On the morning of January 8, 2023, Anthony Mitchell Sr. called 911 at 6:03 a.m. from his home in west Altadena as sparks began flying into his backyard.
He informed the dispatcher, “There’s two disabled people in the house,” indicating the urgency of the situation.
Just hours earlier, the Eaton Fire, fueled by extreme Santa Ana winds, had erupted, rapidly threatening neighborhoods filled with century-old homes and multigenerational families.
“Sparks are flying in my backyard right now,” he said calmly, despite the alarming circumstances.
The dispatcher was quick to ask whether the sparks were leading to a fire,
to which Mitchell replied, “It’s sparks right now, but it’s getting close.”
The dispatcher assured him that help was on the way, after which Mitchell expressed concern for his safety and that of his son due to their disabilities.
The Eaton Fire ultimately claimed at least 30 lives, predominantly older adults and many with disabilities.
LAist recently obtained recordings of the 911 calls from Anthony Mitchell Sr., who was disabled and lived with his son Justin in a home on Terrace Street, showcasing the dire consequences of insufficient emergency planning for people with disabilities.
The calls were released by the L.A. County Fire Department nearly five months after a request from LAist for documentation related to the incident.
Anthony Mitchell Sr., 68, was well-versed in fire safety, having lived in Altadena and Pasadena for the majority of his life, regularly updating his family on weather conditions.
“He would call and let me know whether it was fire. He’d let me know if it was raining,” recalled his daughter Hajime White, who resides in Arkansas.
Over the years, fires had posed little threat to his home, where he cohabited with his two adult sons, Justin and Jordan, with Jordan serving as the primary caregiver for both.
Justin, 35, faced significant challenges, having cerebral palsy and being paraplegic, necessitating the assistance of two or three individuals to help him out of bed.
Meanwhile, Anthony Mitchell Sr. relied on a wheelchair, walker, or cane after losing a leg to diabetes.
The night of January 7, Jordan Mitchell was in the hospital recovering from a fall, leaving the two vulnerable individuals at home alone.
Jordan later expressed his fears, stating, “That’s my worst nightmare, that I wouldn’t be around them and something would happen and someone would get hurt.”
The Eaton Fire ignited around 6:20 p.m. on January 7, and initially, Anthony Mitchell Sr. did not panic.
However, the rapidly spreading flames, driven by winds gusting up to 80 mph, instigated deeper concerns as embers reached residential areas across west Altadena.
Evacuation orders for west Altadena were issued roughly eight hours after evacuations were mandated for areas east of Lake Avenue, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Notably, no evacuation warnings had been sent prior to those orders being issued at 3:25 a.m. on January 8.
Feeling increasingly alarmed, Anthony Mitchell Sr. reached out to his son, Anthony Mitchell Jr. in Bakersfield, around 11 p.m. on January 7, informing him he had called family for assistance to evacuate himself and Justin.
However, when those family members tried to enter the area, law enforcement stopped them.
An estimated 11 minutes after the initial 911 call at 6:03 a.m., Anthony Mitchell Sr. called 911 again at 6:14 a.m.
This time, he reported more urgent conditions, stating, “My house is on fire,” reiterating his address.
“Two disabled people in the house,” he noted, maintaining a calm demeanor amidst the chaos.
As he reported hearing crackling sounds and spotting flames, the dispatcher confirmed they were on the way to them.
As the call progressed, he pleaded, “Hurry, please.”
This incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by people with disabilities during times of disaster and emergency, as told by experts consulting with LAist.
June Isaacson Kailes, a Los Angeles-based disability policy consultant, remarked that despite the robustness of emergency plans, rapid response in catastrophic situations is not assured.
“No matter how strong the emergency plan is, chances of help arriving quickly in a major catastrophic event are not good,” she stated.
Experts emphasized the necessity of timely notifications catered specifically to individuals with disabilities,
which, in this instance, arrived too late for many in west Altadena, where nearly all the fatalities from the Eaton Fire occurred.
Those with disabilities often require extended time to evacuate due to specialized medical equipment and, in many cases, need transport to designated shelters capable of meeting their requirements.
Once a disaster unfolds, emergency services are often bombarded with an overwhelming volume of urgent calls.
Isaacson Kailes advocated for governments to transparently communicate these gaps in disaster preparedness to foster more realistic expectations among citizens.
“I know the politicians don’t like that because they say, well, people will lose confidence,” she noted.
However, she believes facing the reality may cultivate a more informed and prepared community.
Among the recommendations put forth are creating a dedicated emergency hotline for individuals with disabilities and ensuring that 911 dispatchers receive adequate training to assist these callers effectively.
Dawn Skaggs, chief program officer at the World Institute on Disability, stressed that the current state of training for emergency response personnel lacks focus on the unique needs of disabled individuals.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department oversees evacuations during disasters, according to the county’s established protocols, while the Fire Department manages medical evacuations, collaborating with other agencies as necessary.
