Family who lost loved one in Eaton Fire still struggles to rebuild one year later

LOS ANGELES - The Eaton Fire killed 19 people, including 59-year-old Evelyn McClendon. Her family continues to grapple with the profound loss. 

McClendon's mother, Evelyn Cathirell, 85, recalls the tragic day from January 7, 2025. 

"You had to move fast [the day of the Eaton Fire]. You had to get out of the way because the fire was moving so fast. The burning was moving so fast. Some people made it out. Some people didn't. My daughter didn't make it out. She burned to a crisp," said Cathirell.

Honoring Evelyn McClendon 

Cathirell said McClendon was very smart. 

"She was highly educated, Marymount [is where she went to school]. She was very educated. She loved life. She giggled. Her favorite words were toodles, toodles," said Cathirell. 

McClendon's younger brother who lived next door, Zaire Calvin, remembers her as a "God-fearing woman." 

"I remember her as she wanted to be remembered and that would be as a loving, Christian woman who believed in Jesus and that was her faith and that was her everything," said Calvin. 
Calvin said when the fire started, he grabbed Cathirell, and his baby and got out of the house. He was thinking his sister would follow, but she did not escape. She was the first victim found in the Eaton fire. 

The impacts of the Eaton Fire

Calvin said their houses were also destroyed in the fire. The family had two lots with five homes on the lots. All of the homes are gone following the fire. 

"I have over 20 to 30 family members who are blood related who live in Altadena. You're talking about all of the different losses and then you grow up in a community with everybody you consider family so then all your friends and family have lost everything at  the same time so it's no way to even equate the amount of loss," said Calvin. 

Altadena's rich Black history 

Their family's history runs deep in Altadena. Cathirell bought one of the houses that burned back in the late 60's in Altadena.

Altadena is a historically Black community, and served as a refuge from discriminatory housing and Jim Crow laws. 

"When she moved up here [to Altadena], it was to get away. She said she always wanted to be in the mountains and to have a nice neighborhood and to make sure we were living and raised in a nice neighborhood. Coincidentally she bought the house from a Black fireman who used to live here a long time ago. For her to be able to buy a home during that time period was very important and life changing because you were able to build a foundation that was different. It still wasn't easy. It was still discriminatory but it was better for opportunities than anywhere else," said Calvin.  

Calvin developed a strong love and appreciation for Altadena, which is why he said he wants to rebuild. 

"I've lived in Altadena my entire life so I don't know anything else and when I say that, that doesn't mean that I've been stuck in Altadena. I've traveled the whole world. I've been to Africa, Europe, South America so I've been all over many countries and nothing feels like Altadena," said Calvin. 

Challenges 

However, his family and the community have faced many challenges in their efforts to rebuild. 

Calvin said his home was underinsured. He received a check from Farmers Insurance for less than $300,000, but he believes one of the houses is worth at least $2M following renovations, and the other house is worth an estimated $1.3M, according to Calvin. 

"This is one of those stories where it's the American dream. You worked hard your whole life generationally to build all of this and you don't want it taken from you. Then you're fighting the insurance who's taking advantage of you," said Calvin.

Farmers Insurance released the following statement to FOX 11: "Every claim is evaluated and reviewed on an individual basis. Our goal is to pay claims quickly and fairly, taking into account the circumstances of the loss and the terms of the policy. While we cannot comment on individual claims or customers, we will continue to work with our customer to resolve their claim."

Calvin said the purpose behind the "Altadena is not for sale" signs is to encourage the community to rebuild, and not sell. 

"Developers are coming in wanting to take over and take the land so that was part of the story to protect against that. Then it's construction, they're gonna come in and take advantage of people. This is what stage we're in now. You're going through a stage of everybody continuously taking when you've lost everything and you're trying to say 'hey why not repair the people who have lost everything, who worked hard for everything,'" said Calvin.

Calvin, who is a beloved coach in the community, said he is fighting for the community to return within a two year time frame. 

"What I would want to see of my community is my community be back. I want 100% but I will settle for 85% of my community being back within two years. If you say ten years from now, now my daughter's 12 and will she have ever experienced Altadena? If you go ten years for my mother, now she's 95 or you say 15, that's 100 [years old] so you have to be blessed to have all those experiences," said Calvin. 

Calvin believes the biggest hurdle is Socal Edison. The President and CEO of Socal Edison International, Pedro Pizarro, publicly said their equipment "likely" caused the Eaton fire.  

"The biggest one always goes back to Edison who actually burned us down. They're the cause of all of this and they're causing all of this pain, all of this sorrow and everything that's going on. What are they gonna do, and I don't mean just making sure that we're back, what are you gonna do extra?" asks Calvin.  

Pizarro also has strong ties to Pasadena.

"We hear the President [Pizarro] speak because he's from Pasadena and he says 'I'm from the community' and it's like OK well if you're from the community what are you gonna actually do to be different? What are you gonna do as a company to not only restore but do extra meaning what monument are you gonna create? What extra money are you gonna involve? Are you gonna give everybody jobs? You're already rate hiking. Are there gonna be incentives in the Altadena community that's different? What are you gonna do extra? Not what you do to fix us. What are you gonna actually do extra after we're supposedly fixed," said Calvin. 

On Calvin's street, E. Las Flores, every house was burned except for one. Calvin said he's eager to return to his community, and bring Cathirell back home, who asks about her land daily. 

"It's a blessing because my mother's been wanting to get out. What's been going on at this point in time is she wants to be on her land and that's what she asks for every single day is to be back on her land, back  on the property, when are we gonna start, why can't we just be there. To be out here means a lot especially for her to be able to be here and to see it, and what she said to me is so she can remember, so she could still make sure it's real because everything seems so surreal," said Calvin.   

Calvin submitted a permit for rebuilding in December and is urging all of his neighbors to submit their permits this month. Calvin and his family are fundraising to help with the rebuilding process and have created a GoFundMe.