A 10-year-old wheelchair-bound great-grandfather and his son, who had cerebral palsy, died in the raging wildfires in Southern California, his family announced Thursday.
When the Eaton Fire ripped through Altadena on Wednesday, former salesman Anthony Mitchell, 67, an amputee, his bedridden son Justin, in his 20s, and daughter Hajime White were killed. told the Washington Post.
Mitchell called White, who lives in Arkansas, on Wednesday morning to tell him he was evacuating his home.
“He said, 'Baby, I just want to let you know there's a fire. We have to evacuate,'” she recalled.
“Then he said, 'I have to go, there's a fire in the yard.'”
Hours later, she learned that a fire had swept through the area, killing her father and brother.
“It's like a ton of bricks fell on me,” she told WaPo.
White said Mitchell “had nicknames for everyone” and had four children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
At least seven people have been confirmed dead, and authorities have warned that the death toll will rise further.
