The wildfires raging through Los Angeles County At least 10 people were killed on Friday as details emerged of 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, identified by KTLA as one of the dead in the devastating Eaton fire around 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 found the next day by the side of the road with a hose.
“They just told me he was laying on the ground and he looked peaceful, like he was at peace,” Shari Shaw told KTLA.
The five wildfires active in Los Angeles County on Friday — the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, the Kenneth Fire, the Hurst Fire and the Lidia Fire — are so far burned more of 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 Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP/John Locher)
The agency says the largest — the Palisades Fire — has burned nearly 20,000 acres and is only 6% contained. More than 10,000 homes and business premises were burned throughout the district.
The Los Angeles Police Department a man was arrested Thursday for allegedly “trying to start a fire,” as fires continue to rage through the area.
The government has not yet published data on the amount of damage.
A firefighter communicates outside the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
It is currently impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction except “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 a piece of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Entire blocks of houses are seen burning 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 evening that it had “received notification of 10 fire-related deaths.” At least five were reported from the Eaton fire and two from the Palisades fire.
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The two dead in Altadena were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They were waiting for emergency services to arrive and had not reached safety when the flames roared, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, he 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 whole body was intact,” his daughter Kimiko told the station, which reported that Nickerson was found in his bed amid 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 after the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 9. (AP/Jae C. Hong)
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“She was an angel,” neighbor Terry Pyburn he told the newspaper. “It’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.
