Amputee father refuses to leave his disabled son's bedside; both die in Los Angeles wildfire

As the death toll in the Los Angeles wildfire touches 16, reports said an amputee father and his adult son, who had cerebral palsy, were among the victims. Anthony Mitchell lived in Altadena with his son Justin Mitchell, who was in his early 20s and had cerebral palsy. He refused to leave the bedside of his son and both perished in the fire.  

Hajime White, Mitchell's daughter, told The Washington Post that she spoke to her father last Wednesday when he informed her about the raging wildfire.  "He said 'Baby, I’m just letting you know the fire’s broke out. We’re going to have to evacuate," White, who lives in Arkansas told Post. Mitchell informed her that the fire was in the yard and he planned to evacuate.

Their home was in the neighbourhood north of Pasadena, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Though Mitchell's other son Jordan was living with them, he was not at home. There were no caregivers available at the time.  Though the duo waited for an ambulance to come for them, it never arrived. 

White said she got the terrible news a few hours later. "They didn’t make it out," she said, adding that the authorities told the family Mitchell was found by the side of his son's bed. She believes the father was trying to save the son.

"He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” White said. 

"It’s very hard,” White said. “It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me." Though Justin, her half-brother had cerebral palsy, he could use a computer to read and communicate.

Besides the Mitchells, a former child actor from Australia also died in the blaze which tore through his family's Malibu estate in California earlier this week. Rory Callum Sykes was at the family’s 17-acre Mount Malibu TV Studios estate when it burned down on January 8, his mother Shelley Sykes wrote on X Thursday. 

Sykes was born blind and with cerebral palsy but had overcome his disabilities. "He overcame so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about travelling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica," Shelley Sykes wrote on X. 

Another victim was an 85-year-old woman who refused to leave her Pacific Palisades home. Annette Rossilli was found dead inside her car. Though her care workers offered to rescue her, Rossilli insisted on staying back with her pets, her dog Greetly, her canary Pepper, her two parrots and her turtle.

Another victim was Erliene Kelley, who also chose not to evacuate her home of 40 years.