SCE says it has paid hundreds of millions in Eaton Fire claims, expects billions more

Southern California Edison said Thursday that it has already paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in Eaton Fire compensation and expects to pay billions more, publicly quantifying the wildfire’s financial toll during a CPUC wildfire safety briefing.

The utility also said Cal Fire and Los Angeles County Fire’s Aug. 4 joint investigation found SCE equipment ignited the fire, which devastated Altadena and triggered an ongoing recovery effort there. SCE tied the disclosure to its presentation on safety management and community recovery at the interagency briefing in San Francisco.

The briefing was part of the CPUC’s annual review of utility safety culture, wildfire mitigation and public safety power shutoff practices under AB 1054. SCE did not provide the exact dollar amounts already paid or the projected total liability in the material reviewed, and the record also did not specify whether the compensation payments were made through settlements, claims processing or another mechanism.