As officials warn that strong winds could worsen wildfire conditions in Los Angeles, residents and business owners have sued the city’s largest electricity provider, arguing that some of the utility’s equipment started the Eaton blaze in the area.
Officials have also announced the arrests of several people who are suspected of looting evacuated homes in the neighborhoods of the Palisades and Eaton fires, including one from which an Emmy award was taken.
Los Angeles is under a critical fire warning through Wednesday, with officials warning of “significant risk of rapid fire spread” due to the Santa Ana winds – which have gusts of up to 75 mph – and low humidity.
As of Tuesday morning, the Palisades fire was 14% contained with 23,700 acres burned, and the Eaton fire was 33% contained with 14,100 acres burned. The smaller Hurst fire has almost been completely extinguished, with 97% and nearly 800 acres burned.
At least 24 people have died from the fires and over 12,000 structures have been destroyed. Estimates put the cost of damage at about $250bn, which could make it the costliest fire in American history.
With firefighters continuing to battle the massive blazes, Pasadena area residents and business owners had started filing lawsuits against the power company Southern California Edison. The plaintiffs alleged that some of the utility company’s equipment ignited the Eaton fire.
Their lawsuits cite multiple eyewitness accounts saying that the base of a Southern California Edison transmission tower had caught on fire before the wildfires started to spread.
In a 12 January statement, the company said that data from the tower showed “no interruptions or operational/electrical anomalies in the 12 hours prior to the fire’s reported start time” and noted that it received evidence preservation notices from insurance companies.
The company noted it found a downed conductor in the area of the Hurst fire – but said any connection to the fire is unclear.
Pedro Pizarro, the chief executive officer of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, said that the company has been trying to investigate its equipment. But “we have not been able to get close to the lines yet”, he told CNBC Monday.
Officials have said investigating the cause of the wildfires is difficult as the fires continue to scorch the area. The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is heading the investigation into what precisely started the fires.
Furthermore, officials on Monday also announced the arrests of nine people who faces accusations of looting evacuated homes in neighborhoods affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
A group of three men are accused of stealing $200,000 worth of items from a single home in the Palisades – and another group stole valuables, including an Emmy award, from homes evacuated for the Eaton fire.
“These crimes are appalling and represent a direct attack on our community during a time of unprecedented loss and vulnerability,” the Los Angeles county district attorney, Nathan Hochman, said in a statement. “Let me be clear: If you exploit this tragedy to prey on victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”