Feb 27 (Reuters) - California's wildfire fund may shield

Edison International's ( EIX ) balance sheet if equipment owned by the

power company's southern California electric utility is found to

have caused a deadly Los Angeles fire last month, executives

with the company said on Thursday.

Southern California Edison, which is one of the state's

largest power utilities, is facing a swelling number of lawsuits

claiming its power lines caused the Eaton Fire, which

contributed to one the country's most costly natural disasters.

While no official cause for the fire has been determined,

SCE will likely begin burying more lines underground as a

wildfire mitigation effort, Edison executives said on a

conference call with investors.