In a grim update Sunday evening, officials with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced that the death toll from the fires ravaging the county had reached 24.
All fire-related deaths were caused by either the Palisades Fire, which has burned about 24,000 acres and is only 11% contained, or the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, which has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 27% contained. It is considered a thing.
Specifically, officials announced that 16 people died in the Eaton fire and eight people died in the Palisades fire.
Thousands of structures were also destroyed as a result of the wildfires.
The Palisades Fire seen from the Baldwin Hills Observation Deck in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025. (Getty Images)
According to a previous news release, DME’s office is working with local law enforcement to respond to reported fatalities around Los Angeles County, including downed power lines, gas leaks, fires and other incidents. That process has been delayed due to the ongoing fire danger. Smoldering debris.
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Of the 24 lives lost, only 66-year-old Victor Shaw has been publicly identified by the ministry. His loved ones say he died with a hose in his hand trying to protect his home from the Eaton Fire. Charles Mortimer, 84, who had lived in the family for nearly 55 years, died in hospital from smoke inhalation, burns and a heart attack.
Last week, the DME’s office notified the public that the identification process may take longer because traditional methods such as visual and fingerprint identification processes may not be available to investigators.
“The Coroner’s Service understands how important it is to identify people missing in bushfires and is working diligently to provide information to next of kin as quickly as possible, while following safety protocols. “There are,” the official said.
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