Mom who lost her son in LA wildfires reveals tragic final text he sent her: "Mom, there's another..."

Climate change is real and is triggering extreme weather across the globe leading to loss of life and property on a massive scale. For thousands of Los Angeles residents, 2025 could not have started on a worse note. The Pacific Palisades fire raged down the hill, carried by incessant strong gusts of wind, engulfing everything in its path from trees to houses forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. But some weren’t able to leave in time and lost their lives. One such individual was Randall “Randy” Miod, a resident of Malibu, California, whose final message to his mother is heartbreaking.

Miod’s mother, Carol Smith, spoke to People about her son, who was no stranger to wildfires. He never fled on such occasions and was usually successful in watering down the flames that threatened his property with his hose. However, like many people, he couldn't realize the sheer scale of the fires that were racing down the hills this time. He was stubborn when his mother asked him to evacuate and ended up paying the ultimate price.

"He would always call me anytime there was a fire coming. He was almost in tears on Tuesday when I talked to him, and he said, ‘Mom, there's another fire in the Palisades. I can see the smoke.’ I said, ‘Randy, grab your cat and go to a shelter. Don't make me worry," Smith told exclusively to PEOPLE.

“I've worried so much about him because, in all the fires that he's been through, he never evacuated any of them. He always stayed. He always felt that he could hose the house down with his hose,” she said. On January 7, Miod left his mother a voicemail. “Pray for the Palisades and pray for Malibu, and I love you.”

The next day, authorities contacted Smith and informed her that her son had passed away due to the fires. “He called me at home and I wasn't here, and he left a message on my phone, the same thing that we talked about when he called me on my cellphone. And I have that message, and I will keep it forever,” she said.

As per her mother, Miod was a man who lived his life on his own terms. He never married or fathered any children but always had his door open to friends and family. He was a surfer and loved to party. He moved to Malibu in his 20s, rented a studio apartment, and then proceeded to buy the property it was attached to.

According to CBS News, 25 people have lost their lives to the deadly fires so far. One may assume that Miod lost his life as he was protecting his house from burning down. Another such person who lost his life trying to do the same thing was 69-year-old Arthur Simoneau who was a Sylmar Hang Gliding Association pilot.

The SHGA honored the veteran pilot in a Facebook post and wrote, “RIP: Long-time, beloved SHGA pilot and Yosemite Site Monitor, Arthur Simoneau, lost his life trying to save his home from the fires in Topanga Canyon, CA. He will be missed by many. LZ memorial TBA in the near future.”

These are just a couple of the heartbreaking stories to have emerged from the devastating wildfires that are yet to be fully brought under control. One can only hope that the survivors can get their lives back on track and that the authorities to be ready for a disaster of this scale in the future.