Victims killed in the L.A. wildfires include father and son, world traveler, former child actor
A hang-gliding pilot, a father and son and a former child actor are among those who have died due to the Los Angeles-area wildfires that started Jan. 7 and continue to ravage the area.
At least 29 people have died as a result of the fires spreading across the Los Angeles area, officials say, and the death toll is expected to rise.
CBS News has confirmed the names of 26 of the victims so far. They are:
- Annette Rossilli
- Anthony Mitchell
- Arthur Simoneau
- Barbara Lewis
- Betty O'Meara
- Carolyn Burns
- Charles (Charlie) Mortimer
- Dalyce Curry
- Diana Webb
- Edwin Cridland
- Elizabeth Morgan
- Erliene Kelley
- Evelyn McClendon
- Jeffrey Takeyama
- Justin Mitchell
- Kim Winiecki
- Lora Swayne
- Mark Shterenberg
- Miva Friedli
- Oswald Altmetz
- Patricia McKenna
- Randall Miod
- Rodney Nickerson
- Rory Sykes
- Victor Shaw
- Zhi Feng Zhao
Here's what we know about the victims so far.
Annette Rossilli
Annette Rossilli, 85, died in her Pacific Palisades home after insisting on staying, the Los Angeles Times and CNN reported.
A caregiver offered to pick Rossilli up but she refused. Her body was later found in her car, the reports said. Rossilli is survived by a daughter and a son.
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who has cerebral palsy, died in the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Jordan Mitchell, Anthony's son and Justin's brother, told CBS News Los Angeles he was hospitalized on Jan. 7, leaving his father and brother without a caretaker for a day. Mitchell said his father called 911 asking for help evacuating. However, resources were stretched thin with dozens of evacuations taking place across the Altadena mountain community.
"His last words were help us," Mitchell told CBS News Los Angeles. "He was trying to get him and my brother out of here."
Mitchell's aunt, Cassandra Mitchell, lives just a few miles away and said Anthony called her just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, telling her he was stilling waiting for help to arrive. About 20 minutes later, Anthony's home burned, with him and his son inside.
Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, told the Associated Press that the two were waiting for an ambulance to pick them up.
"They didn't make it out," she told the AP.
White said authorities told her Mitchell was found by the side of his son's bed, the AP reported.
Arthur Simoneau
Arthur Simoneau, a 69-year-old hang-gliding pilot, died while trying to save his home, Sylmar Hang Gliding Association said in a Facebook post.
Steve Murillo, Simoneau's friend of 15 years, told CBS News that Simoneau was skiing in Mammoth on Tuesday night when he heard about the fire. His home in Topanga wasn't in imminent danger, but Simoneau went back to check the conditions.
On Thursday, Simoneau's girlfriend called Murillo to let him know that Simoneau's body had been found just outside the doorway of his home.
Murillo said Simoneau was a programmer who had a ponytail, practiced yoga and liked to walk around in flip-flops and barefoot.
Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis, 84, died at her home on Jan. 15 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Betty O'Meara
Betty O'Meara, 94, died at her home on Jan. 9 due to the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Carolyn Burns
Carolyn Burns, 56, died at her home on Jan. 10 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Charlie Mortimer
Charlie Mortimer, 84, died in the hospital of a heart attack after inhaling smoke and contracting thermal burns from the fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
His neice, Meredith Mortimer, told CBS News that her father "truly lived life to its fullest."
"He was a world traveler, a sun worshipper and an avid sports fan," she said. "He will be remembered as a man with a quick wit, a brilliant mind, and a love for his family. His infectious smile and never-ending sense of humor will be greatly missed by his friends and family all over the world."
Dalyce Curry
Dalyce Curry, 95, died at her home after her family was uncertain of whether she was alive or not, a family member said on Facebook.
Known to her family as "Momma Dee," Curry was described as "electrifying" by her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, who spoke to CBS News. An actress with a career spanning decades, Curry appeared in films including "The Ten Commandments" and "The Blues Brothers."
Despite experiencing congestive heart failure, she was reluctant to leave her home of more than 20 years to live with family elsewhere, Kelley said.
Kelley dropped her grandmother off at home on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and didn't think the fire would become as big as it did, she told ABC 7. Curry returned to her grandmother's the next morning, the station reported, but was told by a police officer in the neighborhood that her property burned down.
Kelley, who had been her caretaker, said she was grateful to have spent Curry's last day with her.
Diana Webb
Diana Webb, 82, died at her home on Jan. 14 due to the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Edwin Cridland
Edwin Cridland, 94, died at his home on Jan. 11 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Cridland's best friend of 34 years, Dennis Chapman, told KABC-TV that when he last spoke to Cridland, they thought he would be fine in his home, where he lived all his life. "Kind of makes things full circle. That everything, you know, started and ended right there. Everything about his life," Chapman told the station.
