Firefighters work to extinguish the flames as the Palisades Fire continues to burn near Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed the death toll from wildfires ravaging the area has risen to 16.
The death toll has been confirmed at 16, and the case is still under investigation. Five people died in the Palisades fire and 11 died in the Eaton fire, the coroner’s office said in a statement late Saturday.
The death toll was previously confirmed at 11, but officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs scoured the flattened neighborhoods and crews assessed the damage. Authorities have set up a center where people can report missing persons.
Firefighters race to extinguish a growing wildfire before a return of strong winds threatens to push the flames toward the world-famous J. Paul Getty Museum and UCLA, while new evacuation warnings make more homeowners nervous.
Not far from the Pacific coast, in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities, a fierce battle with the blaze is underway, with helicopters swooping down to dump water as the blaze rushes downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses to try to extinguish the leaping flames as thick smoke hung over the jungle-covered hillside.
The main focus on Saturday will be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area not far from the UCLA campus, Cal Fire operations chief Christian Litz said at a news conference.
“We need to be aggressive,” Leeds said.
On January 11, 2025, firefighters were still trying to control a fire in Los Angeles that destroyed many areas of the second largest city in the United States.
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County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the Los Angeles area “suffered another night of unimaginable horror and heartbreak as more Angelenos were evacuated as the Palisades Fire spread northeast.”
Breezes fanned the fires, but the National Weather Service warned that Santa Ana winds, a natural enemy of firefighters, could soon return. Those winds are largely blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods while the city went more than eight months without significant rainfall.
The fire also has the potential to cross Interstate 405 and enter densely populated areas of the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.
The search for bodies continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the grueling search effort continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches using cadaver dogs. He said a family assistance center is being set up in Pasadena and he urged residents to abide by the curfew.
“There are people driving up and down trying to get in and have a look. Go away,” he said.
The fire burned about 56 square miles (145 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people were still under evacuation orders Friday night and new evacuations were ordered after a fire broke out on the east side of the Palisades.
Since the fire first broke out north of downtown Los Angeles, more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed, including homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.
The cause of the largest blaze has yet to be determined, and preliminary estimates suggest the wildfire could be the costliest in the country’s history. Preliminary AccuWeather estimates put the damage and economic damage caused so far at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
A ray of kindness amid disaster
So many volunteers showed up at the donation center Saturday to help that some were turned away. Such was the case at a YMCA near Koreatown. By late morning, cars carrying potential helpers were also being turned back from Santa Anita Park Racetrack, where donations of essential supplies were being accepted.
On January 11, 2025, a fire helicopter sprayed water as the Palisades fire spread in the communities of Mandeville Canyon and Encino, California.
Patrick T. Fallon AFP | Getty Images
At the racetrack on Friday, people who lost their homes could be seen sifting through piles of donated shirts, blankets and other household items. Altadena resident Jose Luis Godinez said three houses where more than a dozen of his family members lived were destroyed.
“Everything is gone,” he said in Spanish. “My whole family lived in those three houses and now we have nothing.”
Officials warn against returning to burned-out homes
After wildfires destroyed their homes, some residents ventured back to sift through the rubble for souvenirs to see what they could salvage. But officials on Saturday urged them to stay away, warning that the ash could contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other hazardous materials.
“If you kick this stuff out, you’re breathing it in,” said Palisades Fire Unified Incident Command spokesman Chris Thomas. “All of these things are toxic.”
Thomas said residents will be allowed to return with protective gear after damage teams assess their properties.
City leaders accused of withholding fire protection funds
Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have been raised, and investigations have begun. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to find out why a 117 million-gallon (440 million liters) reservoir was out of service and some fire hydrants had dried up. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said city leadership is failing her department by not providing enough funding for firefighting. She also criticized the water shortage.
“When firefighters came to the hydrants, we expected water,” she said.
Eaton Fire Fighting Efforts Making Progress
Firefighters made their first progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has destroyed more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders in the area have been lifted.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, whose leadership is facing a severe test as her city experiences its worst crisis in decades, said several smaller fires had also been put out.
Even in a state that regularly experiences massive wildfires, the extent of the damage is shocking.
