LA County, 2 cities suing SoCal Edison over Eaton Fire

Los Angeles County and the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre have all filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison over damages due to the Eaton Fire.

The Los Angeles County's lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges the utility company's equipment caused the devastating blaze, which ignited on Jan. 7 and resulted in the deaths of 17 people and the destruction of thousands of structures.

The Los Angeles County's complaint estimates the costs and damages from the Eaton Fire to be at least hundreds of millions of dollars, including damage to county infrastructure, parks and roads, as well as cleanup and recovery efforts.

"We are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County," Los Angeles County counsel Dawyn Harrison, who filed the county's lawsuit, said in a statement.

The cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre also filed similar lawsuits on Wednesday against Southern California Edison for damages from the Eaton Fire, officials said.

"The destruction of public facilities essential to Pasadena's operations requires significant investment to restore and rebuild," Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian said in a statement. "While our restoration efforts continue, we have a responsibility to pursue appropriate compensation for the costs of rebuilding the public infrastructure our community relies upon."

Pasadena's complaint is seeking to cover damages from the fire as well as "subsequent costs of managing post-fire environmental hazards, emergency response, and infrastructure restoration," the city said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County complaint alleges the fire started under the transmission lines in Eaton Canyon, based on witnesses and photo and video evidence.

"After the fire started, SCE informed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that a 'fault' occurred on its transmission line around the time the fire started," the county said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

Pasadena's lawsuit also cites that the utility company "recently admitted in a public filing" to the CPUC that a fault was detected as well as video footage and photographs taken shortly after after 6:11 p.m. on Jan. 7 in the Eaton Canyon that "show fire emerging from the base of transmission towers designed, owned, and operated by EDISON," including a photograph taken just moments after the reported ignition.

The National Weather Service had warned of the potential for extreme fire weather in Los Angeles County in the days before the Eaton Fire started. "Despite these repeated warnings, EDISON failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment in and around the area of the Eaton Canyon," the lawsuit claims.

In its complaint, Sierra Madre similarly referenced Southern California Edison's disclosure that a "fault" was detected on its transmission circuit coinciding with the Eaton Fire's ignition time and location, along with video and photo evidence of the flames near the base of Edison transmission towers in the Eaton Canyon moments after electrical anomalies were recorded, according to the city's press release announcing the lawsuit.

"What makes this disaster particularly troubling is its preventability," Sierra Madre Mayor Robert Parkhurst said in a statement. "The documented weather warnings provided Edison with ample notice of the dangerous conditions developing in our community."

The city of Sierra Madre is seeking to cover damage to public lands, trail systems, roads and water systems caused by the Eaton Fire, including "severe ecological harm to the Sierra Madre Historical Wilderness Area," the city said.

The complaint is also seeking compensation for the restoration of natural resources and "funds to address heightened flood and debris flow risks resulting from the fire's destruction of hillside vegetation," the city said.

A Southern California Edison spokesperson told ABC News on Wednesday they are "reviewing the recently filed lawsuits and will address them through the appropriate legal process."

"Our hearts are with the communities affected by the wildfires in Southern California," the spokesperson, Kathleen Dunleavy, said.

In a Feb. 6 update to CPUC on its analysis into the origin of the Eaton Fire, the utility company said in a press release that "information and data have come to light, such as videos from external parties of the fire's early stages, suggesting a possible link to SCE's equipment, which the company takes seriously."

"While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE's equipment was involved," Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Southern California Edison's parent company, Edison International, said in a statement at the time. "We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts."

Wednesday's lawsuits join those previously filed against Southern California Edison by homeowners and renters who lost their houses in the Eaton Fire.

The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres before being contained after 24 days. The cause remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

The fire ignited the same day as the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County, which burned 23,707 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and killed 12 people. The cause of that fire also remains under investigation.

ABC News' Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.