LOS ANGELES (CNN) – A mother is mourning her 55-year-old son who she says died trying to protect his home from the California wildfires. He is one of at least 16 confirmed fatalities.
Carol Smith’s son, 55-year-old Randall Miod, died in the place he loved the most: his home in Malibu. Smith says detectives found human remains in her son’s home. He was the only person living in the home who chose not to evacuate.
Smith says Miod’s home, the only one he ever owned, was his most prized possession. She says he was determined to protect his beloved house and didn’t want to abandon it when the fires started.
“He just felt so blessed to be able to live in Malibu. That was his dream come true because he’d been surfing since he was a teenager,” Smith told CNN.
The mother and son talked on the phone Tuesday, and Miod told his mother he had a garden hose ready to go. Smith says she believes he didn’t know how big the flames were going to get, CNN reports.
“He’d been through so many of these fires and made it through unscathed. I think he thought he could do it again,” Smith told CNN. “Now that I’m realizing how many memories he had in that home, I can understand why he didn’t want to leave.”
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said Saturday night the wildfires in the area are to blame for at least 16 deaths, according to the Associated Press.
The fires have destroyed at least 12,000 structures, most of which are homes.
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