SAN DIEGO -- San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre plans to ask the City Council in a few weeks to sue San Diego Gas & Electric Co. for as much as $20 million for damages caused to city property in last fall's wildfires, it was reported Thursday.

At the same time, the public utility company has a pending claim against the city that says SDG&E is facing numerous lawsuits related to the fires and the city should share in the liability, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Eight lawsuits stemming from the Guejito, Witch Creek and Rice fires have been filed against SDG&E so far, the newspaper reported, noting that the lawsuits represent hundreds of people who lost their homes, farms, ranches and other property.

Two long-awaited reports detailing the exact causes of each fire have yet to be produced, but Cal Fire officials have already said that they believe all three blazes were ignited by power lines or equipment maintained by the utility company.

The reports are being prepared independently of each other by Cal Fire and the state Public Utilities Commission.

Stephanie Donovan, an SDG&E spokeswoman, told the newspaper that the claim against the city is a legal formality and that similar letter have been sent to the county and numerous fire agencies. The public utility so far has denied responsibility for the wildfires, citing Mother Nature and other factors as the true culprits, the newspaper reported.

The Guejito Fire began Oct. 22 in the San Pasqual Valley and burned into Rancho Bernardo. The Witch Creek Fire began burning the previous afternoon east of Ramona and followed the Guejito Fire's trail until the two blazes merged. The Rice Fire happened around the same time but affected the northeasternmost tip of San Diego County, ravaging mostly unincorporated land.