April 30 (Reuters) - Edison International posted a first-quarter loss on Tuesday from a year-ago profit as the utility firm was hurt by claims related to wildfire and mudslide events that occurred in 2017 and 2018.

The Rosemead, California-based company said its net loss stood at $11 million, or 3 cents per share in the first quarter, from a profit of $310 million, or 81 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

Edison said a $490 million increase in estimated losses was recorded owing to a first-quarter review of loss estimates for the 2017 and 2018 wildfires and mudslides.

The increase was primarily driven by information obtained during the quarter related to the Woolsey Fire mediation program and from settling claims through the quarter.

The Rye, Meyers, Liberty, and Thomas Fires raged across several parts of the company's service territory in December 2017.

In 2018, the Woolsey wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties burned 96,949 acres of land and destroyed 1,643 structures. Three Californians were killed and more than 295,000 people evacuated.

Los Angeles County sued Southern California Edison Co, a unit of Edison International, in 2019, alleging that the company's damaged electrical equipment may have sparked the fire.

"With wildfires now a national issue, litigation outcomes outside of California are impacting the costs to resolve claims everywhere," said Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International.

"I reiterate that we strongly believe that cost recovery is warranted and in the public interest, and we conservatively have not reflected this significant potential in our financial projections."

On an adjusted basis, Edison International posted a profit of $1.13 per share, missing analysts' average estimates of $1.15 per share, according to LSEG data. (Reporting by Vallari Srivastava and Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)