Latest news with #EatonFire
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
LA's main utility to pay wildfire victims although cause of blaze undetermined
Los Angeles's main utility company will compensate victims of January's deadly Eaton wildfire – even though investigators have yet to determine whether the company's equipment sparked the blaze. In a statement released Wednesday, Southern California Edison announced the establishment of the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, a voluntary fund it developed in consultation with Kenneth R Feinberg and Camille S Biros, the duo who designed the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. 'Community members shouldn't have to wait for the final conclusions in the Eaton Fire investigation to get the financial support they need to begin rebuilding,' Pedro J Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, SCE's parent company, said in a statement. 'Even though the details of how the Eaton Fire started are still being evaluated, SCE will offer an expedited process to pay and resolve claims fairly and promptly. This allows the community to focus more on recovery instead of lengthy, expensive litigation.' Although the Los Angeles fire department is still investigating the cause of the Eaton fire, a leading theory is that the utility's ageing equipment ignited the first spark. Since the fire broke out on 7 January, dozens of families, and even the city of Los Angeles, have filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison. In its press release, the utility said the victims' compensation program would launch this fall and that participation would require 'no application fees, administrative costs or legal fees'. The company's announcement comes amid concerns that the state of California's wildfire fund may not be able to handle the size of the insured losses if Edison is found responsible. In that case, the state fund would pay out any settlements in lawsuits against Edison. The California Earthquake Authority, which administers the fund, told the Los Angeles Times that it worries attorney fees could shrink the fund further (up to half of settlement amounts can go to legal fees). Attorney Richard Bridgford, who represents victims of the wildfires, meanwhile told the Times: 'Victims have uniformly done better when represented by counsel.' 'In the past, the utilities have proposed these programs as a means for shorting and underpaying victims,' he added. 'They are trying to make people panic so they don't get adequate representation.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
California utility creates fund for victims of January's deadly Eaton Fire near LA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California Edison announced this week that it will create a fund to compensate victims of January's devastating Eaton Fire near Los Angeles. Investigators haven't yet determined a cause for the blaze that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena. The creation of the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program seems to suggest that the utility is prepared to acknowledge what several lawsuits claim: that its equipmentsparked the conflagration. 'Even though the details of how the Eaton Fire started are still being evaluated, SCE will offer an expedited process to pay and resolve claims fairly and promptly,' Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, the utility's parent company, said in a statement Wednesday. 'This allows the community to focus more on recovery instead of lengthy, expensive litigation.' It is not clear how much money the utility will contribute to the fund. A lawsuit filed by Los Angeles County in March claims that costs and damage estimates were expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars, with assessments ongoing. SCE said the compensation program, which will go into effect this fall, would be open to those who lost homes, rental properties or businesses. It would also cover those who suffered injuries, were harmed by smoke or had family members who were killed. The LA Fire Justice, which advocates for wildfire victims, said in a statement that the program's creation shows that SCE is prepared to accept responsibility. But the nonprofit said a similar fund by Pacific Gas & Electric following wildfires in Northern California was slow to roll out and inefficient. 'Experience suggests that these direct payments for victims are neither quick, nor easy, nor equitable. PG&E offered a similar program and wildfire victims ended up receiving inadequate compensation, and it didn't happen fast," said Doug Boxer, an attorney for LA Fire Justice. The SCE payment plan is being created by administrators who helped form similar programs, including the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. LA County previously won more than $64 million in a settlement with Southern California Edison over the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Investigators determined SCE's equipment sparked that blaze, and the utility also paid more than $2 billion to settle related insurance claims. Utility equipment has sparked some of the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history in recent years. Investigators are also working to determine the cause of the Palisades Fire, which broke out shortly before the Eaton Fire and killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures in Los Angeles. The Associated Press
Epoch Times
3 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Death Toll From Los Angeles Wildfires Reaches 31
More than six months after wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, officials said Tuesday that the death toll had reached 31. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner (DME) said human remains were found on the 10 block of La Venezia Court in Altadena, the site of the Eaton Fire. The discovery was reported to authorities, and the department's Special Operations Response Team verified at the scene that the remains were human.
Axios
4 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
PR firms unite to help small businesses bounce back from natural disasters
Communication professionals are leveraging their expertise to help raise awareness for businesses in need or those impacted by natural disasters. Driving the news: Following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, several communication and PR firms united to form the LA Strong Comms Coalition to support small businesses that had been affected. The 40-member coalition is made up of freelancers, boutique agencies like JSA+Partners, Karsha Chang Public Relations and Hustle & Co, and big firms like Zeno Group and Weber Shandwick. Zoom in: LASCC has secured over 30 media stories for its pro bono clients in the past six months, helping businesses recover. For example, This Girl Walks Into A Bar secured a feature on the " Today" show in May, and within 20 minutes of airing, sales driven by the story paid for two months of warehouse fees, says owner Jordan Catapano. A local TV segment led to a significant uptick in online sales and in-store foot traffic for PlayLab Beauty, which lost its office and inventory of Korean and Japanese beauty supplies in the Eaton Fire. Zoom out: Many community PR chapters provide pro bono support to charities or nonprofits in their regions. For example, every two years, Washington Women in Public Relations picks a nonprofit organization to provide with free communications and PR support. This year, it has partnered with Running Start, a nonpartisan organization for young women running for political office. What they're saying: "As a society, the news cycle moves quickly but many small businesses are left with nothing and need to pick up the pieces after the cameras leave," Jennifer Stephens Acree, founder and CEO JSA+Partners, told Axios.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
California utility creates fund for victims of January's deadly Eaton Fire near LA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California Edison announced this week that it will create a fund to compensate victims of January's devastating Eaton Fire near Los Angeles. Investigators haven't yet determined a cause for the blaze that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena. The creation of the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program seems to suggest that the utility is prepared to acknowledge what several lawsuits claim: that its equipment sparked the conflagration. 'Even though the details of how the Eaton Fire started are still being evaluated, SCE will offer an expedited process to pay and resolve claims fairly and promptly,' Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, the utility's parent company, said in a statement Wednesday. 'This allows the community to focus more on recovery instead of lengthy, expensive litigation.' It is not clear how much money the utility will contribute to the fund, but a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles County in March claims that costs and damage estimates were expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars. SCE said the compensation program, which will go into effect this fall, would be open to those who lost homes, rental properties or businesses. It would also cover those who suffered injuries, were harmed by smoke or had family members who were killed. The plan is being created by administrators who helped form similar programs, including the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. LA County previously won more than $64 million in a settlement with Southern California Edison over the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Investigators determined SCE's equipment sparked that blaze, and the utility also paid more than $2 billion to settle related insurance claims. Utility equipment has sparked some of the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history in recent years. Investigators are also working to determine the cause of the Palisades Fire, which broke out shortly before the Eaton Fire and killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures in Los Angeles.
