ALTADENA, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS) – A father who was an amputee and his son who had cerebral palsy died when their house burned down in the Los Angeles-area wildfires as they waited for help evacuating.
Jordan Mitchell says he lived out his worst nightmare after he was hospitalized last Tuesday, which left his father, Anthony Mitchell, and older brother, Justin Mitchell, without a caretaker for the day. Anthony Mitchell used a wheelchair after his leg was amputated a year ago, and Justin Mitchell had cerebral palsy.
Jordan Mitchell says he never usually left his family without a caretaker, but because he was sick in the hospital, they were on their own as the Eaton Fire grew closer to their home in Altadena, California.
“Frankly, that’s my worst nightmare, that I wouldn’t be around them and something would happen and someone would get hurt,” Jordan Mitchell said.
He says his father called 911 right after the fire started, asking for help evacuating. However, resources were stretched thin with dozens of evacuations across the community, as the fire burned down homes miles away from where it started.
“His last words were ‘Help us.’ He was trying to get him and my brother out of here,” Jordan Mitchell said.
Jordan Mitchell’s aunt, Cassandra Mitchell, lived just a few miles away. She says her brother called her at 6:02 a.m. Wednesday and told her he was still waiting for help to arrive. Twenty minutes later, the home burned down with Anthony Mitchell and his son still inside.
“Dying in a fire is not a pretty way to go. No one deserves that, especially not my dad and brother,” Jordan Mitchell said.
He says he is angry that seemingly no one could save the people he had vowed to protect.
“Out of my immediate family, I’m the only one left,” he said.
Jordan Mitchell described his father as a funny yet stubborn man and his brother, who loved children’s books and barbecue, as joyful.
“The best way I can describe my dad was funny and stubborn, but he loved us immensely. He would have did anything for us,” he said. “My brother Justin was the happiest boy you’ve ever met in your life.”
Jordan Mitchell is now staying with his aunt but hopes to rebuild. He plans to honor his brother by furnishing the new home with the books he so dearly loved.
The wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area, including the Eaton Fire, have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes, according to the Associated Press. Nearly 30 people were still missing, as of Wednesday.
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