The L.A.-area fires may pose the first big test of California’s wildfire fund, which was set up in 2019 to protect utilities from bankruptcy.

Attorneys representing those affected by the Eaton Fire filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison alleging that the company's equipment sparked the disastrous blaze in Altadena.

Multiple lawsuits against Southern California Edison claim the utility’s equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire burning near Pasadena. Edison has acknowledged fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a far smaller LA-area fire that broke out the same day.

Containment of the Eaton Fire has risen to 45% despite tough conditions that were expected to worsen. Meanwhile, the death toll attributed to the fire was adjusted down by one to 16, according to the L.

After decimating neighborhoods in Altadena, the Eaton Fire has now become one of the deadliest in California history.​

At least 25 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.