Grandmother Remembered as ‘Excellent Neighbor’ After Dying within the L.A. Fires

• Erliene Kelley died amid the Los Angeles wildfires, in accordance with family members
• Kelley, 83, was a grandmother, former pharmacy technician and the “good neighbor” who instructed her household “she was going to remain at house” in Altadena when fires broke out on Jan. 7
• Her granddaughter, who lived with Kelley, has since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser following the lack of their house

An 83-year-old grandmother is being remembered as an “angel” and a “good neighbor” after dying amid the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.

Erliene Kelley died in her Altadena house this week, in accordance with a GoFundMe marketing campaign created by her granddaughter and The New York Instances.

Talking with the Los Angeles Instances on Friday, Jan. 10, Kelley’s granddaughter, Briana Navarro, mentioned that Kelley was “adamant about staying” in her house as the hearth in Eaton started to unfold Tuesday evening, Jan. 7.

A longtime resident of the neighborhood, Kelley moved into the neighborhood from Monmouth, Sick. within the late Nineteen Sixties together with her late husband Howard, in accordance with the Los Angeles Instances. She was a retired pharmacy technician at Ceremony Support, The New York Instances reported.

“She was an angel,” mentioned neighbor Terry Pyburn. “That’s the right neighbor. While you see her, you’ve gotten a smile.”

Navarro mentioned that her grandmother — who she lived with within the house alongside together with her personal two daughters and husband Fermin — knew “all people within the metropolis,” was “actually candy” and would cease a number of occasions to speak with folks at any time when they’d exit collectively.

“She cherished caring for her backyard,” her granddaughter instructed the L.A. Instances. “She was at all times watering the grass and shopping for new furnishings and decorations.”

After recognizing {that a} blaze erupted in Eaton Canyon on Tuesday evening, Navarro evacuated her household’s house by 9 p.m. native time.

“We made the selection to evacuate on Tuesday evening, nonetheless my grandmother determined she needed to remain,” she wrote within the GoFundMe. “After we left, I requested my dad to go to the home to examine on her.. and once more, she mentioned she was going to remain at house. She mentioned ‘It is in God’s palms.’ ”

“He went up there, talked to her for a little bit bit,” Navarro instructed the L.A. Instances of her father. “I assume my dad had gone exterior and stared on the fireplace for 10 to fifteen minutes and noticed that it seemed small and felt protected leaving my grandmother there.”

Navarro acquired her final textual content from her grandmother round 1:22 a.m. when she wrote that she was “in the lounge searching” and would take a photograph of the hearth, the L.A. Instances reported. Navarro’s response textual content then went undelivered, and when she awoke after spending the evening listening to police scanners and checking social media, she inspired her father to go examine on Kelley.

Navarro’s father then found that Kelley’s house had been destroyed by the point he arrived, she instructed the paper.

“[There] was actually nothing left,” she mentioned. “The one cause he [recognized] our home is as a result of we had an outdated automotive within the entrance — a blue 88 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.”

In keeping with the L.A. Instances, Kelley texted her son that she was going to be evacuated at 3:30 a.m. so Navarro assumed “she might need left” and been staying with a buddy. The granddaughter then contacted native shelters and household, who had no data. The household finally noticed a submit on X about an individual “trapped” inside the house.

“[My mother] simply broke down, she knew that my grandma most certainly didn’t make it out,” Navarro mentioned. “And that form of confirmed it for me as properly.”

She added, “It’s such a heavy feeling. In hindsight, all we maintain considering is, what may I’ve accomplished in a different way?”

As of Thursday, Jan. 9, there have been at the least 10 fire-related fatalities thus far, in accordance with the L.A. County health worker. 

Click on right here to be taught extra about how you can assist the victims of the L.A. fires.