The fires ravaging Southern California have already claimed the lives of some of the region's most vulnerable residents, as local authorities still have no answers days after the disaster began.
The stories of the fire victims who died are both heartbreaking and upsetting.
Father and son Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell was a 67-year-old former salesman. A father of four, grandfather of 11 and great-grandfather of 10, Mitchell was a family man who loved giving nicknames to his loved ones.
“He had nicknames for everyone: Strawberry Shortcake, Marshmallow, Bug. He kept going on and on,” said his daughter Hajime White, who lives in Arkansas.
Mitchell had a limb amputated and used a wheelchair to get around. He also cared for his son, Justin, who was in his 20s but was bedridden due to cerebral palsy. Justin had difficulty speaking and communicated primarily through the computer.
Anthony called the White House Wednesday morning to tell them the area had to be evacuated. “He said, 'Baby, I'm telling you there's a fire. We need to evacuate,'” White recalled. new york post.
Then he quickly added: “I have to go. There's a fire in the garden.”
Hours later, White learned that his father and half-brother had died. “It's like a ton of bricks fell on me,” she explained.
“He wasn't going to leave his son behind,” White said of his father. “No matter what”
Victor Shaw dies trying to protect his home
Victor Shaw's family lived in the same house on Montrose Avenue for 55 years. The house was in the path of the Eaton fire, and Victor, 66, and his sister Shari Shaw, who lived with him, were under an evacuation order, but Victor was determined to save his home.
As the Eaton Fire's flames drew closer and closer, Shari tried to escape, but Victor remained behind.
“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 save myself. There wasn't one, so I had to go outside,” Shari said.
When officers later found Victor, he was outside with a garden hose in his hand.
“All they said was that he was lying on the ground and looked peaceful, as if he was at peace.”
Rodney Nickerson, former engineer
Rodney Nickerson also refused to abandon his home despite evacuation orders. The 83-year-old former Lockheed Martin engineer and church deacon bought the Altadena location in 1968 for just $5, according to . CBS News.
“In the early '70s, everyone was buying houses for $30,000, $35,000, and now they're worth millions of dollars,” said Eric Nickerson, Rodney's son. .
His daughter, Kimiko Nickerson, said Rodney thought he and his home could survive the violent threat.
“My son tried to get him, his neighbors and me to leave, but my son said it was okay. He said, 'When you guys come back, I'll be here,' and my home is here. “I said yes,” Kimiko recalled. .
“His home was here and he was here,” she added. “We found his bones. His whole body was there, intact.”
It appears that the entire neighborhood was completely destroyed by the fire. “Everyone's gone,” Eric said of the houses.
Arlene Kelly “The Perfect Neighbor”
Arlene Kelly, a retired Rite Aid pharmacy technician, lived just a few blocks from Nickerson and Shaw. new york times Reported.
Rita and Terry Pyburn, who lived in the same neighborhood and knew Kelly, are saddened that she too died in the fire.
“She was an angel,” Terry said. “She's the perfect neighbor. I smile when I see her.”
“She was very, very kind.”
“DEI…H-Bomb”: A Horrible Collapse of Leadership
The Pyburns are among the many outraged Los Angeles area residents.
“There was a lack of communication,” Terry said. He and Rita believed their residence on the west side of Lake Street was safe until it was almost too late.
“We were in the house and just stood there thinking it was okay until we started smelling smoke,” he told the Times.
“There was panic. Everyone left, but no one thought to check on anyone,” he continued. “I think I notified you too late.”
Between communication failures, depleted fire hydrants, and a severed fire station budgetand fire department staff The failure of leadership in Los Angeles to prioritize gender expression over saving lives has resulted in: victor davis hanson Described as the “DEI, Green New Deal, hydrogen bomb,'' it exploded and reduced the entire beautiful seaside area to ashes.
“This is a time of sadness.”
Democratic Mayor Karen Bass is acutely aware of her apparent incompetence during this crisis. When the fire first broke out on Tuesday, Basu was on the other side of the world attending the inauguration of Ghana's president. When Bass finally returned to the city more than 24 hours after the fire broke out, she ignored repeated questions from reporters seeking answers on behalf of her embattled constituents.
“Is there anything you would like to say to the people who are dealing with this disaster right now?” asked Sky News' David Blevins. The bus did not respond.
The buses may be back in town now, but the situation on the ground has hardly improved. Two of the fires, the Eaton Fire and the Sunset Fire, are 0% contained, according to the New York Post. The Palisades fire was only 6% contained.
even washington post “I wondered if this region could have been better prepared for such a disaster, and what else could have been done to prevent such widespread devastation.”
So far, statements from regional officials have been disappointing. Here are some samples.
- “This is testing even the strongest among us. This is a time of grieving,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
- “Winds continue to be of a historic nature and a major factor in this firestorm,” Bass said Thursday. “We also know that fire hydrants are not built to handle this type of large-scale destruction, and that the biggest problem, especially on Wednesday, was the fact that air support was not able to support the wind. ”
- “It is no exaggeration to say that the Palisades Fire was one of the most devastating natural disasters in Los Angeles history,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley helpfully noted.
As of Friday morning, tens of thousands of acres had been burned and 10 people had been confirmed dead, but authorities expect the number to rise. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna issued a stark warning of what to expect in the coming days.
“At some point we will be able to search these affected areas more thoroughly, some of which appear to have been bombed, where we We could bring in dogs and other things to help.” [and] I hope too many deaths are never discovered. ”
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