The family of an Eaton fire victim is suing Southern California Edison for wrongful death, claiming the utility's negligence led to the devastating blaze that killed 59-year-old Evelyn McClendon.

The lawsuit alleges that Edison failed to turn off utilities despite clear warnings of extremely dangerous fire conditions, leading to catastrophic consequences. The Eaton Fire has killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 structures.

The cause is still under investigation. However, many were quick to blame Edison after video evidence appeared to show a fire starting Jan. 7 beneath one of Eaton Canyon Utilities' transmission towers.

"We do not take lightly our responsibility to ensure 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 she took her life It is important that we work to ensure that she gets everything the law allows to prove that her death was not in vain."

At least four other lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Altadena residents who were forced to evacuate or lose their homes in the Eaton Fire and blame the utility companies for the fires.

"Our hearts go out to our communities during the devastating fires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time," a Southern California Edison spokesperson said. "SCE has learned that a fire incident related to the Eaton Fire Proceedings have been filed and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.”

McClendon was a former Pasadena public school bus driver and a member of a multi-generational family in Altadena.

"Evelyn, she was a wonderful person who never hurt, never got in trouble, never did anything wrong," her brother Zaire Calvin choked out at a news conference said through tears.

Calvin lived next door to McClendon. He said he was so busy helping his 84-year-old mother, his wife and 1-year-old daughter evacuate that he didn't have a chance to check on his sister when the fire broke out.

Their family has lived in Altadena for more than 50 years and has deep community ties.

“My family has been committed to community service and giving back to the community for generations,” Calvin said.

Calvin said the lawsuit is not just about justice for his sister, but for all the Altadena families who are missing or mourning loved ones in the still-smoldering fire.

"This lawsuit involves multiple families," attorney Crump said. “This is about fighting for the Altadena community, making sure they are not neglected and receive the justice and resources they need to rebuild their homes and lives.”

The fire broke out as the area was under a rare "particularly hazardous conditions" fire weather warning, with forecasters predicting extremely low humidity and Santa Ana wind gusts of up to 100 mph.

A lawsuit filed against Edison contends the company was responsible for turning off power lines during such extreme weather conditions.

"On Jan. 3, they (Edison) got an alert telling them they needed to shut off power," Crump said. "Evelyn died on January 7, four days before they were supposed to turn off the energy."

The 14,119-acre fire continued to burn Wednesday night and is now 45% contained.

The utility said in a statement that it does not believe its transmission towers were responsible for the fire, which is being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

On Wednesday, the utility's CEO, Steven Powell, told The Times that the wind gusts measured by Edison at Eaton Canyon did not reach the 60 to 80 mph threshold and could not guarantee 1 The tower was powered off on March 7.

Around the time of the Jan. 7 fire, the National Weather Service measured wind gusts of 59 mph in the Eaton Canyon area, with gusts of 63 mph at 2:20 p.m. and 70 mph at 9:30 p.m. .

A Cal Fire representative confirmed that the transmission tower was 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 is found responsible for the Eaton Fire, it would put significant pressure on the state's wildfire fund, which would help cover losses.

The $21 billion fund is split equally between shareholders and utility customers. It was established in 2019 to prevent utility companies from going bankrupt due to wildfires.

Times staff writers Noah Goldberg, Salvador Hernandez and Jenny Jarvi contributed to this report.