California Wildfires Leave Several Black Families To Mourn Deaths Of Loved Ones

Residents of Southern California faced extreme wildfires that began last Tuesday, and the aftermath has left several Black families to mourn the deaths of loved ones who did not make it out of their homes.

NBC News reported that at least 24 victims died across the Los Angeles area, due to the wildfires that destroyed thousands of structures and forced around 180,000 residents to evacuate their homes. The exact death toll from the incident has not been revealed; however, for Anthony Mitchell, two family members, his father Anthony, 67, and younger brother Justin, are dead after they stayed behind in their Altadena home. The 67-year-old, who was also a great-grandfather of 10, stayed behind with Justin, who had cerebral palsy and was unable to walk. They were waiting for an ambulance to come for them to be evacuated, The Minnesota Star Tribune noted. “He probably could have gotten himself out, but he wasn’t going to leave my brother,” Mitchell said about his dad, who had an amputated leg and used a wheelchair to get around. ”He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” said daughter Hajime White.

Dalyce Kelley believes her grandmother was unaware of the evacuation orders and may not have received the alerts. Kelley was the last family member to see her grandmother, Dalyce “Mama Dee” Curry, after she dropped her off at home on the same day the Eaton wildfire erupted in the Altadena community. Mama Dee, 95, was not able to evacuate her California home and died in the Eaton fire. Mama Dee was an extra in multiple classic movies of old Black Hollywood in the early 1900s. She appeared in movies like the Ten Commandments and The Blues Brothers and was mentored by Madame-Sul-Te-Wan, the first Black woman to secure a film contract in Hollywood, per the Golden Globes. Kelley said her grandmother loved Altadena and the aftermath of the wildfires would have deeply hurt her.

For Brianna Navarro, nearly everyone in their Altadena neighborhood knew her 83-year-old grandmother, Erliene Louise Kelley. On Thursday, Police confirmed Kelley’s death after the wildfire reached the home she tended to for over four decades. The woman lived with Navarro, her husband, and two daughters. The red glare the family saw outside did not look like anything major, but Navarro’s husband wanted to evacuate. “My husband, he’s not from out here, so he kind of was looking at it a little different than we were,” Navarro said. “We asked [her grandmother] … and she’s like: ‘No, no, I’m fine. You guys go ahead.’” Kelley lived through a wildfire before and was “at peace,” staying behind in the home.

Other deaths that have been reported in the aftermath of the California wildfires include Rodney Kent Nickerson, 83, who AZ Intel stated on X, was found in his bed at home, and Victor Shaw, 66, who was found dead on the side of the road with a garden hose.

The Associated Press reported that as the Los Angeles area faces fierce winds and critical weather, additional firefighters from around the U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico, arrived on Monday. Mayor Karen Bass and other officials are confident first responders are prepared for any new threats.

RELATED CONTENT: Massive Fire Destroys Hundreds Of Stalls At Ghana’s Kantamanto Clothing Market