A great-grandfather of 10 who used a wheelchair and his son with cerebral palsy died in the raging wildfires in Southern California, their family said Thursday.
Retired salesman Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his bedridden son Justin, who is in his 20s, died when the Eaton Fire hit Altadena Wednesday, his daughter Hajime White told the Washington Post.
Mitchell had called White, who lives in Arkansas, Wednesday morning to let her know they were evacuating their home.
“He said, ‘Baby, I’m just letting you know the fire’s broken out, and we’re going to have to evacuate,” she recalled.
“Then he said, ‘I’ve gotta go — the fire’s in the yard.’”
A few hours later, she learned her father and brother were killed when the blaze tore through the region.
“It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me,” she told WaPo.
Mitchell — who “had nicknames for everybody — had four children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-children, White said.
At least seven people have been confirmed dead with the death toll expected to rise, officials warned.
