The wind-fueled flames that have burned over 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area have sadly claimed the lives of at least 24 people, including a father and son.

While trying to flee, Anthony Mitchell and his son Justin were caught in the approaching flames. Their family is devastated by their untimely deaths.Hajime White, Anthony’s daughter, disclosed that her father had been waiting for an ambulance to come and take him and Justin out of their Altadena, California, house, but it never did.

Hajime was later notified by authorities that Anthony had been discovered next to Justin’s bed. Hajime thinks her father was attempting to help Justin, who had cerebral palsy and was in his early 20s.

“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” said Hajime, a Doula in Warren, Arkansas. Her father, whom she described as a bighearted man, was 67. He was a retired salesman and an amputee who used a wheelchair.