A 67-year-old amputee father died in the Los Angeles wildfires after waiting for an ambulance for his disabled son, who also died.
Anthony Mitchell was found next to his son Justin, who was in his early 20s and suffered from cerebral palsy, in Altadena, California, after his family said he tried to protect them both.
“They didn’t make it out,” Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told Washington Post.
White said her father called her Wednesday morning to tell her that he and his half-brother Justin were evacuating because of the advancing fires.
“Then he said, ‘I have to go, the fire is in the yard,'” she recalled, saying it was the last time she heard his voice.
“He wasn’t going to leave his son behind, no matter what,” he added. ‘It’s very difficult. It’s like a ton of bricks have fallen on me.
White said his father was a retired salesman and amputee who used a wheelchair, and said he was a loving family man and devoted to his four children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
It comes as the death toll from the Los Angeles fires doubled to 10 overnight, as officials warned it will take time to uncover the true devastation.
Anthony Mitchell, 67, (pictured) was found next to his son Justin, who was in his early 20s and suffering from cerebral palsy, in Altadena, California, as his family said he was “not going to leave his son behind, no.” no matter what
Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, said she spoke to her father on the phone as the fires approached their home, and after his tragic death said she felt “like a ton of bricks had fallen on me.”
Los Angeles authorities said Thursday night that the official death toll had doubled to 10, but warned that the actual death toll was “expected to increase.”
The Los Angeles medical examiner announced Thursday night that it was investigating 10 fire-related deaths in the area, but did not offer any information about the victims’ identities or their locations.
As investigators continue sifting through the ashes as fire crews battle multiple fires, the medical examiner said some identifications could take weeks.
This is due to difficulties in accessing bodies in certain areas and their charred remains, and teams use dental records and DNA to identify people as identifiers, such as fingerprints and missing facial features.
“Please also note that traditional means of identification, such as fingerprints and visual identification, may not be available and will add additional time to naming these decedents,” the medical examiner said in a statement.
Three other victims have so far been identified, including another Californian who stayed behind to try to fight the out-of-control fires.
Victor Shaw, 66, tragically died in the Eaton fire after his sister Shari Shaw said she begged him to evacuate with her.
she said KTLA that on Tuesday night she tried to get her brother to go with her as the fires approached, but he wanted to stay and rest, since he suffered from diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Victor Shaw, 66, was identified as one of the victims of the Los Angeles fires, after his sister said he tried to keep the fires away from their family home.
Another victim named so far was Rodney Nickerson, 82, who died at his Altadena home after also staying rather than evacuating.
As searches continue in Los Angeles, resident Dalyce Kelley took to Facebook to urge anyone to contact her after her family was unable to locate her grandmother (pictured together) when her home caught fire.
“When I went back in and called out his name, he didn’t respond and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying around like a firestorm. I had to save myself,” Shari said.
“And I looked back and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”
A family friend later told the outlet that they found Victor’s charred remains on the side of the road with a hose on Wednesday morning, and it looked “like he was trying to save the house his parents owned for almost 55 years.” years”.
Another victim named so far was Rodney Nickerson, 82, who died at his Altadena home after also staying instead of evacuating, his daughter Kimiko Nickerson told KTLA.
She said he was preparing for a possible evacuation, but believed he would be fine staying home and waiting out the disaster plaguing the area.
‘He was getting some things together, packing his car a little bit, and he said he was going to get his things together, but he said he was going to stay here too…he said he felt like this was going to happen and he was going to be here,’ she said.
As searches continue in Los Angeles, resident Dalyce Kelley took to Facebook to urge anyone to contact her after her family was unable to locate her grandmother when her home caught fire.
A firefighter battles the 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 ash and debris at homes burned during the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Although only five victims have yet to be identified and 10 have been announced, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, “Unfortunately, I think the death toll will rise.”
Luna urged residents to be patient with officials trying to obtain an accurate and complete death count.
“We continue to work in a very fluid and active environment, which means that there are still occasional fires in some areas and gas leaks,” he said.
“So when people ask us for fatality numbers, we want to give them, but we have to wait until it’s safe for our staff to be able to go in there and do this properly.”
Since the devastating bushfires began, several A-list celebrities have revealed that they also lost their homes in 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 between Santa Monica and Malibu on the western flank of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire on the east near Pasadena are already considered the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares), or about 53 square miles. .