2025RecentPhoto: Robertson & Associates, Used with permission of Robertson & Associates, source
Robertson & Associates is representing people affected by the Eaton Fire
If your home or business was affected by the Eaton Fire, send your details and the firm will follow up. No cost to ask, no obligation.
Attorney advertising by Robertson & Associates, CA State Bar No. 127042. General information, not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by sending this. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
The Eaton Fire (2025) was a California wildfire in Los Angeles County, with 14,021 acres, 9,419 structures destroyed, 19 deaths on the public record. Its cause is recorded as confirmed. Litigation filed. Status as of August 5, 2026, per County of Los Angeles Fire Department. Robertson & Associates is representing people affected by this fire.
Fire facts
From public records; unknown values are shown, never guessed.
| Year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Start date | 2025-01-07 |
| Containment date | 2025-01-31 |
| Region / counties | Los Angeles |
| Acreage | 14,021 |
| Structures destroyed | 9,419 |
| Structures damaged | 1,076 |
| Fatalities | 19 |
| Cause status | confirmed |
| Officially determined arson | No / not determined |
| Last verified | 2026-08-05 |
Cause
The cause is officially determined. On August 4, 2026 the Los Angeles County Fire Department released the origin and cause investigation it conducted jointly with CAL FIRE (case 25CALAC-009087). Its conclusion: the Eaton Fire was caused by electrical arcing on an out-of-service Southern California Edison transmission tower carrying the idle Mesa-Sylmar circuit. The arcing ejected hot metal particles that fell into the dry vegetation below the towers and ignited it. Investigators fixed the electrical event at approximately 6:11 p.m. on January 7, 2025, and the fuel bed ignited roughly twelve seconds later. Lightning, campfire, and arson were each considered and excluded.
Read the official cause report in full, explained page by page →
What happened
Driven by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, the fire spread rapidly into Altadena and surrounding foothill communities, prompting large-scale evacuation orders across the area. It became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history by structures lost.
Litigation status
Litigation filed. Status as of August 5, 2026, per County of Los Angeles Fire Department.
Following the Eaton Fire, numerous lawsuits were filed naming Southern California Edison and related entities. The cases are consolidated for pretrial purposes before the Los Angeles Superior Court, lead case Gursey v. Southern California Edison, No. 25STCV00731, assigned to the Hon. Laura A. Seigle in Department 17. Case Management Order 11 and Amended Case Management Order 13 set the first bellwether trial for January 25, 2027. On August 4, 2026 the Los Angeles County Fire Department and CAL FIRE released their origin and cause investigation, concluding that electrical arcing on an out-of-service SCE transmission tower caused the fire. A fire agency origin and cause determination is an investigative finding, not a court judgment, and the question of legal liability remains before the court. The Los Angeles County District Attorney has a separate ongoing review of the evidence, which is the stated reason large portions of both released reports are redacted.
Lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Eaton Fire naming the regional electric utility. This entry reports only that litigation exists in the public record as of the status date; it does not characterize any individual's situation.
Court & regulatory record
- Robertson & Associates, Eaton Fire case page , Robertson & Associates, LLP
- California Public Utilities Commission, utility wildfire proceedings , California Public Utilities Commission
- Complaint: County of Los Angeles v. Southern California Edison (Eaton Fire) , PDF, via LA County Counsel
- Cross-Complaint: Southern California Edison v. County of Los Angeles, et al. (Eaton Fire) , PDF, via Reuters
- Eaton Fire Investigation Report (initial, redacted) , LACoFD Arson Fire Investigation Unit and CAL FIRE (Case 25CALAC-009087)
- Eaton Fire Investigation Supplemental Report (redacted) , LACoFD Arson Fire Investigation Unit and CAL FIRE (Case 25CALAC-009087)
This is a reported public-record status, not advice about any individual’s legal situation. Deadlines and eligibility change over time and depend on facts specific to each person, only a licensed attorney can assess yours.
Key figures on the public record
Each figure below was published by the court, agency, or company named beside it, on the date shown. These describe the case and the disaster, not any individual’s situation.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance paid, residential | $7,388,086,010 | CA Dept of Insurance, March 3, 2026 |
| SCE program: offered to date | Over $743 million | Southern California Edison, July 16, 2026 |
| SCE program: claim submission date | November 30, 2026 | Southern California Edison, July 16, 2026 |
| First bellwether trial | January 25, 2027 | LA Superior Court, CMO 11 / Amended CMO 13, May 29, 2026 |
| Lead case | Gursey v. SCE, No. 25STCV00731 (Judge Seigle, Dept. 17) | LA Superior Court, CMO 1, March 17, 2025 |
| Official cause determination released | August 4, 2026 | LACoFD press release, August 4, 2026 |
| Investigation case number | 25CALAC-009087 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE investigation report, August 4, 2026 |
| Time of the electrical event | Approximately 6:11 p.m., January 7, 2025 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE investigation report, August 4, 2026 |
| Seconds from falling material to ignition | Approximately 12 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE investigation report, August 4, 2026 |
| Initial investigation report signed | May 22, 2025 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE investigation report, August 4, 2026 |
| Supplemental report signed | July 22, 2026 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, August 4, 2026 |
| Lives lost | 19 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, July 22, 2026 |
| Structures destroyed | 9,419 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, July 22, 2026 |
| Structures damaged | 1,076 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, July 22, 2026 |
| Acres burned | 14,021 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, July 22, 2026 |
| Firefighter injuries | 9 | LACoFD and CAL FIRE supplemental report, July 22, 2026 |
| Ranking in California history | Fifth deadliest, second most destructive | LACoFD and CAL FIRE investigation report, August 4, 2026 |
Full context, with every source and date: key dates and numbers and insured losses.
