Attorneys representing Altadena residents who lost homes in the Eaton fire have complained to a judge about Southern California Edison possibly altering evidence by re-energizing transmission lines, according to documents filed this week.
The attorneys, of the Edelson firm, accused SCE of lying in court when it promised not to touch the lines but instead re-energized them anyway with technicians monitoring on Jan. 19 — 12 days after the fire started.
“SCE deliberately altered the key evidence in this case while the Eaton fire was ongoing, and deceived the court, the public, and the thousands of victims of the fire while doing so,” attorneys wrote in court papers filed on Monday, Feb. 10.
The utility, the lawyers charged, failed to disclose the decision to re-energize the lines despite a pending restraining order, filed three days earlier, meant to preserve potential evidence in the case that says SCE accidentally ignited the devastating blaze.
The homeowners’ lawyers said they only learned of the re-energization on Feb. 6, when SCE sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission updating the status of its investigation.
During the re-energization of each of the four involved transmission lines, SCE technicians noticed “a small flash of white light upon each re-energization,” SCE said in the Feb. 6 update.
On Jan. 21, SCE in court papers opposed the temporary restraining order, arguing it was “going above and beyond its preservation obligations.”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys accuse SCE of lying in court “no less than six times” to avoid the restraining order.
Kathleen Dunleavy, a SCE spokeswoman, said on Wednesday, Feb. 12, that the utility informed the plaintiffs’ attorneys on Jan. 17 of its plan to test the transmission lines — two days before doing so.
“These are absurd accusations and the false narratives being spread only serve to confuse and mislead the public,” Dunleavy said. “SoCal Edison has been a part of this community for almost 140 years. We live here, we work here, and our hearts continue to remain with the community affected by all the Southern California wildfires.”
Dunleavy said the investigation into the cause of the fire was in the early stages and that the utility “will continue to preserve electronic and physical evidence.”
Video from an ARCO gas station surfaced and allegedly shows sparks falling from a tower shortly before the fire started.
The Eaton fire killed 17 people, damaged or destroyed more than 9,000 structures and consumed 14,021 acres before firefighters fully contained the blaze.
“The Eaton fire devastated Altadena at a historical scale, leaving tens of thousands of people with claims,” the attorneys wrote. “Wherever discovery may lead, what happened in Eaton Canyon will likely prove crucial to assigning responsibility for the fire.
“SCE’s decision to unilaterally alter the physical infrastructure closest to the area of origin complicates and potentially undermines the ability of tens of thousands of residents to collect the evidence they need,” the lawyers wrote.