The wildfires raging through Los Angeles County on Friday have killed at least 10 people as details emerge about the victims, including one who was reportedly found clutching a garden hose in her hand while trying to defend the home of his family for more than 50 years.
Victor Shaw, 66, was identified by KTLA as one of the fatal victims of the devastating Eaton Fire in the city of Pasadena. His sister Shari told the station that Victor said he wanted to stay Tuesday night to try to fight the flames, but a family friend said his body was discovered the next day on the side of a road with a hose.
“They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he seemed serene, like he was at peace,” Shari Shaw told KTLA.
The five wildfires active in Los Angeles County on Friday (Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Kenneth Fire, Hurst Fire and Lidia Fire) have so far burned more than 30,000 acres combined, according to Cal Fire.
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Shane Torre, left, and Stephanie Rodriguez hug 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 burned nearly 20,000 acres and is only 6% contained. Across the county, more than 10,000 homes and businesses have been burned.
He Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man Thursday who was allegedly “trying to light a fire” as wildfires continued to ravage the area.
The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage.
A firefighter reports to the Kenneth Fire advancing in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
At this point, it's impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction beyond “total devastation and loss,” Barbara Bruderlin, director of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, told The Associated Press.
“There are areas where everything has disappeared, not even a stick of wood is left, it's just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Entire blocks of homes are seen burned in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Mark J. Terrill)
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said Thursday night that it “received notice of 10 fire-related deaths.” At least five have been reported from the Eaton Fire and two from the Palisades Fire.
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Two of those killed in Altadena were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who suffered from cerebral palsy. They were waiting for an ambulance to arrive and were unable to reach safety when the flames swept 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.
Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
“We found his bones, his entire body was intact,” his daughter Kimiko told the station, which reported that Nickerson was discovered in his bed among the rubble and ashes.
The New York Times identified another victim 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 following 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 have a smile.”
Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
