Los Angeles wildfires kill 10 as details emerge on casualties

Wildfires raging in Los Angeles County on Friday left at least 10 dead as details emerge of victims, one of whom was reportedly found holding a garden hose in his hand as he attempted to defend the family home for over 50 years.

Victor Shaw, 66, was identified by KTLA as one of the victims of the devastating Eaton Fire centered around the city of Pasadena. His sister Shari told the station that Victor said he wanted to stay behind Tuesday night to try to fight the flames, but a family friend said his body was discovered the next day on the side of a road with a garden hose.

“They just told me he was laying on the ground and he looked serene, like he was at peace,” Shari Shaw told KTLA.

The five active wildfires in Los Angeles County on Friday – Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Kenneth Fire, Hurst Fire and Lidia Fire – have so far burned more than 30,000 acres in total, according to Cal Fire.

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Shane Torre, left, and Stephanie Rodriguez embrace as they look at what remains of their home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP/John Locher)

The agency says the largest fire – the Palisades Fire – has burned nearly 20,000 acres and is only 6% contained. Nationwide, more than 10,000 homes and businesses were burned.

THE Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man on Thursday who allegedly “tried to start a fire” as forest fires continued to ravage the region.

The government has not yet published figures on the cost of the damage.

A firefighter communicates in front of the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)

At this time, it is impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” Barbara Bruderlin, director of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, told the Associated Press.

“There are areas where everything is gone, there's not even a piece of wood left, it's just dirt,” Bruderlin said.

Entire blocks are seen burned in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood 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 a report of 10 deaths related to a fire.” At least five were reported for the Eaton fire and two for the Palisades fire.

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Two of the dead in Altadena were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They were waiting for an ambulance to arrive and failed to get to safety when the flames raged, Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, 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 neighborhood 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 discovered in his bed among the rubble and ashes.

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 following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Jae C. Hong)

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“He was an angel,” neighbor Terry Pyburn told the newspaper. “She's the perfect neighbor. When you see her, you smile.”

Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.