Victims of the fires in the Los Angeles area
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At least five people were killed and thousands of structures were burned as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area. The dead include four men who were unable to leave or had stayed behind to defend their homes in Altadena, a community near Pasadena that is home to working and middle-class families, including many Black residents living there for generations.
Anthony Mitchell and his son, Justin. Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who has cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come for them. “They didn’t make it out,” said Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White. She said authorities told the family Mitchell was found by the side of his son’s bed in Altadena. The Washington Post reported the family believes Mitchell was trying to save his son, who was in his early 20s.
“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” White said. White, who lives in Warren, Arkansas, and is Justin’s step-sister, said her father called her Wednesday morning and said they had to evacuate from approaching flames. “Then he said, ‘I’ve got to go — the fire’s in the yard,’” she recalled Thursday.
Another son, also in his 20s, lived with the pair but was in the hospital, and no caregivers were on hand, White said, adding “It’s very hard. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me.”. White didn’t immediately respond to a Facebook message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
