipment was involved," Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of SCE's parent company, Edison International, said in a previous statement. "We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts."

"Our hearts go out to everyone who has suffered losses," Pizarro added. "We are working with the local communities SCE serves to rebuild and emerge stronger. We understand the community wants answers, and we remain committed to a thorough and transparent investigation."

City News Service contributed to this report.