SANTA ANA, Calif. — 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, displacing 90,000 residents in south Orange County.
The 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.
Fueled by 80-mph gusts, the blaze that began at Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road damaged 16 structures, threatened 1,314 more and critically injured two Orange County Fire Authority firefighters, the suit states. The fast moving fire spread to Irvine and Lake Forest and took nearly two weeks to contain.
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.
“Wildland fires such as the Silverado Fire ordinarily do not happen in the absence of negligence,” the suit says. It doesn’t specify a monetary damage amount.
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.
“Our thoughts remain with those affected by the fire, including the two firefighters who were critically injured,” Eisenhauer said. “Our top priority is the safety of customers, employees and communities.”
Eisenhauer pointed to SCE’s yearly inspection of trees and other vegetation near power lines in high-risk areas as an example.
He also noted that SCE installed 3,500 miles of overhead wire with a protective coating during the last four years to lower the chance of wildfires.
T-Mobile did not comment on the suit.
Shortly after the fire broke out, Edison wrote a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission saying that the utility suspected its equipment started the blaze.
Equipment problems also caused the Camp Fire in 2018 that decimated the town of Paradise. Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded guilty in 2020 to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the most deadly fire in state history, according to published reports.
No one died in the Santiago fire, but hand crew members Dylan Van Iwaarden, 26, and Phi Le, 31, were critically burned after the flames rolled over them. Iwaarden was burned over 65% of his body and he could not speak for two months.
