In a heart-wrenching incident during the recent Los Angeles wildfires, a 67-year-old father, Anthony Mitchell, who was an amputee, stayed behind with his son to await an ambulance. Tragically, both lost their lives in the ordeal. Anthony was found alongside his young son, Justin, who was just in his early 20s and suffered from cerebral palsy, in the town of Altadena, California, after he courageously tried to safeguard them both.
Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, sorrowfully recounted the last conversation she had with her father. ‘They didn’t make it out,’ she shared with a heavy heart to the Washington Post. Describing the harrowing moment, White recalled the phone call on a Wednesday morning where her father mentioned they were evacuating due to the approaching flames. ‘Then he said, ‘I’ve got to go — the fire’s in the yard,’ and that was the final time I heard his voice,’ she remembered.
‘He was not going to leave his son behind, no matter what,’ she expressed, enveloped in grief. ‘It’s an overwhelming loss, like a ton of bricks just fell on me.’
Anthony Mitchell, a retired salesman who used a wheelchair, was devoted to his family, including his four children, eleven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. His dedication as a loving family man was evident in his final moments.
Anthony Mitchell, 67, (pictured) was found by the side of his son Justin, who was in his early 20s and suffered cerebral palsy, in Altadena, California, as his family said he ‘was not going to leave his son behind, no matter what’
As of the latest updates, the death toll from the Los Angeles wildfires has tragically doubled to a total of ten, with officials cautioning that it might take some time for the full extent of the destruction to be revealed.
Mitchell’s daughter Hajime White said she spoke to her father on the phone as the fires approached his home, and after his tragic passing she said it felt ‘like a ton of bricks just fell on me’
Los Angeles authorities said late Thursday night that the official death toll doubled to 10, but warned that the true death count was ‘expected to rise’
