As wildfires continue to spread across Los Angeles County, two granddaughters, Dalyce Kelley and Loree Beamer-Wilkinson, fear that their 95-year-old grandmother, Dalyce Curry, may have lost her life in the Eaton Fire. They are still waiting for confirmation from authorities as of Sunday.
The Eaton Fire has burned over 14,000 acres in Altadena, California, and is only 27% contained. The fire has claimed at least 24 lives since it began on January 7, with the number expected to rise. Kelley last saw her grandmother on the day the fire started, after they visited a medical center. They saw the fire in the distance as they drove home, but it didn’t seem dangerous at the time. When they arrived at Curry’s house, there was no sign of immediate danger, and the power was still on.
Curry had asked Kelley to stay the night, but Kelley had to leave to take care of a sibling dealing with cancer. Kelley thought her grandmother would be fine on her own. However, after learning about the power outage in Altadena, Kelley became concerned and tried to reach her grandmother. When she returned to the neighborhood, it was engulfed in smoke, and a police officer confirmed that Curry’s house had been destroyed by the fire.
Kelley was told to file a missing persons report, and after being escorted to the house by a National Guard member, she found only devastation. The house was gone, but her grandmother’s blue Cadillac was still there. Beamer-Wilkinson, who lives in Colorado, tried calling the medical examiner’s office for answers but received no concrete information.
Both granddaughters are heartbroken, waiting for news about Curry’s fate. They described her as a vibrant, active woman who loved life and had many more years to live. They struggle to understand how the emergency response system failed their elderly community. Kelley criticized the lack of proper evacuation warnings, especially for older residents who may not use cell phones to receive alerts. Despite the overwhelming odds, the sisters hold onto a small hope that their grandmother might still be alive, though they are not confident she will turn up. They just want to know for sure.
