Survivors of the deadly Eaton wildfires have been plagued with tragedy since flames engulfed their community last year, and are now being asked to potentially fork over thousands to reconnect their power lines.
The Eaton wildfires ravaged Southern California at the start of 2025, killing 19 people and destroying thousands of homes across Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre.
Over a year later, many residents are still displaced, and some have been struck with an impossible burden of paying tens of thousands of dollars to reconnect their homes to power lines.
Southern California Edison announced last April that it would rebuild the power grid in affected areas as an underground system rather than traditional above-ground power lines.
However, due to a state policy in place before the wildfires, residents are responsible for paying to connect their electric service to the underground infrastructure.
Some Altadena residents said they were quoted $20,000 to $40,000 to connect to power.
Altadena Town Councilmember Connor Cipolla told the Los Angeles Times that residents were 'angry' about the expensive price tag, adding that the community was 'completely blindsided.'
Cipolla said that the electrical panel on the back of his house is yards away from where he needs to connect to the power line.
He explained that Edison initially told him to dig up his newly paved driveway. The company eventually agreed to a different location.
Carolyn Hove, another Altadena resident, told the LA Times: 'How much more are we supposed to go through?'
'It’s bad enough our community was decimated by a fire Edison started. We’re still very traumatized, and then to have this happen.'
The cause of the devastating fire is still under investigation, but two lawsuits filed by the US Department of Justice claim that high-voltage transmission lines operated by SoCal Edison sparked the flames.
Several residents have also filed lawsuits against the electric company and Los Angeles County.
Edison has filed lawsuits against Los Angeles County, six water agencies and the Southern California Gas Agency, alleging that their actions contributed to the scale of the devastation.
The electric company hasn't admitted fault, but launched a payment program last fall for residents who agreed not to sue.
The deadline to apply passed in November. SoCal Edison announced on Friday that they sent more than 500 compensation offers totally $165 million to those impacted by the fire.
Residents who agreed not to sue and received the compensation can use it to rebuild their homes.
The Eaton Fire Survivors Network called SoCal Edison's help a 'failure' and a 'drop in the bucket.'
The advocacy group added that Edison should be required to pay displaced households $200,000 without forcing them to agree not to litigate, Pasadena Now reported.
Edison told local news outlet KTLA in January that safety was the company's top priority, which was the main motivator for rebuilding the power grid underground.
'As a part of Edison’s public utility commission-approved tariffs, homeowners do bear that cost to connect electric service from their property line to the undergrounding service,' a spokesperson for the electric company said in a statement.
'At the same time, we are exploring other opportunities, either through state or federal grants or other funding opportunities, and or philanthropic opportunities to offset some of those costs.'
The company's rebuilding plans were announced in a letter from CEO Pedro Pizarro to Governor Gavin Newsom last year.
Pizarro said at the time that the underground infrastructure would cost $8,000 to $10,000 per home. Residents are now claiming the actual cost is significantly higher.
Brandon Tolentino, SoCal's Vice President of Wildfire and Business Resiliency, told the LA Times that the company understands it's a high cost and they're 'looking at different sources' to help residents.
However, Mark Ellis, the former chief economist at Southern California Gas and San Diego Gas & Electric, told the LA Times that, according to his calculations, charging residents for the underground power grid will turn a profit for Edison.
Tolentino said that the primary reason for the underground infrastructure was 'wildfire mitigation,' adding, 'Our focus is supporting the community as they rebuild.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to SoCal Edison for additional comment.
