California Wildfires Live Updates: New fire explodes north of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations

Two of the dead, a man and his son, who had cerebral palsy, had called for help to evacuate, but no one came. One of the victims was found near a garden hose he had been using to spray his house when the fire broke out.

In the Palisades fire, near the coast, the dead included a hang-glider, a surfer and a former child star from Australia.

Here’s what we know about some of the victims:

Deaths in the Eaton Fire

Evelyn McClendon

Evelyn McClendon, 59, lived surrounded by three generations of her family in the Altadena neighborhood: her mother lived in a separate house on the same property; her brother, Zaire Calvin, lived next door. Mr. Calvin recalled running to help his wife, his 1-year-old daughter and his 84-year-old mother evacuate while yelling for his sister to get into her car.

“I’m still trying to understand why she didn’t go,” he said.

Mrs. McClendon held several corporate jobs before retiring to live a quieter life, Mr. Calvin, 47,. She was an avid participant in her online church and worked as a bus driver for Pasadena Public Schools, he said. She once told him that during her years of corporate work and striving for advancement, she wished she had “taken time to enjoy life. And that stuck with me, always,” he said.

Oswald Altmetz

Oswald Altmetz, 75, was known as “Ozzie,” and on Pine Street in Altadena, he was a familiar part of the landscape, as were the mountains and old oak trees, said his niece Bianka Altmetz. He loved baseball, old cars and jazz music, which he played nonstop. And he loved his dog, Harley, who died with Mr. Altmetz when the fire consumed the home he had lived in since coming to Altadena as a young immigrant from Germany.

His neighbor Elizabeth Richey said she had encouraged him to leave. “He kept saying, ‘I’ve seen this before; nothing’s going to happen,'” she said.

In his childhood, said Bianka Altmetz, Mr. Altmetz took his young relatives on hikes to waterfalls and swam in mountain pools. He was “the funny uncle, the one who always had the treats and cookies you weren’t supposed to have,” she said.

Dalyce Curry

Dalyce Curry, 95, died at her home in Altadena. Mrs. Curry had been an actress and extra in several films, including “The Ten Commandments,” “Lady Sings the Blues” and “The Blues Brothers.” Into her 90s, she dressed up and kept fit, said her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley.

But Mrs Curry had spent the day in hospital with a heart problem and her grandson dropped her off that evening, believing she was safe. Mrs. Kelley said she now felt guilty for leaving her. “No one saw this coming,” Ms. Kelley said. “I have never seen this type of destruction in my life in this city and she loved Altadena so much.”

“It was her safe place,” Ms. Kelley said, adding “it’s unfortunate that her safe place turned into a nightmare.”

Anthony and Justin Mitchell

Anthony Mitchell, 68, died with his son Justin, who had cerebral palsy and was in his 30s. His other children heard from Mr. Mitchell, who was using a wheelchair when the fire broke out at Altadena. He said he expected someone to come and help the two evacuate. At 8 o’clock that evening, he and Justin had both been found dead.

“I felt like the system failed them,” his son Anthony Mitchell Jr. said.

Justin Mitchell was known for his sunny personality and love of reading. Mr. Mitchell was known for his grilling skills and his concern for his family and neighbors. “My dad was just one of those people,” Anthony Mitchell Jr. said. “You’d meet him and he’d make friends with you real quick.”

Victor Shaw

Victor Shaw, 66, died trying to save his tile-roofed home on Monterosa Drive, a cul-de-sac near the edge of the woods. “The house meant a lot to him,” said a neighbor, Willie Jackson, 81. “His parents had always had it.”

Mr. Shaw drove a bloodmobile and delivered. “He was a hard worker,” said Mr. Jackson.

After the fire passed, neighbors and family members came to look for him. They found him lying in his front yard clutching a garden hose. “He was out here trying to fight the fire by himself,” said Mr. Jackson’s son, William.

Rodney Nickerson

Rodney Nickerson, 82, died at his home just a short walk from Mr. Shaw’s. Mr. Nickerson was a retired aerospace engineer for Lockheed Martin and an active deacon at his church, according to his son Eric Nickerson.

