Eaton Fire survivor wants answers after father, brother killed during wildfire

It's been one year since the destructive and deadly Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, killing 19 people and leveling entire neighborhoods. 

Most of the deaths and damage happened in West Altadena. Among the victims were Jordan Mitchell's father and brother, who never made it out, despite calling for help.

On the empty lot where his childhood home once stood, Mitchell often returns with flowers for his father, Anthony and older brother Justin.

 For Mitchell, this past year has been nothing short of shattering. His life turned upside down the night of the Eaton Fire when he lost them both. 

Mitchell was sick in the hospital when the flames closed in on his father, who was missing a leg and his brother, who was paraplegic with cerebral palsy. 

He remembers the last phone call he had with his dad, who refused to leave his brother's side. 

 "He told me to relax and go to bed," Mitchell said. "The next morning, I got a call from my cousin. My house was gone, my block was gone, and both my father and brother were gone."

Family friend and Justin's longtime caregiver, Shirley Johnson, said she left around 5 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, not realizing the danger Anthony and Justin were in.

 Since then, Johnson and other family members have been by Mitchell's side, helping him move through the grief. But also, the anger as to why no one was able to rescue his father and brother. 

"Failure did happen, and we are the victims of that," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said his dad started calling for help even before the fire started when he noticed the winds were extremely strong and he said his dad continued to call for help to evacuate more than a dozen times up until the fire overtook them the next morning.

"I believe my father died with that phone in his hands," Mitchell said.

 Mitchell has a team of lawyers working with individuals accountable for leaving his father and brother.  

The Los Angeles County's Independent After-action Report found there were "a series of weaknesses" in the alerts and the evacuations. 

The last year hasn't just been emotionally devastating; it's been physically overwhelming. Mitchell, a talented animator and artist, recently lost most of his eyesight because of health complications, making every step harder to navigate.

But he insists there is room for hope. 

A set of broken glasses and a charred barbecue are the only things left. They are quiet markers of the home Mitchell plans to rebuild and the moments he hopes to bring back.