The wildfires rage through Los Angeles County At least 10 people were killed on Friday as details emerge about the victims, including one who was reportedly found clutching a garden hose as he tried to defend his family home of more than 50 years.
Victor Shaw, 66, was identified by KTLA as one of the fatalities from the devastating Eaton Fire around the city of Pasadena. His sister Shari told the station that Victor said he wanted to stay behind Tuesday night to try to fight the flames, but a family friend said his body was discovered the next day with a hose on the side of a road.
“They just told me he was on the ground and he looked serene, like he was at peace,” Shari Shaw told KTLA.
The five wildfires active in Los Angeles County on Friday – the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Kenneth Fire, Hurst Fire and Lidia Fire – have burned more so far than 30,000 acres combined, according to Cal Fire.
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Shane Torre, left, and Stephanie Rodriguez embrace as they look at the remains of their home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, California. (AP/John Locher)
The agency says the largest — the Palisades Fire — has scorched nearly 20,000 acres and only 6% is contained. More than 10,000 homes and businesses have been set on fire across the province.
The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday arrested a man who allegedly “tried to start a fire” as wildfires continued to ravage the area.
The government has not yet released figures on the costs of the damage.
A firefighter communicates with the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
At this point it is impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss”, Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, told The Associated Press.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there’s not even a piece of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Entire blocks are set on fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Mark J. Terrill)
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday evening that it has “received a report of ten fire-related deaths.” There have been at least five reports of the Eaton Fire and two of the Palisades Fire.
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Two of the dead in Altadena were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They waited for an ambulance and did not reach safety as flames ripped through. Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Rodney Nickerson, an 83-year-old grandfather, was also found dead in Altadena, according to CBS News.
Firefighters battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
“We found his bones, his whole body was intact,” his daughter Kimiko told the station, which reported that Nickerson was discovered in his bed among the rubble and ash.
Another victim was identified by the New York Times as Erliene Kelley, a retired pharmacy technician who reportedly lived near Shaw and Nickerson.
Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbor’s fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Jae C. Hong)
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“She was an angel,” neighbor Terry Pyburn told the newspaper. “That’s the perfect neighbor. When you see her, you smile.”
Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