Mr. Nickerson loved fishing, playing with horses and watching the San Francisco 49ers, his daughter-in-law, Elsa Nickerson, said in an interview. And he was deeply attached to his house, where he had raised his two children, and the neighborhood where he had seen the cycle of generations. His family urged him to evacuate, but he told them he thought the fire wouldn’t reach him.

Erlene Kelley

Erliene Kelley was a retired Rite Aid pharmacy technician and a longtime resident of the same section of Altadena, according to Rita and Terry Pyburn, a couple who lived on her block.

“She was so, so, so sweet,” Terry Pyburn said.

“It was panic. Everyone took off and no one thought to check on anyone,” said Mr. Pyburn, adding: “I think the announcement came too late.”

Kim Winiecki

Kim Winiecki, 77, moved to her house in Altadena about 35 years ago. “Her home was her safety, her everything,” Jeannette McMahon, a close friend, said in a phone interview.

Mrs. Winiecki was a deeply private person and never allowed anyone on or near her property. “We respected that,” Ms. McMahon, “even though I was her closest friend.”

When the Eaton fire broke out near Ms Winiecki’s house on Tuesday, Ms McMahon said she offered her a ride out, but Ms Winiecki said she would stay put and wait out the fire.

Deaths in the Palisades Fire

Mark Shterenberg

Mark Shterenberg, 80, was likely one of the first to die in the Palisades fire, based on Los Angeles County fire dispatches. His granddaughter, Tatiana Bedi, said he was deeply devoted to his family.

“My heart just feels like he was protecting everything he worked so hard his whole life to build for his family” said Mrs. Bedi.

Mr. Shterenberg was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States in 1980. He earned a master’s degree from Pepperdine University and was top of his class, his grandson said. Mr. Shterenberg has always been an inspiration to his grandchildren and ran three miles every morning, including the day he died. His motto, said Ms. Bedi, was: “Read math, keep money in the bank, and do three good things every day.”

Charles Mortimer

Charles Mortimer, 84, a longtime Pacific Palisades resident, was a Chicago Cubs fan with a quick wit and an infectious smile, his family said in a statement shared by his niece, Meredith Mortimer.

“Charlie Mortimer truly lived life to the fullest,” the statement said. “He was a world traveler, a sun worshiper and an avid sports fan.”

Mr. Mortimer died at the hospital on Jan. 8 after suffering a heart attack, smoke inhalation and burns, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Arthur Simoneau

Arthur Simoneau, a beloved figure in the hang-gliding community, died in the Palisades fire while trying to save his Topanga home, his family said.

Mr. Simoneau was a member of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association, where he served as a mentor to many, according to Steve Murillo, the association’s president. A GoFundMe page set up by his son, Andre Simoneau, described Mr. Simoneau as a man who showed others how to live with a rare “childlike zeal.”

“It was always in the back of our minds that he would die in spectacular Arthurian fashion,” the post said. He died protecting his home, the post said, “something only he was brave enough (or crazy enough) to do.”

Randall Miod

Randall Miod, 55, was a “Malibu legend” who lived and died in the place he loved most, his mother, Carol A. Smith, wrote in a statement. Surfing had been his passion from youth. Since the 20s, he had lived in the same house on Pacific Coast Highway, which became a gathering place for friends. Kristin Miod Ennabe, his cousin, compared him to Peter Pan and said he had a “gentle spirit” like his father, Lawrence Miod.

Mrs. Smith said the last time she spoke to her son was the day the Palisades fire began. He called her, almost in tears, and she encouraged him to take himself and his cat to a shelter. Instead, Mr. Miod. His last words to her were: “Pray for the Palisades and pray for Malibu. I love you,” she wrote.

Rory Sykes

Rory Sykes, 32, a former child star from Australia who was born with cerebral palsy, died in the Palisades fire, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. Mr. Sykes appeared in the 1990s British television show “Kiddy Kapers”. On his website, he described himself as a gamer, investor and philanthropist.

“He was just a beautiful soul,” said Ms. Getting sick.

The two moved to the US in 2010 and had been living on a 17-acre estate in the Malibu area for the past decade. Mr. Sykes had his own cottage which burned after he told Ms. Sick that he didn’t go and lock himself in, she said.

Troy Closson, Anemona Hartocollis, Shaila Dewan and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed with reporting. Susan C. Beachy, Alain Delaquerière, Sheelagh McNeill and Kitty Bennett the contribution of research.