NEWS: A Southern California Edison transmission tower ignited the 2025 Eaton Fire, the LA County Fire Department found.

The cause: Sparks from an out-of-service SCE transmission tower, which reached a “dry receptive fuel bed below,” according to a new report from the LA County Fire Department. The fire took off within seconds, and ultimately killed 19 people and destroyed over 9K buildings. 

The liability: SCE is required to “maintain and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them,” the fire department noted. In Dec. 2025, Pedro Pizarro, CEO of parent company Edison International, said SCE’s equipment was likely to blame. So far, the utility has paid over $360M in claims related to the Eaton Fire.

Meanwhile, Edison International and PG&E have warned they’ll make moves to shield shareholders—including potential spending cuts—if California officials don’t limit the companies’ liability for equipment-sparked wildfires. One possible solution: California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has proposed capping the amount utilities must pay to hedge funds, insurance companies, and disaster attorneys.