A couple who survived the deadly Bronx apartment building fire is suing the landlord and city for $3 billion in damages

• A couple who survived the deadly NYC building fire sued the city and landlord for $3 billion.
• Rosa Reyes and Felix Martinez filed the class-action lawsuits in the Bronx Supreme Court on Tuesday.

A couple who survived the deadly apartment building fire in the Bronx on Sunday filed a pair of class-action lawsuits on Tuesday, suing both their landlords and the city of New York for $3 billion in damages.

It's the first legal action taken against the building's owners since the fire that killed 17 people — eight of whom were children — over the weekend.

Rosa Reyes and Felix Martinez, the lead plaintiffs, filed the class-action lawsuits in the Bronx Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying the couple sustained "severe and permanent personal injuries and/or property damage," according to court documents obtained by Insider.

The lawsuits were filed on behalf of all tenants who were affected by the blaze, seeking $1 billion each per tenant in compensatory damages and an additional $2 billion in punitive damages on behalf of themselves and "all others similarly situated."

The couple accused the building's owners of failing to ensure that safety precautions were in place prior to the fire.

This includes "[failing] to ensure that the front 'steel doors' were self-closing; [failing] to ensure that the smoke detectors at the subject premises and within each apartment at the subject premises were functioning; [failing] to ensure that the fire escapes were in good working order," according to court documents.

The lawsuit went on to say that the couple sustained "pain, shock, mental anguish" due to the incident, adding that "these injuries and their effects will be permanent."

The lawsuits accused public housing officials from New York City and the Bronx of being aware of the poor conditions at the apartment building prior to the fire but failed to address the issues.

"Defendant Bronx had actual notice of defective conditions at the subject premises which caused the fire," the lawsuits said.

Representatives for the city of New York did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

In a statement to Newsweek, the building's ownership group said: "We are devastated by this terrible tragedy and are cooperating fully with the Fire Department and other agencies as they continue to investigate."

More than 200 firefighters with the New York Fire Department responded to the scene of a 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx, according to a tweet by the department. FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the fire was caused by a faulty space heater.

Smoke spread throughout the building as the fire broke out and safety doors failed to close, the Associated Press reported Monday. All 17 deaths and dozens of injuries were caused by smoke inhalation, Nigro said during a press conference.

"This is going to be one of the worst fires we have witnessed here in modern times in the city of New York," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday.