Firefighters set backfires along Alton Road to help battle blazes that started from high wind and the Silverado fire in Lake Forest on Monday, October 26, 2020. The County of Orange has filed a pair of lawsuits against Southern California Edison accusing the utility company of causing two destructive wildfires — the 2020 Silverado Fire and the 2022 Coastal Fire — and seeking reimbursement for the public funds used to battle the blazes.
The Silverado Fire ignited at Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road and burned 12,466-acres, damaging 16 structures and seriously injuring two Orange County Fire Authority firefighters before it was brought under control after 12 days. The Coastal Fire swept out of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park before blackening 200-acres and destroying 20 homes over a six-day period.
Citing the ongoing lawsuits, Southern California Edison officials declined to comment on the specific allegations. T-Mobile officials did not respond to a request for comment. According to the county lawsuits, the Silverado Fire may have been caused by a broken “lashing wire” owned by T-Mobile coming into contact with an “overhead primary conductor” owned by SCE, igniting a ground fire that quickly spread. An electrical failure on a SCE pole that support a distribution line caused an arc that ignited ground vegetation, leading to the Coastal Fire, according to the county filings.