The confirmed death toll from the devastating fires in Palisades and Eaton had climbed to 25 as of Tuesday night.
Nine victims died in the Palisades fire and 16 died in the Eaton fire in Altadena, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Medical examiners have formally identified two of the victims, and The Times has identified 12 others.
Victor Shaw, 66, died of smoke inhalation and burns at his home in Altadena, Medical Examiner Theis said. Charles Mortimer, 84, of Pacific Palisades, died at a hospital of a heart attack, smoke inhalation and burns, according to the medical examiner.
Other victims of the Palisades fire include avid hang glider Arthur Simoneau, 69; Australian child actor Rory Sykes, 32; and Malibu surfer Randall Miod, 55; and Annette Rossilli, who is in her 80s.
Other victims of the Eaton fire include Erliene Kelley, 83; father and son Anthony and Justin Mitchell Sr.; Dalice Curry, 95; Kim Winetsky, 77; Rodney ·Kent Nickerson, 82; Zhifeng Zhao, 84; and Evelyn McClendon.
Officials warned the death toll could continue to rise.
Luna said at a news conference that search and recovery operations are ongoing in the Eaton and Palisade fire areas, using cadaver dogs and grid searches.
"Unfortunately, we encounter the remains of members of our community every day," Luna said Monday morning.
The search will take considerable time to complete given the extensive damage caused by the fire and the safety challenges of searching the fire area, the sheriff said.
"A lot of areas still look like they were bombed," Luna said. "There are live wires, gas lines and other hazards."
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone said at a recent press conference that crews had to go "house to house" to search for remains. Luna said it is estimated that more than 12,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the fires so far, and at least 23 people are missing.
Several known victims appear to have died after refusing to abandon their homes.
Shaw's charred body was found outside his Altadena home. He was clutching a garden hose.
Victor Shaw, 66, used a garden hose to try to protect his home in Altadena from the Eaton Fire. He died from smoke inhalation and burns.
(Sally Shaw)
His sister Shari Shaw said she desperately tried to persuade him to leave the home after fire destroyed his 1960s bungalow in the early hours of Wednesday morning. But he decided to stay put, and eventually she had to flee for her own safety.
"He probably felt like he was trying to do the right thing and try to put out the flames," Sally told The Times. "I don't know if he really believed he could, but I know he tried."
Shaw, a former delivery driver, was obsessed with Route 66 and enjoyed weekend trips to different U.S. cities with his sister, she said.
Kelly, who refused to leave his home Wednesday morning, also died in the Eaton fire, a family member said.
During the Eaton Fire, the garage of the home of 83-year-old Erliene Kelley on Natonia Avenue in Alta collapsed.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
“She was determined to stay,” her granddaughter Briana Navarro told The Times. "My husband kept asking her if she was sure and if she didn't want to come with us."
Police notified Navarro Thursday night that a body had been found in the rubble of her grandmother's home.
"It feels so heavy," she said. “In hindsight, what we’re always thinking is, what could I have done differently?”
Kelly is a loving grandmother, retired pharmacist and dedicated community volunteer. She and her late husband bought the house in the 1960s and raised their two children there. It is the venue for many festivals, birthdays and anniversary celebrations.
Erin Kelly (centre), pictured with her daughter Lisa and son Trevor, was one of the victims of the Eaton fire.
(Brianna Navarro)
Friends of Simoneau, a gliding hippie from Topanga, believe he also died while trying to defend his home.
"His nature was to protect the community, protect his house," neighbor Susan Dumond told The Times. “He cares deeply about the community and is willing to do whatever it takes to help the community.”
When the Palisades fire broke out on Tuesday, Simoneau told his old friend and fellow hang glider pilot Steve Murillo that he was heading to the home to try to save the fire.
Simoneau has lived in the area since the late 1990s. Friends described him as "a grown-up hippie" and a "Topanga resident" who greeted every neighbor with a smile and a peace sign.
Arthur Simoneau flies a hang glider here in the summer and is a big fan of the sport.
(Kia Rawanfar)
The identities of the remaining victims are not yet known, and medical examiners have warned that it could take weeks in some cases to identify the victims due to the condition of the bodies.
"Also remember that traditional identification methods such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available and will add additional time to naming these deceased persons," the medical examiner said.
The latest death toll makes the ongoing fire siege one of the deadliest in California history.
The state's deadliest wildfire remains the Camp Fire, which leveled the Butte County town of Paradise in 2018 and killed at least 85 people.
The second-worst fire was the 1933 Griffith Park Fire, which killed 29 people, followed by the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire, which killed 25 people, and the 2017 Tower Fire in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Booth Fire, killing 22 people.
The Palisades Fire was 23,713 acres and 18% contained Tuesday night, while the Eaton Fire was 14,117 acres and 35% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Times staff writers Grace Toohey and Andrew J. Campa contributed to this report.