Several Los Angeles residents affected by the fatal Palisades wildfire sued city officials, alleging that the city’s public interest matters had lit the fire, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
The lawsuit cited a Washington Post article dated January 12th. The Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles said power lines that were close to the origin of the fire had been disconnected from the power system for five years.
The Los Angeles city attorney confirmed last week that the statement given to the Washington Post was incorrect and that the line was energized during the fire, the lawsuit added.
“That statement was the result of a misunderstanding. The line had been deassimilated a few years before the fire, but as we said in our previous communication, by the time the fire started, there was no obstacle to the boundary line.
The lawsuit also alleged that two major reservoirs important to combat the fire, Santa Inez and Chautauca, were discharged by the department prior to the fire, allowing them to refrain from proper maintenance as a cost-cutting decision.
Residents are seeking damages, including the costs of repairing or replacing the property.
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Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades district, along with Altadena on the east side of the metropolitan city, was the worst place in January’s flames. At least 29 people were killed in the fire, and over 16,000 structures were damaged or destroyed.
A similar lawsuit was filed against LADWP by city residents in January.
LADWP did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal business hours.
Rhea Rose Abraham, Shubham Kalia, Laila Kearney
