At least 16 people have been killed in the deadly wildfires still raging across Los Angeles as officials warned the death toll is likely to rise.
The victims include a man who died still clutching a garden hose and a woman who was unwilling to leave her pets.
Officials said that five of the deaths were the result of the massive Palisades fire, while the rest have been attributed to the Eaton Fire.
A further 13 people have been reported missing in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, although it is unclear if the disappearances are all linked to the fires.
The grim work of sifting through the devastation continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs.
Here are the details of some of those who have been identified as victims so far:
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, died while clutching a hose as flames from the Eaton Fire advanced
Former courier driver Victor Shaw was found dead in the driveway of his Altadena home.
The 66-year-old was discovered clutching a hose pipe as he attempted to put out the flames of the Eaton Fire.
Shaw’s sister told how she begged him to evacuate and even packed up his possessions for him.
But he was unwilling to leave his home, telling her: ‘Let me just sit here for a few minutes’.
The request would become the final words he would ever utter.
Annette Rossilli
Annette Rossilli, 85, refused to leave her pets behind and perished inside her Palisades home
Annette Rossilli, 85, was urged to evacuate her Palisades home but chose to stay behind with her beloved pets, sadly perishing in the blaze.
A home health company caring for the mom-of-two confirmed that she had died after choosing to stay with her dog, canary, two parrots and turtle.
Her body was found in her car, according to Fay Vahdani, president of Luxe Homecare.
Rossilli was a retired plumbing business owner who was beloved in her local community. She is survived by her son and daughter, the Guardian reports.
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell, 67, died alongside his son Justin as they waited for an ambulance
Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son Justin died in the Eaton Fire as they waited for an ambulance.
Mitchell was an amputee while Justin had cerebral palsy, Mitchell’s daughter Hajime White said.
‘They didn’t make it out,’ said White. ‘He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,’ added White, who lives in Arkansas.
‘It’s very hard. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me.’
Mitchell was a father of four, grandfather of 11 and had 10 great-grandchildren.
Erliene Kelley
Beloved Altadena resident Erliene Kelley was ‘adamant’ she did not want to evacuate before her death
Retired pharmacy technician Erliene Kelley lost her life in the Eaton Fire after flames encased her Altadena home.
Her granddaughter Briana Navarro told the LA Times her grandma was ‘adamant’ she did not want to evacuate.
She was described by neighbors as a ‘sweet’ longtime resident who had lived in her home since the late 1960s.
Their home had never been within the path of the wildfires before, according to family.
Rodney Nickerson
Eaton Fire victim Rodney Nickerson was found by his daughter inside his Altadena home
Altadena resident Rodney Nickerson died in his home of 57 years, according to his daughter Kimiko Nickerson.
‘He was gathering some things, packing up his car a bit and he said that he was going to gather up his stuff, but he said he was going to stay here too … he said that he felt this was going to pass over and that he would be here,’ Kimiko told KTLA.
The devastated daughter was the person who found her father’s body in the wreckage.
She said he believed he would be safe having survived several other wildfires in the decades before.
Rory Sykes
Rory Sykes, 32, (pictured with mom Shelley) struggled to evacuate due to his cerebral palsy and blindness and was tragically killed
Australian former child actor Rory Sykes died after his mom was unable to evacuate him from a cottage on his family’s Malibu estate.
Sykes, 32, was born blind and had cerebral palsy. His mom Shelley Sykes was suffering from a broken arm and could not move him by herself.
She told 10 News First that she called 911 but was told they had run out of water.
‘When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground,’ Shelley said.
Randall Miod
The remains of surfer Randall Miod, 55, (pictured with mom Carol Smith) were found in his beloved Malibu beach house
Randall ‘Randy’ Miod, 55, died in his Malibu beach house, according to his mom Carol Smith.
The surfer chose to stay behind in his beloved home after making it through several other fires.
‘(His home) was his prized possession. That’s the one and only house he ever owned,’ Smith told CNN. ‘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.’
But his dream ended in tragedy after emergency responders found his remains in the property. All his roommates have been accounted for.
‘He’d been through so many of these fires and made it through unscathed. I think he thought he could do it again,’ Smith said. ‘Now that I’m realizing how many memories he had in that home, I can understand why he didn’t want to leave.’
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