Nursing Home Destroyed in Eaton Fire Sues Southern California Edison, Alleging Preventable Failure
A family-run nursing home that safely evacuated 45 vulnerable residents in under an hour now sits in ashes because SCE allegedly ignored its own wind-shutoff thresholds and left outdated equipment live.
Two Palms Care Center survived 55 years serving Pasadena and Altadena’s elderly and disabled only to be erased in one night by the Eaton Fire. The family-owned skilled nursing facility has now sued Southern California Edison and Edison International, claiming the utility’s preventable electrical failure ignited the blaze on January 7, 2025.
Staff wheeled and carried every one of the 45 residents, many bedridden, some with dementia, through smoke and ash as flames driven by extreme winds reached the property within an hour of the first detected faults. SCE’s own investigation found its equipment was “likely the cause,” the complaint states, and the utility has said it knows of no other ignition source. Yet the suit alleges the company failed to follow its safety protocols even after wind gusts exceeded shutoff thresholds all day and the National Weather Service issued its highest “Particularly Dangerous Situation” fire weather warning.
The destruction was total. Every room, therapy space, and piece of medical equipment was consumed. Wheelchairs were abandoned on the front lawn while the Two Palms sign remained standing. What had been a facility with a waiting list is now gone, forcing residents into affiliated homes where many still live more than 15 months later.
“Every one of our residents chose Two Palms, and their families trusted us with the people they love most,” administrator Juana Rodriguez said. “What we cannot accept is that a utility company’s alleged failures made any of that necessary.” The lawsuit also notes that outdated and inactive equipment near the ignition site in Eaton Canyon stayed in place and that systems meant to prevent re-energizing lines in dangerous conditions were not properly enabled. Warnings had been clear: a Red Flag Warning on January 5, upgraded the next day to the National Weather Service’s most severe designation along the Highway 210 corridor.
Two Palms seeks damages for property loss, business interruption, relocation costs, and ongoing economic harm, plus injunctive relief to force SCE to follow infrastructure safety rules. The complaint lists seven causes of action including negligence, trespass by fire, inverse condemnation, and violations of the Health and Safety Code and Public Utilities Code. Rebuilding will not be simple: the 1959 facility operated under regulatory exemptions that new construction cannot claim, so any replacement must meet current codes and standards.
Attorney Caleb Marker of Zimmerman Reed LLP, which represents Two Palms, put it plainly: the case is about whether the systems designed to prevent disasters “were followed when it mattered most.” The community lost more than a building; it lost a trusted place for care and dignity. SCE’s alleged negligence now stands between Two Palms and restoring that standard at today’s required cost.
The Eaton Fire became California’s second-most destructive blaze, killing 19 people, burning over 14,000 acres and destroying roughly 10,000 structures. Two Palms was one of two skilled nursing homes wiped out. The official cause has not yet been released by Cal Fire. While the utility fights the suit, the question remains whether accountability will arrive before another Red Flag day meets live, outdated equipment.
Original reporting: PRNewswire.
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