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97-year-old woman left behind in assisted-living facility during LA wildfire

By and
Published  February 20, 2025 10:56pm PST
Pasadena
FOX 11

Woman, 97, left alone during LA wildfire

A 97-year-old woman was left alone at an assisted-living facility as the Eaton Fire rages outside the building in Pasadena.

The Brief

    • Dorothy Benesh, 97, was left alone during the Eaton Fire evacuation at her assisted living facility.
    • The news of the elderly woman being left unattended prompted investigations into emergency protocol failures and shed light on broader concerns about the safety of seniors in care facilities during wildfires.
    • It remains unclear why staff did not confirm Dorothy's safety sooner, and there is ongoing scrutiny over the adequacy of disaster plans and training in California's assisted living facilities.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A 97-year-old woman was left alone in her assisted living facility as Los Angeles County was burning in the Jan. 2025 wildfires.

What we know:

Dorothy Benesh, 97, was left behind in the Terraces at Park Marino. Her son, who was trying to check in on his mother, found out that no one at the facility was there to evacuate her.

"I went to her and the fire was outside the window and I said, ‘Mom, we’ve got to get out of here,'" Jim Benesh said.

Jim Benesh was able to get his mom out to safety as the assisted living facility ended up getting seriously damaged in the fire. But the news of Dorothy being left unattended prompted investigations.

What we don't know:

Investigators have not really concluded what went wrong in the assisted living facility's emergency protocol.

While the incident shed light on the broader concerns about the safety of seniors during wildfires, it is still unknown on why facility staff couldn't confirm Dorothy's safety sooner.

The Source: This report used information from FOX 11's interview with Jim Benesh.

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