OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:01 PM – Monday, January 13, 2025
As fires continue to rage across Los Angeles County and surrounding areas, authorities have confirmed 24 people have died in the disaster and 16 more are missing, with the death toll expected to rise. There is.
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The fire's devastating strength was attributed to strong Santa Ana wind gusts, and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning as the winds continued to increase through Wednesday.
“Very strong wind gusts in Santa Ana, the atmosphere is very dry, the brush remains very dry, so very dangerous fire weather conditions still remain,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson. “There is,” he said.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office revealed that at least 16 people died in the Eaton Fire and eight more people died in the Palisades Fire.
The fire burned more than 38,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures along the way, including homes, schools and churches, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
So far, the victims have been identified as 85-year-old Annette Rossilli, Anthony and Justin Mitchell, Arlene Kelly, 66-year-old Victor Shaw, Rodney Nickerson, and 32-year-old Rory. – Callum Sykes, 55-year-old Randall Miodo. , Charles Mortimer, 84, and Dulcie Curry, 95.
Many of the victims did not evacuate, choosing to protect their homes from the fire.
“It's in God's hands,” Kelly told his family, according to his granddaughter Brianna Navarro.
“We chose to evacuate on Tuesday night, but my grandmother decided she wanted to stay,” she added.
Anthony Mitchell, a quadruple amputee who uses a wheelchair, was reportedly planning to evacuate with his son Justin, who has cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, the two were unable to escape safely, and Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, said Mitchell's body was found at home next to her son.
“He wasn't going to leave his son behind, no matter what,” White said. “It's so hard. It feels like a ton of bricks fell on me.”
The Palisades Fire, which has burned more than 23,000 acres, is now 14% contained, and the Eaton Fire, which threatens about 40,000 structures, is 33% contained, according to Cal Fire.
“Fires continue to burn within the Palisades area, creating an extremely dangerous situation for the public,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said Sunday. “There is no power, no water, gas lines are broken and the building is unstable.”
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