Edison Blamed in Lawsuit for Montecito `Wall of Mud' Killing Man

(Bloomberg) -- An Edison International unit was sued over the death of a 73-year-old man swept out of his Pacific coast home by a rain-triggered mudslide in mountains scorched by the largest wildfire in modern California history.

Southern California Edison was at fault because the Thomas Fire that created the conditions for the deadly slides in the tony enclave of Montecito in January was ignited by the utility's equipment, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in California state court in Santa Barbara County by the man's family and surviving partner.

Peter Fleurat and his partner Ralph Lao Barajas “were jolted awake from the sound of an explosion from a gas transmission pipeline and a large orange glow in the sky,” according to the complaint. “Moments later, the walls of their home collapsed from a wall of mud, boulders and debris.”

The devastating December fires in Southern California have wiped out billions of dollars of Edison's market value as Wall Street weighs whether the utility giant will end up being held liable for the damages. While the cause of the blazes have yet to be confirmed, lawsuits are piling up in state court. Northern California's biggest utility, PG&E Corp., is fighting similar claims in more than 100 suits lodged by property owners and others affected by a rash of fires in October.

"The Thomas fire has obviously had an impact on many individuals, but the origin and cause of the fire continue to be under investigation and no report has yet been issued," the Rosemead, California-based utility said in a statement. "This and other lawsuits are not based on findings related to an investigation. Therefore, it would be premature for SCE to comment on the origin or cause of the wildfire.”

According to the complaint over Fleurat's death, the wildfire that raged through the mountains above Montecito in December left the hillsides devoid of vegetation and susceptible to excessive runoff and mud flows.

The case is Fleurat v. Southern California Edison Co., 18CV01568, California Superior Court, Santa Barbara County (Anacapa).

To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wollman at ewollman@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg

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