Los Angeles Wildfires: Watch Calif. Deputies Save 100-Year-Old Woman as Wildfire Rages

By Sierra van der Brug

Source Pasadena Star-News, Calif.

“Sheriff’s Department, anyone inside? Hello, anyone inside?” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies called out as they hustled through the halls of a senior living complex, knocking on doors, shining flashlights into the rooms as flames and smoke swirled just outside the building’s windows.

Deputies Martinez and Alkonis, brought in from the LASD Carson Station, were at the complex the morning of Jan. 8 to search for any remaining residents who had not been evacuated because of the Eaton fire, which the night before started moving rapidly moved towards the area. A woman walking her dog outside the building, urged by the deputies to leave the area, said she was unsure if anyone remained inside.

Bodycam video showed that as they knocked on doors in the complex, using flashlights as there was no power, in the distance a voice was heard and the deputies quickly followed the sound, locating a 100-year-old woman.

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“I’ve been trying to find a way out,” the woman said.

“Let’s get you out,” the deputies said.

“Don’t lose me,” the woman responded.

The woman is deaf and had been charging her hearing aids, unable to hear anything, she told Deputies Martinez and Alkonis.

The 100-year-old rescued from this building is one of over 800 people evacuated from health facilities amidst California’s hard-hitting wildfires in January. Over 250 people remain evacuated and relocated from the facilities they lived in. Alongside law enforcement, staff at senior living facilities worked to evacuate residents in other facilities as fire encroached all around and in Altadena and Pasadena.

Many of the 29 people who perished in the Eaton and Palisades fires were older adults. Thirteen of the 18 currently identified victims of the two fires were over the age of 60, prompting discussion about protecting vulnerable populations in emergency situations.

“In the face of adversity, these deputies took immediate action,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in a Tuesday news release about the rescue of the 100-year-old. “Their swift response under extreme pressure is a true reflection of their commitment. I commend them and all deputies who responded to the wildfires for their unwavering dedication and service to the community, working tirelessly to save lives amid such danger.”

The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately identify the property the woman was evacuated from, only describing it as a senior living apartment complex. It wasn’t immediately known why the woman had not been evacuated earlier because of the fire, which started the evening of Jan. 7.

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