Transit and paratransit agencies are partnered to assist in mass evacuations, with buses from Pasadena arriving to help evacuate senior living facilities during the Eaton Fire.
However, for unincorporated regions like Altadena, LA Metro serves as the key liaison during mass evacuations.
Metro’s spokesperson clarified that despite deploying vehicles, they couldn’t reach the affected areas due to the high risk posed by embers and had to stage at a safe distance.
Experts noted that buses are typically assigned to evacuate multifamily housing units or nursing homes rather than individual residences.
In such cases, paratransit services like AccessLA are designed to assist individuals needing transportation and specialized support due to their disabilities.
Mike Greenwood, AccessLA’s chief operating officer, stated that their team was fully prepared to assist amid the fires and by 4 a.m. on January 8, they were standing by to respond.
Despite Greenwood’s proactive outreach to the county’s response agencies, AccessLA was not contacted to provide support during the emergency.
“I was a little surprised,” said Greenwood, recalling past emergency responses where AccessLA had been engaged.
The third call, placed by Hajime White, came just after her father’s second contact with 911.
At 6:35 a.m., she reached out, sounding urgent as she explained the dire situation her father and brother were facing,
“The backyard’s on fire, and they’ve called twice and nobody’s coming and getting them out,” she reported.
The dispatcher inquired when the first calls were made, yet reassured White that they had received the prior alerts and crews had been dispatched.
But time was running out, and conditions were deteriorating rapidly.
“They can’t get out of the house,” White cried in desperation to the dispatcher.
LAist reviewed the radio communications from that night and confirmed that dispatchers were indeed discussing the Mitchells’ dire situation after White’s call.
At 6:38 a.m., details were relayed to deployed crews, emphasizing that the Mitchells were unable to leave and flames were perilously close by.
Tragically, as help arrived, it was too late.
Around 8:30 a.m., Anthony Mitchell Jr. received a call from his brother Jordan, who sorrowfully informed him that their father and brother were still inside when their home was reduced to ash.
The cause of death was later determined to be smoke inhalation and burns, as confirmed by the L.A. County medical examiner.
Further inquiries to the L.A. County fire and sheriff’s departments regarding the situation were met with a refusal to provide specific details,
stating they were awaiting the completion of investigations and official reviews.
In light of the numerous failures in the emergency response, robust discussions arose about how better preparedness could be achieved.
The L.A. County office of emergency management hesitated to provide clarity on its procedures for evacuating people with disabilities,
especially since publicly available plans lacked explicit details on the subject.
Isaacson Kailes emphasized that vague phrases like “they may use them” or “they will consider” create systemic shortcomings in emergency protocols.
“Realistic, actionable steps are needed to enhance the safety of vulnerable populations,” she argued.
The tragic loss of life during this incident mirrors past negligence and the need for significant reforms in emergency management for disabled individuals.
Historically, as noted by Skaggs, disability rights have often been viewed as optional during emergency situations
as planners focus on triaging a mass response rather than prioritizing the needs of those with disabilities.
“This marginalizes them in a system meant to protect them during disasters,” she remarked.
While having a comprehensive disaster plan is imperative, it is equally important for individuals to develop personal evacuation plans.
“How do we communicate with people that even when there is a plan, the first thing you have to do is to have your own backup plan?” Isaacson Kailes posited.
In a post-emergency landscape, L.A. County has made strides, yet many argue that efforts to enhance emergency protocols for individuals with disabilities have stalled or regressed in recent times.
In 2020, the county dissolved its Access and Functional Needs Advisory Committee, which was previously a collaborative effort to establish better strategies for serving vulnerable communities in emergencies.
Despite ongoing recommendations for improvement from state reviews, many initiatives have yet to enter implementation.
Experts like Isaacson Kailes have criticized this inaction as potentially culpable in the tragic loss of lives.
As the Mitchell family continues to come to terms with their profound grief, their calls for change resonate with community members who feel similarly disenfranchised.
“My dad was let down,” said Anthony Mitchell Jr. emphatically.
His sister Hajime adds, “I’m absolutely just angry and mad and just upset.”
Months after the fire, the emotional fallout remains significant for the family.
“I wish my father was here,” Anthony Mitchell Jr. reflected. “My daughter has waited since she was in elementary for my dad to show up at graduation like he did all his grandkids out here. She was broken-hearted.”
In honoring their loved ones, the family created a memorial brochure showcasing the legacy of Anthony Mitchell Sr.
The tribute celebrated his contributions to family gatherings, emphasizing his culinary skills and jovial spirit that lit up every celebration.
“We celebrate Uncle’s legacy — the man who could flip a steak like a pro, drop a joke like a comedian and make any room feel like home,” the leaflet stated.
Ultimately, the Mitchell family hopes that their experience will lead to tangible changes in emergency protocols,
including improved systems for notifying the community about emergencies, prioritized evacuation plans for the disabled and elderly, and funding for families of disaster victims.
As Hajime White poignantly stated, “What I would like to mainly see change is that everyone is treated with respect, everyone is not left behind.”
image source from：laist
