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.

Two lawsuits filed Monday against Southern California Edison allege the utility failed to de-energize its power equipment and clear brush where a blaze sparked near Pasadena, one in a cascade of wildfires currently burning in the Los Angeles area,

Southern California Edison, a unit of utility firm Edison International, on Monday was sued on claims that its electrical equipment started one of the major wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, according to court filings.