DEATH TOLL: 10 LA fire victims include amputee dad who would not leave disabled son to die, man who died with garden hose in hand

Hajime White last spoke with her father on Wednesday, during a call in which 67-year-old Anthony Mitchell said, "Baby, I’m just letting you know the fire’s broke out. and we’re going to have to evacuate." Recounting the call to the Washington Post, White said, "Then he said, ‘I’ve got to go — the fire’s in the yard.’"

White received the news a few hours later that her father and half-brother had died. "They didn’t make it out,” she said.

Mitchell, a retired salesman and amputee, lived in Altadena with Justin, his son who was in his early 20s and had cerebral palsy. Justin used a computer to read and communicate due to his disability. Another son, Justin, lived with the pair but was in the hospital at the time, and White said that no caregivers were on hand.

Mitchell had been waiting for an ambulance to come for them as the Eaton fire grew in size. White said that authorities had told Mitchell’s family that the father was found by the side of his son’s bed, with the family believing that Mitchell was attempting to save him.

White said, "He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what." She added, "It’s very hard. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me."

Mitchell was remembered by his daughter, whose Arkansas-based family called him "FaFa," short for "far away," as a bighearted man who loved his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. White said that he had nicknames for all of his "great-grands." White said, "He had nicknames for everybody. Strawberry Shortcake, Marshmallow, Bug, he just went on and on."

White is awaiting word from relatives in the Los Angeles area for when she could fly there to make funeral arrangements.

According to the Daily Mail, 10 deaths have been reported so far amidst the growing wildfires in Los Angeles. Also among the dead was 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who remained at his home despite pleas from his family to evacuate due to the Eaton fire.

Shaw’s younger sister, Shari, attempted to get him to evacuate with her on Tuesday night as the fire grew. People close with Victor Shaw said he had health problems that prevented him from moving around well. He reportedly told his sister as she was leaving that he was going to stay behind to attempt to fight the fire.

"When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply back, and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm – I had to save myself," she told KTLA. "And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave."

A family friend, Al Tanner, told the outlet that Victor’s body was found on Wednesday morning on the side of the road with a hose. "It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years." Shari said, "I fell to the ground, and I didn’t know – I didn’t want to look at him. They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace."

Another victim, 82-year-old Rodney Nickerson, died in his Altadena home after staying behind, his daughter Kimiko Nickerson said. "He was gathering some things, packing up his car a bit, and he said that he was going to gather up his stuff, but he said he was going to stay here too … he said that he felt this was going to pass over and that he would be here," she said.

Erliene Kelley lived just a few blocks away from Shaw and Nickerson. The retired pharmacy technician was a longtime resident of the neighborhood and died in her home, the New York Times reported.

Terry Pyburn, who lived on her block, said, "She was so, so, so sweet," recounting conversations about gardening and local news. "She was an angel. That’s the perfect neighbor. When you see her, you have a smile."

He said that, "unfortunately, there was not good communication” about the threat to life the wildfires posed. He said that he and his wife, Rita, had initially heard on the car radio that "everything east of Lake Street was evacuated, and over here on the west side we were fine."

“So we were in the house and just stayed there, thinking we were okay,” Pyburn said. “Until we started smelling smoke." The Pyburns prepared to leave, and then the emergency alert arrived. He added, "It was panic. Everyone took off and no one thought to check on anybody. I think the notice came too late.”