Erliene Kelley
Erliene Kelley, 83, died at her home on Jan. 9 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Evelyn McClendon
Evelyn McClendon died at her home due to the Eaton Fire.
Her brother, Zaire Calvin, was evacuating his baby and elderly mother when he got separated from his sister who lived next door.
"Everybody's yelling, 'Get out.' I'm thinking that she's getting out," Calvin told 60 Minutes. "And the next day after the storm — I come back, and her car's still there. So at that point, in my brain, my soul is shaking."
He and his cousin found McClendon's remains in the rubble.
Jeffrey Takeyama
Jeffrey Takeyama, 69, died at his home due to the Palisades Fire.
In a GoFundMe post, Takeyama's children wrote that their father "wasn't just a husband, father, grandfather, and friend—he was the protector of our home and our neighborhood."
"In every fire before this one, including the 1993 blaze, he worked tirelessly to keep us and our neighbors safe. This time, the fire was different, and we are heartbroken beyond words," his children wrote.
Kim Winiecki
Kim Winiecki, 77, died in the Eaton Fire, her longtime friend Jeanette McMahon told CBS News. McMahon described Winiecki as someone who loved music and thrived during dinner parties.
McMahon, who had been friends with Winiecki for over 20 years, described her as intelligent, conversational, and someone who lived a simple, frugal life.
Concerned after being unable to reach Winiecki on Jan. 8, McMahon learned that Winiecki's brother in New Mexico had filed a missing person report with the sheriff's department and the Red Cross.
McMahon later spoke with a neighbor who had tried to help Winiecki leave her home. Private by nature, Winiecki rarely allowed anyone near her property, which McMahon called her "haven" and "refuge."
Winecki, a member of a writer's group, was celebrated for her vivid, colorful language and her ability to articulate feelings her friends couldn't express, McMahon said.
Lora Swayne
Lora Swayne, 71, died at her home on Jan. 12 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Mark Shterenberg
Mark Shterenberg, 80, a former NASA engineer, died at his home in the Palisades Fire.
His granddaughter, Tatiana Bedi, told CBS News that he was a brave, strong, and tenacious person. Though he could be stubborn, Bedi described him as "teddy bear-like," with a deep love for his family. She remembered him as a selfless person who worked hard to save money and provide for his loved ones.
Shterenberg grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia – then known as Leningrad – and developed a fascination with space at a young age.
He immigrated to the United States with no money or knowledge of English. Within a decade, he graduated at the top of his master's program class and later went on to work as an engineer for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Hughes Aerospace Corp.
The family's search for Shterenberg came to a heartbreaking conclusion on Jan. 11, when they called an elected official, who informed them that his remains had been discovered at his home.
Bedi spent countless days at her grandparents' house, sleeping over once a week. She would recite her grandfather's motto to him every day when she left his home: "Study math, keep money in the bank and do three good things every day."
Oswald Altmetz
Oswald, 75, died at his home on Jan. 11 due to the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office.
Tressa Eccher, Altmetz's stepdaughter, told CNN that she could not get a hold of him on Jan. 8 after the fire broke out in Altadena. She described him as an "amazing dad" who ran his own auto body business and loved jazz music and cars.
Randall Miod
Randall Miod, 55, died at his home in Malibu.
Miod's friend, John Hughes, told CBS News he last spoke with Miod on FaceTime Wednesday. He said Miod said he was going into his kitchen to save his cat and that the last thing they said to each other was "I love you, brother."
Miod was later seen by others with his hose at his house.
Hughes said Miod was not currently employed due to health issues but "worked at every restaurant up and down the PCH." Hughes described Randall as the "king of Malibu" and "an icon in the community."
Rodney Nickerson
Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in his bed due to the Eaton Fire.
His daughter, Kimiko Nickerson, told CBS Los Angeles that he wanted to stay in his longtime home in Altadena, which he purchased in 1968 for $5.
"That was the last thing he verbally said to me was, 'I'll be here tomorrow,'" she said. "My son tried to get him to leave, my neighbors and myself, and he said he'll be fine..."
Rory Sykes
Rory Sykes, a 32-year-old former child actor, died in the Palisades Fire, his mother Shelley Sykes, a TV production entrepreneur, said on social media.
Sykes appeared in the 1990s British television show "Kiddy Kapers."
Sykes said she tried to save her son, who insisted on staying home. Sykes said on social media that she and her son lived on a 17-acre estate in Malibu. He had cerebral palsy and was blind and had difficulty walking.
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, died in the Eaton Fire and was found holding a hose after a fire ravaged his neighborhood. His sister, Shari Shaw, told CBS News that she thinks he tried to fight back the fire.
"He wasn't in the best of health but I know he probably fought with all his will," she said.
"I'll miss talking to him, joking about, traveling with him and I'll just miss him to death," she said. "I just hate that he had to go out like that."
Zhi Feng Zhao
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office identified Zhi Feng Zhao, 84, as a victim of the Eaton Fire. He died at his home in Altadena.
