“Wildland fires such as the Silverado fire ordinarily do not happen in the absence of negligence,” the lawsuit states.
The state forestry department has sued Southern California Edison and T-Mobile USA, alleging equipment failures caused the 12,466-acre Silverado fire in 2020, displacingThe lawsuit filed Thursday by the California Department of Forestry said arcing between a 12,000-volt electrical conductor operated by Edison and a communication line assembly belonging to T-Mobile ignited the wildfire in the early morning of Oct. 26, 2020.
The lawsuit accused Edison and T-Mobile of negligence and failing to properly design, install and maintain their equipment. The flaws caused arcing in the blistering Santa Ana winds, sending sparks and molten metal into the dry brush, according to the forestry department. SCE spokesman David Eisenhauer said Friday the utility is working to improve its system to prevent future wildfires and has cooperated fully throughout the state’s investigation.
Eisenhauer pointed to SCE’s yearly inspection of trees and other vegetation near power lines in high-risk areas as an example.