A new lawsuit filed on Monday alleges that downed power lines from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) were responsible for a second ignition point in the devastating Palisades fire, the worst in Los Angeles history. The suit, brought by attorney Alexander Robertson, accuses LADWP of a “monumental cover-up” to hide the role of its electrical equipment in the fire.
According to the lawsuit, LADWP initially informed the Washington Post that the power line involved was not energized at the time of the blaze, which began on January 7, and had not been for five years. However, the agency later reversed this statement, admitting in a March 20 communication to Robertson’s firm that the line was indeed active during the fire. The fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures and resulted in 12 fatalities.
The lawsuit claims the downed line, located above LADWP’s Temescal Water Tank on the Temescal Canyon Trail, served as a second ignition point, contributing to the spread of the fire. It also criticizes LADWP for the lack of water available to fight the fire, citing an empty 117-million-gallon reservoir in Pacific Palisades that left the community with only 3 million gallons of water. This shortage led to hydrants running dry after 12 hours of firefighting efforts.
LADWP spokesperson Ellen Cheng confirmed that the line was energized but deenergized before 10:30 p.m. on the day of the fire. She stated that LADWP has cooperated with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, which is investigating the fire’s origin. Cheng emphasized that no investigating agency has implicated LADWP in starting the fire.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an independent investigation into LADWP’s management of the reservoir and water system, calling the lack of water “deeply troubling.” The official cause of the fire remains under investigation, with the initial ignition site suspected to be at Skull Rock on the Temescal Canyon Trail, where embers from a previous fireworks blaze may have reignited.
KFI’s John Kobylt interviewed attorney Roger Behle about the new lawsuit, hear that interview below.
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