Los Angeles County Fire officials announced in a report released Tuesday that the deadly 2025 Eaton Fire was caused by electrical arcing events originating from an out-of-service Southern California Edison tower.

The catastrophic blaze, which erupted on January 7, 2025, killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses. It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the fire, which scorched 22 square miles (57 square kilometers). Following an 18-month investigation conducted by the Los Angeles County Arson Fire Investigation Unit and Cal Fire alongside electrical and metallurgical experts, investigators concluded that the conflagration was directly triggered by the utility’s inactive infrastructure.

Southern California Edison spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy stated that the utility received the report and is actively reviewing its findings, noting that the company had previously acknowledged its equipment was likely associated with the fire’s ignition. In previous legal filings, the utility has argued that local county agencies failed to send timely evacuation warnings and that water agencies did not provide enough resources to combat the rapidly spreading flames.