Los Angeles fire investigators blame electrical equipment for 2025 Eaton fire

One of the largest fires of Los Angeles‘s January 2025 deadly wildfire burn was caused by a malfunction at an out-of-service electrical tower, Los Angeles and California fire investigators determined.

The Eaton fire, which was the second-largest wildfire of Los Angeles’s deadly 2025 fires, killed 19 people as it engulfed over 14,000 acres in the Altadena area of the county. The Los Angeles Fire Department released the findings Tuesday from its Arson Fire Investigation Unit, as well as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s investigation into the Eaton fire.