Death toll rises as Los Angeles wildfires continue to spread

(NEXSTAR) — More than one dozen people have died as a result of the still-spreading wildfires burning in Los Angeles. Crews — some from as far away as Texas and Mexico — are now preparing for potentially strong winds to return to the area.

In an update Saturday, officials with the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirmed five new deaths related to the Eaton Fire, Nexstar's KTLA reports. In total, 11 deaths have been connected to the Eaton Fire while five others occurred as a result of the Palisades Fire, bringing the death toll to 16.

Among those killed was 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who, according to loved ones, died while defending a home that had been in his family for 55 years.

The Eaton Fire started on Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the Altadena area. It continued to burn as the Palisades Fire — the most expensive in Los Angeles history — took aim at the heavily populated San Fernando Valley on Saturday morning. Several other blazes erupted across the Los Angeles region last week, including the Kenneth, Hurst, Sunset, and Lidia fires.

A fierce battle occurred Saturday in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.

Those evacuated due to the Palisades Fire were able to return to what remained of their homes on Saturday. Many told KTLA they waited for up to 11 hours for access — which lasted only a few minutes in some cases.

“We’re still kind of numb, we just found out Wednesday that our house burnt down,” said resident Debbie Tenenbaum. “We haven’t been up there, we want to go see it. We’re sad – all of our stuff is gone.”

A lull in the Santa Ana winds that had been fanning the flames helped crews on Saturday. The Palisades Fire, already one of the most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles' history, has burned more than 23,000 acres and was 11% contained as of Saturday evening. The Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and was at 15% containment, according to CalFire.

Conditions are, however, expected to worsen.

“Gusty northeast winds will return to high elevations Saturday night into Sunday with gusts up to 30 miles per hour and relative humidity decreasing back below 20 percent,” a CalFire status update stated. “Another Santa Ana wind event is possible around next Tuesday.” 

The National Weather Service echoed those sentiments, forecasting “moderate to locally strong” Santa Ana winds through at least Wednesday. Elevated to Critical Fire Weather conditions will continue through that time, according to NWS. 

There were fears that winds could move the fires toward the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

In a briefing posted online Saturday evening, Michael Traum of the California Office of Emergency Services said 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, with more than 700 people taking refuge in nine shelters.

Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes 1,354 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he said.

The fires that began Tuesday just north of downtown LA have burned more than 12,000 structures.

No cause has been determined for the largest fires and early estimates indicate the wildfires could be the nation's costliest ever. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.

In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the fires could end up being the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

“I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.