Los Angeles wildfires: 16 dead, more than a dozen missing as crews continue fighting blazes
(NEXSTAR) — More than one dozen people have died as a result of the still-spreading wildfires burning in Los Angeles. Crews — some from as far away as Texas and Mexico — are now preparing for potentially strong winds to return to the area.
In an update Saturday, officials with the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirmed five new deaths related to the Eaton Fire, Nexstar's KTLA reports. In total, 11 deaths have been connected to the Eaton Fire while five others occurred as a result of the Palisades Fire, bringing the death toll to 16.
Among those killed was 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who died while defending a home that had been in his family for 55 years and 32-year-old Rory Sykes, a former British child actor turned philanthropist.
Another 16 people — 12 from the Eaton Fire zone, four from the Palisades Fire Zone — have been reported missing. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said “dozens” more reports might have come in Sunday morning and investigators were reconciling whether some of the missing might be among the dead. There are no children among those reported missing, he said.
A lull in the Santa Ana winds that had been fanning the flames helped crews on Saturday. The Palisades Fire, already one of the most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles' history, has burned more than 23,000 acres and was 11% contained as of Saturday evening. The Eaton Fire, expected to have minimal growth Sunday, has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 27% contained.
The Eaton Fire started on Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the Altadena area. It continued to burn as the Palisades Fire — the most expensive in Los Angeles history — took aim at the heavily populated San Fernando Valley on Saturday morning. Several other blazes erupted across the Los Angeles region last week, including the Kenneth, Hurst, Sunset, and Lidia fires.
Those evacuated due to the Palisades Fire were able to return to what remained of their homes on Saturday. Many told KTLA they waited for up to 11 hours for access — which lasted only a few minutes in some cases.
“We’re still kind of numb, we just found out Wednesday that our house burnt down,” said resident Debbie Tenenbaum. “We haven’t been up there, we want to go see it. We’re sad – all of our stuff is gone.”
Conditions are, however, expected to worsen.
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph. The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” Thompson said at a community meeting Saturday night.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said 70 additional water trucks arrived to help crews fend off flames spread by renewed gusts. “We are prepared for the upcoming wind event,” he said.
Fierce Santa Anas have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires sparked last week into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.
Roughly 105,000 Los Angeles County residents remain under mandatory evacuation orders as of Sunday morning. Another 87,000 are under an evacuation warning, authorities said during a press conference. More than 700 residents have taken refuge in nine shelters.
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes 1,354 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he said.
The fires that began Tuesday just north of downtown LA have burned more than 12,000 structures.
No cause has been determined for the largest fires and early estimates indicate the wildfires could be the nation's costliest ever. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.
Governor Gavin Newsom invited President-elect Donald Trump, who has long criticized the Californian, to tour the fire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles County.
“As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California again — to meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line,” Newsom wrote in a letter posted to X on Sunday. "In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines."
In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC, Newsom said the fires could end up being the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
“I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.