What we know about the people killed in the California wildfires
Details are starting to emerge of the victims of the Los Angeles fires – and at least two died trying to protect the homes where they raised families for decades.
The number of people killed by the wildfires has increased from 11 to 13, according to officials.
The Eaton fire has killed eight people and the Palisades fire has killed five.
LA fires latest: New evacuation order as 13 confirmed dead
Here is what we know so far about the victims:
Anthony Mitchell. Pic: family photo via NBC News
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
The 67-year-old great-grandfather of 10 died in his Altadena home. His son Justin Mitchell also died.
Justin’s older brother – also called Anthony – told Sky News’s US partner network NBC News: “He probably could have gotten himself out but he wasn’t going to leave my brother.
“He really loved his kids.”
Erliene Louise Kelley. Pic: Briana Novarro via NBC News
Erliene Louise Kelley
Briana Navarro, 33, lived with her grandmother at the family’s Altadena home – along with her husband and two daughters.
Mrs Navarro told NBC News that her husband wanted to leave.
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However Mrs Kelly told them she was fine and decided to stay at the property.
Police confirmed to Mrs Navarro on Thursday night that her grandmother died when the fire engulfed the home.
She said she thinks her grandmother was “at peace” staying in the home she “tended to every day” for more than four decades.
Victor Shaw. Pic: Family photo via ABC News
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, was trying to protect his home that had been in the family for over five decades when he was killed Tuesday night in the Eaton Fire.
His sister, Shari Shaw, told ABC News that they lived together in the home, and as the flames started to engulf the property she tried to get him to leave.
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She described how he died in a “heroic attempt” to protect his home in Altadena and that his body was found in front of the home with a garden hose still in his hand.
“I can’t imagine what he might have been thinking, how he might have been so frightened,” Ms Shaw said.
“And I couldn’t be here, I couldn’t be here to save him. I couldn’t be here, that’s what hurts the most.”
Rodney Nickerson. Pic: Kimiko Nickerson via NBC
Rodney Kent Nickerson
Rodney Kent Nickerson, 83, had reassured loved ones that he would be fine as his family and neighbours tried to get him to evacuate his Altadena home.
His daughter Kimiko Nickerson told KCAL News: “My son tried to get him to leave, and my neighbours and myself and he said he’ll be fine, I’ll be here when you guys come back.
“And he said his house would be here.”
Mr Nickerson was outside trying to hose down his property at around 7pm on Tuesday and the last time Ms Nickerson talked to him was on FaceTime just over two hours later.
“His house is here and he was here too. He was in his bed when I found him. His whole body was there intact,” she added.
Rory Sykes. Pic: Shelley Sykes via X
Rory Sykes
The former Australian child star, who was born blind and had cerebral palsy, died on Wednesday after his mother said she was unable to save him from his burning cottage.
Shelley Sykes said it burned down in the Palisades Fire when she “couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose” because of a lack of water.
She told Australia’s 10 News First that she has a broken arm and could not lift or move her son.
Mrs Sykes drove to the local fire department for help and when the fire department brought her back, Rory’s “cottage was burnt to the ground”.
Charlie Kirk has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
The USA’s highest civilian honour was received by the conservative activist’s widow, Erika, at the White House.
Mr Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on 10 September while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
He founded Turning Point USA and toured American university campuses, debating students about current affairs.
Erika Kirk at the White House. Pic: Reuters
Erika Kirk and Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
Addressing those attending the ceremony in the White House rose garden, the US president said they were there to “honour and remember a fearless warrior for liberty” and a “beloved leader who galvanised the next generation”.
He said Mr Kirk’s name was being entered “forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes”.
Mr Trump described Charlie Kirk as an “American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest calibre”.
He said his nation had been “robbed” of an “extraordinary champion”.
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And Mr Trump said Mr Kirk was assassinated in the “prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith, and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America”.
The ceremony coincided with what would have been Mr Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
Mr Trump described Erika Kirk, now head of Turning Point USA, as someone who had “endured unspeakable hardship with unbelievable strength”.
Read more:
What do we know about Erika Kirk?
Charlie Kirk’s movement is growing in wake of his assassination
Charlie Kirk. File pic: AP
A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, from the city of Washington in Utah has been charged with Mr Kirk’s murder. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.
At a memorial event held at a stadium in Arizona, Erika Kirk told an enormous crowd she forgave her husband’s killer.
“The answer to hate is not hate,” she said.
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