Man died defending his home with a hose. What we know about victims of ‘most destructive’ fire in LA history
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirmed 10 people have died as a result of the raging fires, with the death toll expected to climb
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Your support makes all the difference.Wildfires have ravaged more than 35,000 acres in Southern California, killing at least 10 people and leaving countless others injured.
The Pacific Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive the city has seen, is now at six percent containment. The fire has scorched almost 20,000 acres, while the Altadena and Pasadena-based Eaton fire has burned 13,690 acres.
Another blaze, the Kenneth fire, broke out north of the Palisades fire on Thursday, threatening homes near Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
More than 10,000 structures, including homes and local landmarks, have been consumed by the blaze, officials have said.
While an estimated 180,000 people evacuated the region, some haven’t been as lucky. The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner announced it received notification of 10 fire-related fatalities on Thursday evening with the death toll expected to climb.
The examiner’s office said identification could take several weeks, as investigators are hampered by difficult conditions created by the fires.
The majority of the casualties so far, five people, were found in Altadena and Pasadena, where the Eaton fire has raged, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed to the New York Times.
Here’s what we know about the victims.
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, was killed in the Eaton fire trying to protect his 55-year-old family home, relatives told KTLA.
Shaw lived with his younger sister Shari Shaw, who tried to push him to evacuate on Tuesday night as the blaze neared.
But he didn’t listen. He told his sister that he wanted to try to fight the fire and defend their home in Altadena.
“When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply back, and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm – I had to save myself,” Shari Shaw told KTLA. “And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”
On Wednesday morning, his family found his body near their home; he was holding a hose in his hand, the outlet reported.
A family friend told the outlet: “It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years.”
“I fell to the ground, and I didn’t know – I didn’t want to look at him,” the sister said. “They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace.”
An unidentified victim in Malibu
On Thursday, Malibu officials said a person had died in the Palisades fire.
The remains were reportedly found in a Malibu home Wednesday night, after a missing persons report led authorities to conduct a welfare check.
“Although the individual has not yet been identified, this tragic news weighs heavily on our hearts,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said in a statement. “On behalf of the City of Malibu, I want to express my deepest condolences to the loved ones of this person. Our community grieves with you in this moment of unimaginable loss.”
By the end of Thursday, another casualty, also from the Palisades fire, had been announced.
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