People hold photos of those who perished in the Eaton Fire during a memorial service, July 7, 2025, honoring the 19 lives lost in Altadena, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) — More than 18 months after it ignited and became one of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. history, authorities announced the cause of the 2025 Eaton Fire in Southern California. SCE is the primary electric utility company for much of the Southern California, serving 15 million people. The Eaton Fire caused an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in damage, according to a 2025 report by Verisk, a global data analytics company serving the insurance sector. ABC News reported on Jan. 13, 2025, as the Eaton and Palisades fires were still burning, that one possible theory for the cause of the Eaton blaze involved transmission lines or electric facilities.