The people killed in the Los Angeles-area wildfires that have been raging out of control this week include a 67-year-old amputee and his disabled son.
“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” Mitchell White’s daughter told the Washington Post.
The son, Justin White, was in his early twenties and had cerebral palsy. Both men died waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Victor Shaw, 66, died with a garden hose in his hand outside the home where his parents resided for more than 50 years. His body was discovered alongside an Altadena-area road Wednesday, according to Los Angeles station KTLA.
“I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave,” his sister Shari Shaw said.
She said her brother chose to fight the fire rather than flee.
Rodney Nickerson, 82, died at the Altadena home he purchased with a $5 downpayment in 1968, according to his daughter.
“He said that he felt this was going to pass over and that he would be here,” Kimiko Nickerson said of her dad’s final moments.
Retired Rite Aid pharmacy technician Erliene Kelley died in her home not far from where Shaw and Nickerson died in the Eaton Fire, according to the New York Times.
Her neighbors said people in the area thought they were out of harms away until they suddenly smelled smoke and received emergency alerts.
“It was panic,” Terry Pyburn. “Everyone took off and no one thought to check on anybody.”
At least five people were killed by the Eaton Fire that ravaged the Altadena area. At least ten people are known to be dead from the four fires ignited in Los Angeles County since Tuesday.
With News Wire Services
