The family of an Eaton fire victim is suing Southern California Edison for wrongful death, alleging negligence by the utility company for the devastating fire that killed 59-year-old Evelyn McClendon.
The lawsuit alleges that Edison failed to turn off the utilities despite a very clear warning Dangerous fire conditionslead to Disastrous consequences. The Eaton fire killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 buildings.
Its cause is still under investigation. Many were quick to blame Edison, however, as the video shows a fire starting under one of the sources. Utility transmission towers Jan. 7 at Eaton Canyon.
“We do not take lightly the responsibility of ensuring that this black angel, Evelyn McClendon, receives full justice and accountability,” attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference Wednesday. “We want them to know that her life matters and we will fight to make sure she gets everything the law allows to say her death will not be in vain.”
At the very least Four other cases The filing is on behalf of Altadena residents who had to evacuate or lost their homes in the Eaton fire, and blames the utility for the fire.
“Our hearts are with our communities during the devastating fires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them during this difficult time,” said a Southern California Edison spokesperson. “SCE understands that lawsuits have been filed related to the Eaton fire. SCE will review them. The cause of the fire is still under investigation,” he said.
McClendon was a former Pasadena Public School bus driver and part of a multi-generational Altadena family.
“Evelyn, she was a wonderful person who never did harm, never got into trouble, never did anything wrong,” her brother Zaire Calvin said, choking back tears at a news conference.
Calvin lived next door to McClendon. He said he was busy trying to help Their 84-year-old mother, along with her wife and 1-year-old daughter, were evacuated when the fire broke out, leaving her with no chance to see her sister.
Their family has lived in Altadena for over 50 years and has deep community ties.
“My family has been here for generations and has always been involved in community service and giving back to the community,” Calvin said.
Calvin said the case is about justice, not just for his sister, but for all Altadena families who have lost loved ones or are grieving because of the fire.
“This case is about more than one family,” Crump said. “This is about the Altadena community fighting to ensure they are not neglected and to get the justice and resources they need to rebuild their homes and lives.”
When the fire started, the region was under a rare “particularly hazardous situation” fire weather warning, with forecasters predicting very low humidity and Santa Ana winds gusting to 100 mph.
The lawsuits filed against Edison argue that the company has a responsibility to shut down power lines during such extreme weather conditions.
“Jan. On the 3rd, they [Edison] They had warnings to cut off the power they had,” Crump said. “Evelyn died on January 7, four days after the power was turned off.”
The fire continued to burn at 14,119 acres Wednesday evening and was 45% contained.
The utility said in statements that its transmission tower is not believed to be the cause of the fire, which is being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
On Wednesday, Steven Powell, the utility's chief executive, told The Times that wind speeds measured by Edison in Eaton Canyon did not reach 60- to 80-mph.
The National Weather Service reported 59-mph winds in the Eaton Canyon area at the time the fire started on Jan. 7 — as well as 63-mph gusts at 2:20 p.m. and 70 mph at 9:30 p.m.
A Cal Fire representative confirmed the transmission tower is part of the agency's investigation. Independent experts also told The Times it was too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the fire.
If Edison were to be held responsible for the Eaton fire, it would be a major crisis for the government. Forest Fire FundThis will help cover the damage.
This $21 billion fund is split equally between shareholders and utility customers. It was established in 2019 to prevent utility companies from going bankrupt if they are found responsible for wildfires.
Times staff writers Noah Goldberg, Salvador Hernandez and Jenny Jarvey contributed to this report.