The families of L.A. wildfire victims confront the failures that prevented escape

One month after the Los Angeles wildfires, the public and California’s government are being forced to confront weaknesses in their approach to disasters.

As a wildfire tore through Altadena, California, before dawn on Jan. 8, Jackie McDaniels frantically tried to make it to her brother-in-law. He’d called to tell her the flames had reached his house, where he was stuck inside with his son.

“Stay on the phone with me,” Anthony Mitchell begged McDaniels as he waited for a response to his 911 calls. McDaniels was evacuating herself, but turned instead toward his one-story cottage on West Terrace Street.

Mitchell, 68, was her late sister’s husband. Because of diabetes, his leg had been amputated three years ago. And while he may have been able to escape in his wheelchair, he would not leave his son, Justin, 38, who had cerebral palsy and could not get out of bed unassisted. No one was there with them, no caregivers or family, so they’d called for emergency help.

By the time McDaniels arrived, the garage was burning. She watched from the street, still on the phone, pleading with Mitchell to get into his wheelchair. She heard him tell Justin, “Daddy’s coming.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/los-angeles-california-wildfires-victims-no-escape-rcna191087

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