95-year-old Blues Brothers star Dalyce Curry tragically died on January 8 when a wildfire burned through her neighborhood during the night. The actress got to say some touching final words to her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley before the LA fire swept through Altadena.
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Kelley's Final Moments With Her Grandmother Before Wildfire
Curry and her granddaughter arrived just past midnight that Wednesday at Curry's cottage on Krenz Street. They noticed the smokey flames in the distance, about four miles from the cottage. It didn't alarm Kelley at the time since it seemed too far away to be a danger to her grandmother.
Little did she know that this Eaton Fire was one of many wildfires that scorched Los Angeles throughout that week. Over 40,000 acres burned and at least 24 people have died, sadly including the Hollywood actress.
Exhausted after coming from the hospital where she took CT scans, Kelley tucked her into bed. "She gave me a big wet kiss and she said I love you," Kelley said to Daily Mail. "I said 'I love you too' and I made sure that she was safe inside.
"We kissed, said goodbye and I drove back to my home," she continued. These would be the final words that Curry told her beloved granddaughter before her passing.
Kelley explained how she didn't think her grandmother was in imminent danger since at that point there was no evacuation notice. Tragedy struck when Kelley woke up to find out that the Eaton Fire had already burned many houses in Altadena.
The granddaughter had to drive 25 miles to Curry's cottage since the fire and sheriff's departments were too overwhelmed with calls. She soon found out that they sent out evacuation notices at 3:30 AM. Unfortunately, "Momma D was not a cell phone type of girl," Kelley explained. 'Momma D' was a nickname everyone called Curry.
With the elderly who live alone, they don't often use or like to use cell phones. She was fast asleep when the notice rang out, and it tragically fell on deaf ears.
The Devastating Aftermath Of Curry's Death
Kelley finally arrived in Altadena around 5:30 AM, and by that point ash clouded the sky and cops barred the neighborhood with barriers. The granddaughter described the situation as chaotic. One man was yelling about his burned-down home, another woman screaming about "the whole city" being gone.
Although an officer got some of Curry's information from Kelley, all they could do was recommend she visit Pasadena Civic Center. This was where they told residents to evacuate. On her way to Pasadena, the officer let Kelley know that her grandmother's cottage was "totally gone."
Still hoping she'd see her grandmother safe, she visited the center, as well as Arcadia Recreation Center. She couldn't find Curry anywhere, and two days later they still knew nothing after the terrible wildfire. Although someone told the family that they'd check out Curry's house over the weekend, Kelley was antsy. She drove back to Altadena on Friday to look for herself before the National Guard stopped her.
"They told me there was nothing they could do," she explained to the outlet, "but one of them took pity on me and said she would guide me there but we had to go on foot."
Once they arrived, they could barely recognize anything from the ruins. Unsuccessful, they had to leave, and two days later Medical Examiner officials contacted Kelley. They broke the devastating news that they found remains at Curry's house.
All that they found was half a skull with eyeglass frames. Tearfully, Kelley explained it meant her grandmother was probably so tired she fell asleep with her glasses on.
Coincidentally, the CT scan that Curry had the day before the wildfire helped identify her remains. "In her 95 years of life, Momma D never had a CT scan but the day before the fires," Kelley said. "I don't know why this happened but ironically, that's the only thing we have left to help identify her remains because only a part of a skull was found."
By the end of the interview, Kelley mentioned how the city needs to figure out a better way to warn residents of wildfires. This is especially true for seniors who don't have cell phones or cannot hear the warnings from them.
