Thomas Fire lawsuits: SoCal Edison accused of negligence

SANTA PAULA, Calif. (FOX 11) - Three lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison that claim the utility company failed to monitor equipment in Santa Paula that may have caused the Thomas Fire.

The fire has burned nearly 300,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

One of the suits also names the city of Ventura and Casitas Municipal Water District as defendants because of what the lawsuit alleges was a lack of water pressure to fire hydrants in Ventura and Ojai to allow firefighters to battle the fire and save homes.

The investigation into what caused the state's largest wildfire remains open and the utility company has not yet commented on the lawsuits.

The lawsuits were filed last month and there are a number of plaintiffs involved in each lawsuit.