OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:01 PM – Monday, January 13, 2025
As the fires in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas continue to rage on, officials have confirmed that 24 people have been killed as a result of the catastrophe, along with 16 more missing as the death toll is expected to rise even higher.
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The devastating strength of the fires has been attributed to the strong Santa Ana wind gusts, with the National Weather Service announcing a red flag warning as winds continue to pick back up through Wednesday.
“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,” stated weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
The L.A. County Medical Examiner revealed that at least 16 individuals were killed in the Eaton Fire, along with eight more in the Palisades Fire.
The fires have ripped through over 38,000 acres of land, destroying over 12,000 structures in its path along the way including homes, schools, and churches, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
So far, the identified victims are 85-year-old Annette Rossilli, Anthony and Justin Mitchell, Erliene Kelly, 66-year-old Victor Shaw, Rodney Nickerson, 32-year-old Rory Callum Sykes, 55-year-old Randall Miod, 84-year-old Charles Mortimer, and 95-year-old Dalcye Curry.
Many of the victims chose not to evacuate, instead opting to attempt to save their homes from the blaze.
“It’s in God’s hands,” Kelly told her family members, according to Briana Navarro, her granddaughter.
“We made the choice to evacuate on Tuesday night, however my grandmother decided she wanted to stay,” she added.
Anthony Mitchell, an amputee who used a wheelchair, had reportedly planned to evacuate with his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, the two never made it out, and Mitchell’s body was found next to his son in his house, according to Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White.
“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” White stated. “It’s very hard. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me.”
The Palisades fire, which has burned through over 23,000 acres, is now 14% contained, while the Eaton fire, which threatens nearly 40,000 structures, is 33% contained, according to Cal Fire.
“There are still active fires that are burning within the Palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public,” stated L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on Sunday. “There’s no power, there’s no water, there’s broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures.”
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