At least 16 people have died in the deadly wildfires still raging in Los Angeles, with officials warning the death toll is likely to rise.
The victims include a man who died while still holding a garden hose and a woman who didn’t want to leave her pets behind.
Officials said five of the deaths resulted from the massive Palisades fire, while the rest were attributed to the Eaton fire.
Another 13 people have been reported missing in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, although it is unclear whether the disappearances are all related to the fires.
The grim work of sifting through the destruction continued on Saturday, with teams carrying out systematic grid searches using cadaver dogs.
Here are the details of some of those identified as victims so far:
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, died holding a hose as the flames of the Eaton Fire advanced
Former courier Victor Shaw was found dead in the driveway of his Altadena home.
The 66-year-old was discovered holding a garden hose as he tried to extinguish the flames of the Eaton Fire.
Shaw’s sister told how she begged him to evacuate and even packed his belongings for him.
But he didn’t want to leave his house and told her, “Let me sit here for a while.”
The request would become the last words he would ever utter.
Annette Rossilli
Annette Rossilli, 85, refused to leave her pets behind and died in her Palisades home
Annette Rossilli, 85, was urged to evacuate her Palisades home but chose to stay behind with her beloved pets, who sadly perished in the fire.
A home care company that cared for the mother of two confirmed she had died after choosing to stay with her dog, canary, two parrots and turtle.
According to Fay Vahdani, president of Luxe Homecare, her body was found in her car.
Rossilli was a retired plumbing business owner who was well-liked in her local community. She is survived by her son and daughter, the Guardian reports.
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell, 67, died with his son Justin while waiting for an ambulance
Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son Justin died in the Eaton Fire while waiting for an ambulance.
Mitchell was an amputee while Justin had cerebral palsy, Mitchell’s daughter Hajime White said.
“They didn’t make it out,” White said. ‘He had no intention of leaving his son behind. No matter what,” added White, who lives in Arkansas.
‘It’s very difficult. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me.”
Mitchell was the father of four children, grandfather of eleven children and had ten great-grandchildren.
Erliene Kelley
Beloved Altadena resident Erliene Kelley was ‘adamant’ about not evacuating before her death
Retired pharmacy technician Erliene Kelley lost her life in the Eaton Fire after flames enveloped her Altadena home.
Her granddaughter Briana Navarro told the LA Times that her grandmother was “adamant” that she did not want to evacuate.
She was described by neighbors as a “sweet” old resident who had lived in her home since the late 1960s.
According to the family, their home had never been near the wildfires before.
Rodney Nickerson
Eaton Fire victim Rodney Nickerson was found by his daughter in his Altadena home
Altadena resident Rodney Nickerson died in his home of 57 years, according to his daughter Kimiko Nickerson.
“He was gathering some stuff, packing up his car a bit and he said he was going to gather his stuff, but he said he was going to stay here too… he said he felt this was going to pass and he would be here,” Kimiko said KTL.
The devastated daughter was the person who found her father’s body in the wreckage.
She said he believed he would be safe after surviving several other wildfires in recent decades.
Rory Sykes
Rory Sykes, 32, (pictured with mother Shelley) struggled to evacuate due to his cerebral palsy and blindness and tragically died
Australian former child actor Rory Sykes died after his mother failed to evacuate him from a cottage on his family’s Malibu estate.
Sykes, 32, was born blind and had cerebral palsy. His mother Shelley Sykes had a broken arm and could not move him on her own.
She told 10 News First she called 911 but was told the water had run out.
“When the fire department brought me back, his house was burned down,” Shelley said.
Randall Miod
The remains of surfer Randall Miod, 55, (pictured with mother Carol Smith) were found at his beloved Malibu beach house
Randall “Randy” Miod, 55, died at his beach house in Malibu, according to his mother Carol Smith.
The surfer chose to stay behind in his beloved home after surviving several other fires.
“(His house) was his prized possession. That’s the only house he ever owned,” Smith said CNN. “He felt so blessed to be able to live in Malibu. That was his dream come true, as he had been surfing since he was a teenager.”
But his dream ended in tragedy after emergency workers found his remains in the building. All his housemates have been counted.
“He had been through so many of these fires and had come through unscathed. I think he thought he could do it again,” Smith said. “Now that I realize how many memories he had in that house, I understand why he didn’t want to leave.”