The Los Angeles County Fire Department released an investigative report on Aug. 4, concluding that burning material falling from an out-of-service transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison (SCE) caused the January 2025 Eaton fire, which claimed 19 lives.

“The totality of the information obtained during this investigation, including witness statements, fire patterns, scene analysis, video/picture evidence, and SCE data, leads me to the conclusion that the cause of this fire is ELECTRICAL in nature,” investigator Rick Yartz said.

Officials said video evidence from Jan. 7, 2025, showed two electrical arcing events that caused the unknown material to fall into a dry fuel bed, which ignited approximately 12 seconds after the material fell. The tower was one in a group of three SCE towers.

Witnesses interviewed in the days after the fire broke out said they saw the fire start at the base of the towers, according to Yartz.

Yartz also said the fuel bed below ignited when the glowing material fell from the towers and spread rapidly within seconds.

Officials also said that extreme offshore winds, higher ambient temperatures, and low humidity contributed to the fire’s outbreak.      

Officials said SCE reported no faults in its electrical lines during the investigation, but during its preliminary review of Jan. 7 electrical data, a fault was detected at approximately 6:11 p.m., the exact time the fire started.

Multiple lawsuits were filed against the utility company in January 2025, alleging that it failed to de-energize its power lines and that this failure caused the fire.

SCE Response

A spokesperson for SCE said the company is still reviewing the county’s latest report.

“We received the LA County Fire report and are reviewing it,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times. “We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the beginning. As we’ve previously said, SCE believes that it is likely that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton Fire.”

The spokesperson mentioned the company’s wildfire recovery compensation program for those affected by the fire and added that the extreme weather made the fire as catastrophic as it was.

“It’s really important to note that wildfires of this magnitude are rarely the result of a single factor,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times. “Numerous conditions, including emergency response, vegetation conditions, water availability, and other circumstances affecting fire suppression and evacuation, influence how a fire grows and the extent of damage it causes.”

Attorney Gerald Singleton, whose firm represents some Eaton fire victims in pending cases against SCE, said the report is confirmation of the utility’s failure to maintain its equipment, causing the fire.

“For 18 months, Edison tried to shift blame onto county evacuation warnings and local water agencies instead of owning its own equipment’s failure,” Singleton said.

“We will continue to fight for full accountability and fair compensation for the survivors we represent.”

Eaton Fire

Named after the Eaton Canyon State Responsibility Area where it started, the fire spread to the San Gabriel Mountains, Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and La Cañada Flintridge.

The fire, one of the worst in Southern California history, was fully contained 24 days later after it had burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed 9,400 structures.

“I recognize that no report or investigation into the Eaton Fire can ease the deep pain and tragedy our residents have endured,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said in a statement.

“While the cause has been determined, our focus remains on assisting our residents to rebuild their homes and livelihoods, and ensuring lessons learned drive meaningful and impactful change in memory of the 19 lives lost.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.