Despite Three 911 Calls, Two Homebound Disabled Men Died In Eaton Fire

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, July 21, 2025…

• 30 people died in January’s unprecedented fires in Los Angeles County– most of them older, and many with disabilities. LAist reporter Erin Stone recently obtained 911 calls from two disabled Eaton Fire victims through a public records request. The calls shed light on why, and how emergency planning continues to leave people with disabilities behind.
• The LA County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating an apartment complex in Santa Monica. It may be connected with an explosion Friday morning at one of the department’s training facilities, which left three deputies dead. 
• Siskiyou County has declared a local emergency over the use of dangerous pesticides at illegal cannabis grows.

Despite Three 911 Calls, Two Homebound Disabled Men Died In Eaton Fire Waiting For Rescue

By the time Anthony Mitchell Sr. called 911 for the first time at 6:03 a.m. on Jan. 8, sparks were flying into his west Altadena backyard. “There’s two disabled people in the house,” he told the dispatcher, who then asked for his exact address. The Eaton Fire erupted about 12 hours earlier, and driven by extreme Santa Ana winds, it was burning a path through neighborhoods of 100-year-old homes and tight-knit, multigenerational communities.

“Sparks are flying in my backyard right now,” Anthony Mitchell Sr. told the dispatcher, his voice calm. “And is the backyard on fire or just sparked?” the dispatcher replied. “It’s sparks right now, but it’s getting close,” he said. “All right. We’ll give them that information. They should be there as soon as possible,” the dispatcher told him. “OK. Thank you, ’cause I’m scared with me and my son being disabled,” Anthony Mitchell Sr. replied. “OK, they’re on their way,” the dispatcher said.

LAist obtained 911 calls from Anthony Mitchell Sr., who had a disability and lived with his disabled son in the 100 block of Terrace Street. The calls — released by the L.A. County Fire Department nearly five months after LAist requested them — shed light on why and how inadequate emergency planning, training and coordination leaves people with disabilities behind when disaster strikes. The calls are being published with the permission of the Mitchell family.

Experts LAist spoke with said the Mitchells’ case highlights long-running challenges and stalled efforts to improve support for people with disabilities during disasters. Still, they emphasized that even the best planning can’t save everyone. “ No matter how strong the emergency plan is, chances of help arriving quickly in a major catastrophic event are not good,” said June Isaacson Kailes, a Los Angeles-based disability policy consultant. It’s why early notification to people with disabilities is key, she said. And in the Eaton Fire, those alerts came too late for west Altadena, which is where all but one of the 18 deaths in the fire occurred. People with disabilities require more time to evacuate. They may have specialized medical equipment, and they frequently need to be taken somewhere that can support their needs — designated evacuation shelters, such as a high school gym or a community center, sometimes cannot.

Three Deputies Killed In Explosion At LA Sheriff’s Department Training Facility

An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility in East L.A. on Friday left three veteran deputies dead. L.A. County Fire officials said they responded to calls reporting the incident about 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Biscailuz Training Center on North Eastern Avenue.

The deputies who were killed were part of the department’s arson explosives detail. “This is unfortunately the largest loss of life for us as the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department since 1857,” Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Friday.

According to multiple media reports, the focus of the investigation is an apartment complex in Santa Monica. It’s believed that explosive devices may have been taken from an apartment there and transferred to the training facility.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Warns Of Nerve-Agent-Like Pesticides At Illegal Cannabis Sites

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue began seeing bags of Chinese-labeled pesticide at illegal marijuana farms a few years ago. Lab testing showed the products contained a cocktail of dozens of chemicals, including banned compounds harmful to health.

LaRue said that foreign-labeled pesticides now turn up in about 80% of grow site raids in the county. “The pesticides are being put on the product itself, and they’re being distributed throughout California and other states,” he said. “They’re even being sold in licensed dispensaries.”

Earlier this month, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency to combat the use of the pesticides, which officials say is a “transnational criminal threat.” The emergency declaration establishes a task force, allocates protective equipment for first responders exposed to the chemicals and seeks help from state and federal authorities. The county plans to develop an outreach program to raise awareness among residents about the health risks.

Laboratory tests identified at least 27 pesticides from samples taken at grow sites in Siskiyou County, according to the proclamation, including nine that behave “similar to chemical warfare nerve agents by attacking the central nervous system.” Law enforcement identified pesticides that have either never been approved in the U.S. or have been banned due to safety concerns.