Man whose son died in Oregon wildfire "didn't even recognize" his badly burned wife after she escaped the blaze
Even as families assess the damage from deadly wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington state, flames continue to threaten more communities. At least 35 people have now been killed by the fires.
In Southern California Sunday, officials ordered additional evacuations due to the Bobcat Fire northeast of Los Angeles. Flames have decimated entire neighborhoods, Jonathan Vigliotti reports.
And thick smoke is creating some of the world's worst air quality levels in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, spreading unhealthy air conditions from Canada to Southern California.
"I've lived in Pasadena for almost 40 years now and this is the worst that I've seen," said Lisa Derderian, a Pasadena City spokesperson.
In Oregon, more than a million acres have burned in a week killing at least 10 people, including Peggy Mosso and her 13-year-old grandson Wyatt Tofte.
"He was the sweetest child," Wyatt's great aunt, Susan Vaslev, told "CBS This Morning."
Vaslev said Wyatt's father had left to get a generator when the fire moved in. As he made a desperate attempt to return, he stumbled upon a badly burned woman.
"She can't talk, but somewhere along the line, she either scribbles it or she whispers it: 'I am your wife.' So he didn't even recognize her," Vaslev said.
He left his wife, who escaped on her own, with the paramedics and tried to find his son but the blaze had exploded.
Two days later, Wyatt, the couple's only child, was found with his grandmother in the family car with his dog in his lap.
"That just shows how much heart he has," Vaslev said. "I think he's a hero trying to save them. … And I think it does bring the family some comfort to know that he was really focused on trying to save his grandmother."
Wyatt's mother remains in the hospital.
