A family is reeling with the uncertainty of whether their 95-year-old grandmother is dead after the Eaton Fire tore through her Altadena home.
Late one night, Dalyce Kelley left her grandmother, Dalyce Curry, at home after a tiring day at the hospital. Curry, affectionately known as “Momma D,” was completely drained from the day’s events.
As a part-time caregiver for her grandmother, Kelley had other family responsibilities to attend to and went out for the night. Like many others, she had no idea that the small fire that had broken out earlier would escalate into a major inferno.
Upon receiving an alert that the power was out at her grandmother’s residence, Dalyce immediately headed to the smoky Altadena neighborhood to ensure Momma D’s safety.
“I’m sorry your grandmother’s property is gone. It totally burned down,” an officer said when she reached a barricade. He suggested Kelley check the Pasadena Civic Center where displaced residents were being sent.
Momma D has not been seen since that night.
By Friday, Kelley was escorted by a member of the national guard to her home.
“It was total devastation,” Kelley said. “Everything was gone except her blue Cadillac.”
Mamma D was part of Old Black Hollywood in the 1950s, acting for decades.
She was an extra in iconic films like “The 10 Commandments”, “Blues Brothers” and “Lady Sings the Blues”.
Despite being 95 years old, her granddaughters say she still had plenty of life to live.
“She was very active, you would not think she was 95,” granddaughter Loree Beamer-Wilkinson said.
Kelley is still praying for a miracle, but fears the worse.
“Honestly we don’t feel very hopeful that she’s still here with us.”
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