PASADENA, Calif.— The City of Pasadena today filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison (SCE) seeking compensation for extensive damages sustained to municipal property and infrastructure during the devastating Eaton Fire that began on January 7, 2025.
The Eaton Fire, which spread rapidly through wind-driven conditions, destroyed critical community assets throughout the city, including police facilities, water infrastructure, and multiple public service buildings. The fire burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed approximately 9,400 structures, damaged over 1,000 structures, claimed 17 lives, and affected thousands of residents throughout the region.
“The destruction of public facilities essential to Pasadena’s operations requires significant investment to restore and rebuild,” said Lisa Derderian, Public Information Officer for the City of Pasadena. “While our restoration efforts continue, we have a responsibility to pursue appropriate compensation for the costs of rebuilding the public infrastructure our community relies upon.”
The filing details extensive damage to several key municipal assets including, among others:
- The Pasadena Police Department’s Advanced Officer Training Facility
- The Pasadena Municipal Assistance, Solutions, and Hiring (MASH) building and fleet
- Critical water management infrastructure including storage tanks
Documentation submitted with the legal filing includes photographic evidence of the fire’s origin point and references to SCE’s own regulatory filings that acknowledge electrical system anomalies coinciding with the fire’s ignition time and location. The city’s complaint notes that Edison filed reports with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) acknowledging that a “fault was detected” on its transmission circuit at approximately the same time and location the fire began. On February 6, SCE sent a letter to the CPUC stating that photographic evidence of its tower shows signs of potential arcing and damage on the grounding equipment.
The lawsuit outlines how weather forecasts in the days preceding the fire had repeatedly warned of extreme fire danger, with the National Weather Service issuing progressively stronger advisories culminating in a Red Flag Warning on the morning of January 7, 2025 when winds reached extreme levels.
The complaint includes claims for inverse condemnation, negligence, trespass, nuisance, premises liability, and violations of Public Utilities and Health & Safety Codes. It addresses both direct fire damage and the subsequent costs of managing post-fire environmental hazards, emergency response, and infrastructure restoration.
Los Angeles County and the City of Sierra Madre also filed similar suits against Southern California Edison today, seeking to recover costs for damages sustained in their respective jurisdictions.
“Our focus remains on the full restoration of services to Pasadena residents and businesses,” Derderian said. “By working collaboratively with neighboring jurisdictions, we can more effectively address the devastating impacts this fire has had on our communities while ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
The City of Pasadena is represented by City Attorney Michele Beal Bagneris, Chief Assistant City Attorney Arnold Lee and Deputy City Attorney Caroline Monroy, with additional representation from outside counsel John Fiske, Torri Sherlin, and Taylor O’Neal of Baron & Budd P.C., and Ed Diab, Rob Chambers, and Kristen Barton of Diab Chambers LLP, the same legal team supporting Los Angeles County and Sierra Madre in the related litigation.
