California, Redding was a tragic scene of burnt neighbourhoods, twisted metal, and destruction. Of all the tragedy one stands out, as a little boy aged four called for help on the phone, but it never came. James, just four-years-old, his sister Emily (5), and his great-grandmother Melody Bledsoe all perished in the fire. Family members were desperate to reach them but they were turned back at checkpoints. After two days of searching for the trio, the family were told their bodies had been found.
Little boy, sister and great-grandmother died in the fire
The Sacramento Bee confirmed the deaths of the little kids and their great-grandmother. The children were being raised by their great-grandparents, as their mom had some problems. Ed Bledsoe, the husband of Melody was distraught after he got a call from James. He was away from home at the time, and out doing some shopping in the car when he got a call. According to Buzzfeed, James told Ed, "Grandpa, you need to come. The fire is coming at our house now!"
Sacramento Bee reported that James also called 911. As Ed had the car, there was no way for Melody and the little children to escape the fire that raged insanely through parts of the town.
James, who was affectionately known as Junior hoped for help to come but Ed couldn't get to them. Now, he is broken. Sacramento Bee says he said, “I’d give my life for them...I just don’t know what I’ve done wrong, I get two little angels like that and I leave them in the damn fire.”
Efforts to save them from the fire failed as family were turned back
People in Redding were fleeing the fire in desperate panic and the streets quickly became clogged.
Ed was jammed up in traffic trying to get home to save them, but it was impossible. He said he kept talking on the phone trying to stay with them until the fire took them. Ed called another relative, Carla, who rushed to the house to try and get them out in time. However, she was stopped at a police checkpoint. She managed to talk her way around them and got to where she could actually see the house.
She said it was not on fire at the time, but firefighters stopped her from going through. Despite her pleading, she never managed to get any closer.
Others who tried to get through could make no headway as the whole neighbourhood was exploding in massive flames. It seems that Melody never gave up trying to keep the children safe. Buzzfeed's report says she held a wet blanket over the children to try and stop them from burning.
There are at least 16 people missing as fire devastated areas
The fire department has been struggling to contain the Carr fire and managed to get about 5% of it contained. Two firefighters were killed and another three are known to have died. However, it's expected that more people are dead.
The fire started after an incident involving a vehicle, CNN reported. The dry tinder and wind picked it up into a huge inferno. Evacuation orders were issued, according to Tom Bosenko, Shasta's County Sheriff. But another family member said they got none and only the advancing columns of smoke warned them it was on its way.
Ed and his wife were not very modern and had an old flip phone
Even if alerts were sent out on apps, the Bledsoe's were not very modern and their phone was just an old flip phone. Social media wasn't something they were into or very familiar with. The sheriff wasn't able to say if the area they lived in had been evacuated by door knocking. Nevertheless, the fire the family had seen in the distance spread so fast, that in the time it took Ed to get to town it was already upon them.
The couple were in their 70s and were great parents to the little children. Buzzfeed says that the family is crushed. They never stopped looking and hoping that James, Emily and their great-grandmother may have escaped the fire somehow.
