Tag: Ground

Two of the dead, a man and his son, who had cerebral palsy, had called for help evacuating, but none came. One of the victims was found near a garden hose he had been using to spray his house as the fire bore down.

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

Here is 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 racing to help his wife, his 1-year-old daughter, and his 84-year-old mother evacuate, while yelling to his sister to get in her car.

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

Ms. McClendon held several corporate jobs before withdrawing to lead a quieter life, Mr. Calvin, 47, said. She was a passionate participant in her online church, and worked as a bus driver for the Pasadena public schools, he said. She once told him that in her years of corporate work, striving for advancement, she wished she had “taken the 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, like the mountains and old oak trees, his niece Bianka Altmetz said. He loved baseball, old cars and jazz music, which he played nonstop. And he loved his dog, Harley, who died with Mr. Altmetz when fire consumed the home he had lived in since he came to Altadena as a young immigrant from Germany.

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

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

Dalyce Curry

Dalyce Curry, 95, died inside her home in Altadena. Ms. Curry had been an actress and an 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, her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, said.

But Ms. Curry had spent the day in the hospital for a cardiac issue, and her granddaughter dropped her off that evening, thinking she was safe. Ms. Kelley said she now felt guilty about leaving her. “No one saw this coming,” Ms. Kelley said. “I’ve never seen this type of devastation in my lifetime living 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 became 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 used a wheelchair, as the fire was bearing down on Altadena. He said he expected someone to come help the two evacuate. By 8 that night, he and Justin had both been found dead.

“I felt the system let them down,” his son Anthony Mitchell Jr. said.

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

Victor Shaw

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

Mr. Shaw drove a bloodmobile and made deliveries. “He was hard-working,” Mr. Jackson said.

After the fire passed, neighbors and family members came to search 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,” Mr. Jackson’s son, William, said.

Rodney Nickerson

Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in 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 to fish, play the horses and watch 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 believed the fire would not reach him.

Erliene 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 anybody,” Mr. Pyburn said, adding, “I think the notice came too late.”

Kim Winiecki

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

Ms. Winiecki was a deeply private person and never let anyone on or near her property. “We respected that,” Ms. McMahon said, “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 dispatch transmissions. His granddaughter, Tatiana Bedi, said he was deeply devoted to his family.

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

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 the top of his class, his granddaughter said. Ever an inspiration to his grandchildren, Mr. Shterenberg ran three miles every morning, including on the day he died. His motto, Ms. Bedi said, was: “Study math, keep money in the bank, and do three good things, every day.”

Charles Mortimer

Charles Mortimer, 84, a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, 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 its fullest,” the statement said. “He was a world traveler, a sun worshiper, and an avid sports fan.”

Mr. Mortimer died in the hospital on Jan. 8, having suffered 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 home in Topanga, 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 eagerness.”

“It was always in the back of our heads that he would die in spectacular Arthur fashion,” the post read. 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 “legend in Malibu” 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 his 20s, he had lived in the same house on the Pacific Coast Highway, which became a gathering place for friends. Kristin Miod Ennabe, his cousin, likened him to Peter Pan and said he had a “gentle spirit” like his father, Lawrence Miod.

Ms. Smith said the last time she spoke with her son was the day the Palisades fire began. He called her, nearly in tears, and she urged him to take himself and his cat to a shelter. Instead, Mr. Miod stayed. His final 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,” Ms. Sykes said.

The two moved to the United State in 2010 and had lived on a 17-acre estate in the Malibu area for the last decade. Mr. Sykes had his own cottage, which burned after he told Ms. Sykes he wasn’t leaving and locked himself inside, she said.

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