What do we know about the LA fires victims?

Wildfires in Los Angeles have caused at least 16 deaths, and the death toll is feared to rise. Officials state that it could take weeks to identify the victims because traditional identification methods, such as fingerprinting and visual recognition, may not be possible.

Here's what we know so far about some of the victims, based on reports from their families. The family of Victor Shaw stated that the 66-year-old died while trying to protect his Altadena home from the wildfire. According to KTLA, his body was found by the side of his property, still holding a garden hose. The property had been in Mr. Shaw's family for nearly 55 years.

Mr. Shaw lived with his sister, Shari. Shari said that on Tuesday night, as the fire approached, she tried to persuade her brother to evacuate with her, but he refused because he wanted to try and put out the fire. Shari also told KTLA that she had to flee because "the embers were so large, they were flying like a firestorm." She told CBS News that she will miss her brother and said, "I just hate that he had to go that way."

Anthony Mitchell and his adult son, Justin, tragically died at their home in Altadena while trying to escape the wildfire. Hajime White told The Washington Post that she received a call from her 67-year-old father, in which he said, "The fire is in the yard." Mr. Mitchell, a retired salesman and amputee, lived with his son Justin, who had cerebral palsy. Mr. Mitchell's other son, Jordan, also lived with them but was hospitalized at the time due to an infection. The Washington Post reported that Ms. White said after learning of Mr. Mitchell and Justin's deaths, "It felt like a boulder fell on me." Mr. Mitchell was a father of four, a grandfather of 11, and a great-grandfather of 10.

According to his daughter, 83-year-old Rodney Nickerson died at his home in Altadena. His daughter said her father thought the wildfire would "pass over." Kimiko Nickerson told KTLA that her father purchased the property in 1968 and had experienced several fires in the past decades. Rodney worked as a project engineer at Lockheed Martin for 45 years. Kimiko told CBS News that the last thing her father said to her was, "I'll be here tomorrow." She confirmed to the news station that her father's body had been found.

Rory Callum Sykes, a 32-year-old Australian citizen, tragically died during the Palisades fire on Tuesday, his mother, Shelley Sykes, posted on X. Shelley said that she and her son, who had cerebral palsy, were on their 17-acre property in Malibu when the fire broke out. She added that Rory was in a cabin on the property, and she tried to put out the fire, but there was no water in the hose. She said, "I am absolutely heartbroken." Rory was born blind and had difficulty walking, but with the help of surgery, he regained his sight and learned to walk, later becoming a "motivational speaker." He was a former child actor, appearing in the 1998 British TV show "Kiddy Kapers." Shelley told Australian media 9News that she was unable to lift her son because of a broken arm.

The family of 83-year-old Erliene Kelley learned late Thursday that she was also among the victims. According to Kelley's granddaughter, Briana Navarro, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, her grandmother was "adamant" about not evacuating because previous fires had never reached their house in Altadena. On Thursday night, the family learned that authorities had found a body in the ruins of the house. Ms. Navarro had not heard from her grandmother in over 48 hours.