Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International , was hit by multiple lawsuits on Monday claiming its electrical equipment started one of the major wildfires currently raging in the Los Angeles area,

While the cause of each blaze has yet to be determined, all burned in or near foothill communities amid gusty winds and dry air and vegetation.

The death toll from the southern California wildfires reached 16, as of Saturday night, while the fires remained mostly uncontained and additional evacuation orders were underway. The Palisades

When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

Southern California Edison is being sued by residents and businesses impacted by the Eaton Fire, who allege the Los Angeles utility's equipment may have started the deadly blaze. The big picture: It's among multiple wildfires that have erupted across the L.

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.

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.

Edison International Inc.’s southern California utility faces lawsuits blaming the energy provider’s equipment for igniting one of the wildfires still raging in the second-largest US metropolis.