One of the Californians killed in the Eaton fire refused to evacuate and was found holding a hose as he tried to save his family home of 55 years, according to grieving family members.
The charred body of Victor Shaw, 66, was discovered Wednesday morning by a family friend outside the Monterose Avenue home where he lived with his sister, Shari Shaw. KTLA reported.
Shari said she tried to get her brother to evacuate her on Tuesday night as the fast-moving inferno approached. But as she tried to walk out the front door, Victor told her he wanted to stay behind and fight the fire, even though his health limited his strength. his mobility.
“When I ran back into the room and shouted his name, he didn't respond. And the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm that I had to save myself. There wasn't, so I had to go outside,” Shari told KTLA.
“Then I looked behind me and the house was starting to burn, so I had to leave.”
The next morning, family friend Al Tanner found Victor's burned body on the roadside, still holding a garden hose.
“It appears he was trying to protect the home that his parents had owned for nearly 55 years,” Tanner told the outlet.
Shari said she “fell to the ground” when she learned the terrible news and couldn't bring herself to look at her dead brother.
“All they said was that he was lying on the ground and looked peaceful, as if he was at peace,” she said.
Victor's body remained on the family's property as of Wednesday night, and coroner's officials were unable to retrieve it.
Victor Shaw is one of five people confirmed dead so far in the Eaton Fire, the second largest of five wildfires to hit Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire had exploded to more than 10,600 acres and destroyed 972 structures as of Thursday morning.
The fire remains 0% contained as strong Santa Ana winds fan the flames.
