The number of people killed in the Los Angeles-area wildfires that have been raging out of control since last week has increased to 24 as of Monday. Here’s everything we know so far about the people who have died in the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Mitchell White, a 67-year-old amputee, died last week along with the disabled son he stayed behind to care for.
“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” Mitchell White’s daughter told the Washington Post.
White’s son, Justin, was in his early 20s and had cerebral palsy. Both men died waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Mitchell White was found by the side of his son’s bed inside their home in Altadena.
Victor Shaw, 66, died with a garden hose in his hand outside the home that had been in his family for nearly 55 years. His body was discovered alongside an Altadena-area road on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles station KTLA.
Shaw lived in the home with his younger sister, Shari, who said she tried to get her brother to evacuate but he chose to fight the Eaton Fire rather than flee.
“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 said. “I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”
Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in his bed at the Altadena home he purchased with a $5 down payment in 1968, according to his daughter.
“He said that he felt this was going to pass over and that he would be here,” Kimiko Nickerson said of her dad’s final moments, adding that he’d lived through his fair share of fires through the years.
Retired Rite Aid pharmacy technician Erliene Kelley died in her home not far from where Shaw and Nickerson were killed in the Eaton Fire, according to the New York Times.
Her neighbors said people in the area thought they were out of harm’s way until they suddenly smelled smoke and received emergency alerts.
“It was panic,” Terry Pyburn said. “Everyone took off and no one thought to check on anybody.”
Annette Rossilli, 85, stayed behind in her her Pacific Palisades home to stay with her dog, canary, two parrots and turtle, according to Luxe Homecare, the in-home care company which she used. Her body was found in her car on Wednesday.
Erliene Kelley chose not to evacuate her Altadeena home, even after several family members did. The Eaton fire destroyed the family’s home by Wednesday and they learned on Friday that Kelley had died.
Rory Callum Sykes, 32, died when the fire ripped through his family’s Malibu estate. The Australian actor had appeared on the 1998 British TV series “Kiddy Kapers.”
Randy Miod also died at his Malibu home, his mother, Carol Smith, told CNN.
“That’s the one and only house he ever owned,” Smith said. “He just felt so blessed to be able to live in Malibu. That was his dream come true because he’d been surfing since he was a teenager.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Charles Mortimer, 84, as another victim of the Palisades blaze. He died at hospital on Jan. 8 from acute myocardial infarction, effects of smoke inhalation, thermal injuries, and coronary artery atherosclerosis.
Dalyce Curry, 95, had her remains discovered in the ruins of the Altadena fire. A former actor, she had appeared as an extra in classic films like “The Ten Commandments” and “Blues Brothers” according to KABC.
The Eaton Fire has ravaged nearly 14,000 acres of the Altadena area.
With News Wire Services
