Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old father with an amputated leg, died alongside his disabled son, Justin, in the Los Angeles wildfires. Mitchell stayed behind to care for Justin, who had cerebral palsy, while evacuating. His daughter, Hajime White, shared their last phone conversation about the approaching fire. Tragically, the death toll from the wildfires has risen to 10 people, with more expected as authorities investigate. Among other victims are Victor Shaw, 66, and Rodney Nickerson, 82, who also chose to remain behind. The wildfires are among the most destructive in LA history, burning over 34,000 acres.
A 67-year-old father with an amputated leg died after staying behind to wait for an ambulance for his disabled son, who also died in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Anthony Mitchell was found in Altadena, California, next to his son, Justin, who is in his early 20s and has cerebral palsy, and his family said he was trying to protect them.
“They didn’t make it,” Mitchell’s daughter Hajime White told The Washington Post.
White said his father called him Wednesday morning and told him he and his half-brother Justin were evacuating because of the ongoing fire.
“Then he said, ‘I have to go, there’s a fire in the yard,'” she recalled, saying that was the last time she heard his voice.
“He wasn’t going to leave his son behind no matter what,” she added. “It’s so hard. It’s like a ton of bricks fell on me.”
White said her father, a former salesman with a leg amputee who used a wheelchair, was a loving family man devoted to his four children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
It comes as the death toll from the Los Angeles fires doubled overnight to 10 people and authorities warn it will take time to uncover the true extent of the disaster.
Anthony Mitchell (pictured), 67, was found in Altadena, California, next to his son Justin, who is in his early 20s and has cerebral palsy. His family said: “I never meant to leave him behind, no.” He said he spoke. No matter what happens”
Mr Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, said she spoke to her father on the phone as the fire neared their home, adding that after her father’s tragic death, she felt “like a ton of bricks falling on me. I felt like that,” he said.
Los Angeles authorities announced late Thursday night that the official death toll had doubled to 10, but warned that the actual death toll was “expected to rise.”
The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office announced late Thursday night that it was investigating 10 fire-related deaths in the area, but did not provide any information about the victims’ identities or locations.
The coroner said some identifications could take weeks as firefighters continue to battle multiple blazes and investigators continue to examine the ashes.
This is because it is difficult to access bodies and their charred remains in certain areas, and the team uses dental records and DNA as identifying information such as fingerprints and facial features to identify people. Masu.
“Please also note that traditional identification methods such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available, adding additional time to naming these deceased individuals,” the coroner said in a statement. said.
Three other victims have been named so far, including another Californian who stayed behind to fight the out-of-control fire.
Victor Shaw, 66, tragically died in the Eaton fire after his sister Shari Shaw begged him to evacuate with her.
She told KTLA that she tried to evacuate her brother with her Tuesday night as the fire approached, but because he has diabetes and chronic kidney disease, she wanted him to stay behind to rest.
Victor Shaw, 66, has been identified as one of the victims of the Los Angeles fires. This is because his sister testified that she tried to move the fire away from her parents’ home.
Rodney Nickerson, 82, also died at his home in Altadena after remaining in the home instead of evacuating. “We felt this situation would pass,” said his daughter Kimiko (pictured with him).
As the search continues across Los Angeles, resident Darice Kelly appealed on Facebook for anyone to contact her after her family was unable to find her grandmother (pictured with her) when her home burned down.
“When I ran back into the room and shouted his name, he didn’t respond. And the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm that I had to go outside. I had to save myself,” Shari said.
“And I looked behind me and the house was starting to burn, so I had to get out of there.”
A family friend later discovered Victor’s charred body on the roadside with a hose on Wednesday morning, telling the outlet that it appeared “his parents were trying to save the home they had owned for nearly 55 years.” Ta.
Another victim named so far is Rodney Nickerson, 82, who also left Altadena, his daughter Kimiko Nickerson told KTLA. died at his home.
She said he is preparing to potentially evacuate, but believes it is okay to stay at home and wait for a disaster to strike the area.
“He was collecting some things, packing up his car a little bit, and he said he was going to pack up, but he also said he was going to stay here…he… “I said I feel like this is going to pass, and I wish he was here,” she said.
As the search continues across Los Angeles, resident Darice Kelly appealed on Facebook for anyone to contact her after her family was unable to find her grandmother when her home burned down.
Firefighters battle a fire in the Angeles National Forest near Mount Wilson as wildfires burn in the Los Angeles area during the Eaton Fire in Altadena
Investigators and residents search through the ashes and rubble of burned homes in the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Only five victims have been identified and 10 more have been announced, but Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, “Unfortunately, I think the death toll will be much higher.”
Luna called on residents to be patient with authorities as they seek to determine an accurate and complete death toll.
“We’re still working in a very fluid and active environment, which means we still have fires in the area and we still have gas leaks,” he said.
“So when people ask us the death toll, we want to answer that, but we have to wait until it’s safe for our personnel to get in there and respond appropriately. No.”
Since the devastating bushfires began, a number of A-list celebrities have revealed they have lost their homes to the fires.
Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, Tina Knowles, John Goodman, Candy Spelling, Milo Ventimiglia and Miles Teller are among those whose homes were demolished.
The so-called Palisades Fire on the west side of Los Angeles between Santa Monica and Malibu and the Eaton Fire on the east side near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, burning more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares), or about 53 square miles. was burnt out. .