In the news
Independent news coverage related to the Eaton Fire. Each link opens the original public reporting.
- Sep 1, 2026Los Angeles County sues State Farm over handling of Palisades and Eaton wildfires in LAABC7 Los Angeles
- Sep 1, 2026Wildfire liability bill dies without a vote on final day of sessionCalMatters
- Sep 1, 2026California wildfire liability bill dies in Assembly without a voteCBS News Sacramento
- Aug 31, 2026LA County files lawsuit against State Farm over January 2025 wildfiresNBC Los Angeles
- Aug 31, 2026Los Angeles County files lawsuit against State Farm for allegedly mishandling wildfire survivor claimsCBS News Los Angeles
- Aug 31, 2026State Farm Sued by Los Angeles County Over Wildfire Insurance Claim DelaysBloomberg
- Aug 26, 2026Newsom wants to ease utilities' wildfire costs. Lawmakers are balkingCalMatters
- Aug 13, 2026Wildfire survivors warn California utility proposal could limit compensation after future firesNBC Los Angeles
- Aug 12, 2026Newsom makes last-minute push to help California utilities facing wildfire billsLAist
- Aug 11, 2026SoCal Edison sidesteps insurers' inverse condemnation bid over Eaton FireCourthouse News Service
- Aug 11, 2026Judge Declines to Hold Edison Liable for Los Angeles Wildfire Without TrialBloomberg
- Aug 5, 20267 On Your Side Investigates: New Eaton Fire report findings could affect legal casesABC7 Los Angeles
- Aug 4, 2026Edison equipment caused deadly Eaton Fire, LA County Fire investigators concludeLAist
- Aug 4, 2026Southern California Edison equipment blamed for 2025 Eaton fire in Los AngelesCNN
- Aug 4, 2026California Eaton Fire in Altadena sparked by SoCal Edison electric tower, Los Angeles County report findsCBS Los Angeles
- Aug 4, 20262025 Eaton Fire in Altadena was caused by SoCal Edison electrical tower, LA County Fire Department saysABC7 Los Angeles
- Aug 4, 2026LA County Fire Department releases report on cause of Eaton FireNBC Los Angeles
- Aug 4, 2026Cause of deadly Eaton Fire revealed in official LA County Fire reportFOX 11 Los Angeles
Common questions about the Eaton Fire
What caused the Eaton Fire?
The cause is officially determined. On August 4, 2026 the Los Angeles County Fire Department released the origin and cause investigation it conducted jointly with CAL FIRE (case 25CALAC-009087). Its conclusion: the Eaton Fire was caused by electrical arcing on an out-of-service Southern California Edison transmission tower carrying the idle Mesa-Sylmar circuit. The arcing ejected hot metal particles that fell into the dry vegetation below the towers and ignited it. Investigators fixed the electrical event at approximately 6:11 p.m. on January 7, 2025, and the fuel bed ignited roughly twelve seconds later. Lightning, campfire, and arson were each considered and excluded.
Is there litigation over the Eaton Fire?
Litigation filed. Status as of August 5, 2026, per County of Los Angeles Fire Department. Robertson & Associates is representing people affected by this fire.
What areas did the Eaton Fire affect?
The Eaton Fire (Los Angeles County) affected communities including Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Kinneloa Mesa, East Pasadena.
How large was the Eaton Fire?
14,021 acres, 9,419 structures destroyed, 19 fatalities, per public records as of 2026-08-05.
Sources
- CAL FIRE Incident Statistics, Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires, CAL FIRE
- CAL FIRE Incidents archive, CAL FIRE
- Eaton Fire Investigation Report, case 25CALAC-009087 (redacted), Los Angeles County Fire Department and CAL FIRE
- Eaton Fire Investigation Supplemental Report (redacted), Los Angeles County Fire Department and CAL FIRE
- LACoFD press release on the Eaton Fire cause reports, August 4, 2026, County of Los Angeles Fire Department
- County of Los Angeles After Action Review document library, County of Los Angeles
Facts on this page are drawn from the public sources listed above and rewritten in original words. See Sources & Methodology.