The death toll has increased to 25 as first responders and investigators with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office undertake the grueling task of locating and identifying fatalities associated with the Eaton and Palisades fires, officials said. It was announced on Tuesday.
The process of finding and identifying the dead remains slow, and some victims are still at the location of their deaths.
Often, this is because investigators still cannot access certain areas due to hazards left by wildfires, such as gas leaks, smoldering debris, and unstable structures.
Another hurdle for DME offices is that investigators may not have access to normal identification processes such as visual identification or fingerprinting.
Of the 25 people killed, 17 died in the Eaton Fire and 8 in the Palisades Fire. The coroner’s office publicly identified some of the victims, while others were identified by family and friends.
So far, 14 of the people who tragically died in the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County history have been identified. Here’s what we know about their lives.
Victor Shaw, 66, resident of Altadena.
One of the first victims identified on Jan. 8, the day after the deadly Eaton Fire ripped through the 3000 block of Monte Rosa Drive, Shaw lived with her sister in a home her family has owned for nearly 55 years. However, it was discovered on a road near his home. When he gets home, the garden hose is still in his hand.
Shaw’s sister, Shari, told KTLA that she called out to Shaw during the evacuation but didn’t get a response, so she had to leave as the house went up in flames.
Rodney Nickerson, 82, resident of Altadena.
On January 9, her daughter Kimiko identified herself and told KTLA that her father bought the house on Alta Pine Drive where she grew up in 1968. Kimiko, 82, retired from Lockheed Martin Corp. in Pasadena, where she worked for more than 20 years. 45 years.
Kimiko told KTLA that her father had packed up his belongings before deciding to stay as the fire approached, and that his daughter “felt this would pass and she would be here.” said, said.
Anthony Mitchell, 68, and Justin Mitchell, 35, both of Altadena.
They both have disabilities: Anthony lost a leg to diabetes, and their son Justin is a hemiplegic with cerebral palsy. Surviving son Jordan, 68, who was hospitalized with a concussion at the time of the Jan. 7 fire, said first responders were notified that two people needed to be evacuated.
“When you’re told [over the phone] Jordan told KTLA.
Unfortunately, first responders arrived at 6:30 a.m. the next morning, just as embers flooded the neighborhood, engulfing Mitchell’s family home with Anthony and Justin and causing a fire.
Arlene Kelly lives in Altadena
Kelly, who has lived in her Altadena home for 40 years, told her evacuating family as the flames approached that they were “in God’s hands,” her granddaughter Brianna Navarro told CNN.
DALYCE CURRY, 95, resident of Altadena.
The 95-year-old, known as Mama D, had lived in Altadena for 20 years, her granddaughter and part-time caregiver, namesake Darci Kelly, told CNN. She was an actress in the 1950s and later became a nurse.
The granddaughter was unaware of the fire danger and had dropped her off after visiting the hospital, but returned after learning the power was out. At the scene, police told Kelly that her mother’s home had been destroyed and that she was forced to leave, saying, “I knew in my heart that my mother was there, but she died in the fire,” the newspaper reported.
Evelyn McClendon, 59, resident of Altadena.
Her brother, Zaire Calvin, 59, a third-generation Altadena resident, was one of her neighbors. He said he last saw his sister packing her belongings to evacuate the house, but when he rushed to his car with his 1-year-old daughter in his arms, his car was still in front of the house. Ta. He repeatedly screamed for her and told her to leave.
“I don’t even know how to talk about this,” Calvin, who escaped the fire with his wife, daughter and mother, told KTLA. “She couldn’t get out.”
McClendon’s cousin reportedly discovered her body while digging through debris in what had been her bedroom.
Kimberly Winiecki, 77, of Altadena.
Winiecki, a longtime Altadena resident, was last seen on January 6, the day before the fire, friend Janet McMahon told CNN. The next day, McMahon said a 77-year-old woman could see the fire from her home, but in an email: “I’m OK. I’m calm.”
McMahon told the show that Winiecki’s brother was informed of his sister’s death by authorities and that Winiecki’s friend, a writer, was intelligent, expressive and a very fun person.
ZHI FENG ZHAO, 84, resident of Altadena
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced that an 84-year-old man, a resident of a residence in the 3200 block of Tonia Avenue, died at his home on January 9th.
Victor Shaw, shown here in an undated photo, has been identified by his family as one of the five people who died in the Eaton fire. (Shari Shaw) This undated photo shows Jordan Mitchell’s father Anthony with his mother. (Viewer image) Jordan Mitchell’s younger brother Justin (35) is pictured in this undated family photo. (Viewer image) Evelyn McClendon, seen in this undated photo provided by her family, lost her life in the Eaton Fire. January 2025. Former child star Rory Sykes, pictured with her mother, died at the age of 32 on January 8, 2025, after being trapped in her cottage during the Palisades fire. (Viewer image) A search dog searches a destroyed home Saturday, January 11, 2025, due to the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. (Steven Lamb/San Francisco Chronicle) AP) A search team searches a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Saturday, January 11, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle, via AP)
Rory Sykes, 32, resident of Malibu.
Sykes, a former child actor turned philanthropist and professional speaker, was born blind and has lived with cerebral palsy, his mother, Sherry Sykes, told KTLA.
When the Palisades fire broke out on January 7, mother and son remained in their Malibu home, believing they were safe. But the wind-driven fire spread overnight, sending embers flying across their property, causing a massive blaze that trapped Rory, who has difficulty walking, inside the cottage.
Despite her best efforts, Rory is trapped in the cottage and she says she told her mother to save herself instead.
“He was always worried about me. I think he felt guilty because I had done so much for him,” she said. “He was my baby.”
Arthur Simoneau, 69, of Topanga.
The 69-year-old was reportedly returning from a ski trip when he learned his home in Topanga was under an evacuation order, friend Steve Murillo told the Los Angeles Times. Ta.
Murillo, who has been a hang glider pilot for 40 years, said Simoneau returned to his home to see if he could save it.
His body was discovered on the front porch of his home on January 9th. Murillo told the Times that the 69-year-old man died defending his home.
Randy Miodo, 55, resident of Malibu
Miodo, a beloved and well-known surfer, lived for decades in a Malibu home off the Pacific Coast Highway called the Crab Shack, his mother, Carol Smith, told CNN. .
“He was a magnet,” she told the magazine. “People loved him and he loved people.”
Investigators discovered his body on Jan. 8 among the charred rubble of his home near Duke’s Restaurant and Las Flores Canyon Road in the 21100 block of PCH.
Annette Rossilli, 85, resident of Palisades.
The 85-year-old was in her Palisades home with her dog, three birds and her pet turtle when a fire broke out on Jan. 7, according to the company that provided her with home care three days a week. He said he preferred to stay in CNN reported.
Her caregiver told the news outlet that she was a friendly, kind and grateful woman who had many friends in the community.
Rossilli, who ran a plumbing business with her late husband for many years, now has a daughter and a son. Her body was discovered on January 8th.
Charles Mortimer, 84 years old
The coroner’s office announced that the 84-year-old Palisades fire victim died at a hospital, saying the cause of death was a heart attack due to the effects of smoke inhalation and “thermal burns.”
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