The death toll continues to rise in the Los Angeles firestorm. Here are some victims’ stories
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- Those who lost their lives in the fires were beloved. We collected some of their stories.
- A bird flu outbreak has Californians paying steep prices for eggs.
- Disneyland’s original Haunted Mansion returns today with a heartbreaking new scene.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
The lives lost in the L.A. firestorm
The most destructive fires in the city’s history claimed 27 lives as of Friday: 17 in the Eaton fire and 10 in the Palisades fire. And Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna warned that the grim count will probably increase.
“Searches are continuing,” Luna said Thursday morning at a news conference. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told The Times on Thursday that 31 people are still missing — 24 from the Eaton fire and seven from the Palisades fire.
My colleagues compiled a list of victims killed in the fires. Here are some of their stories:
For 95-year-old Dalyce Curry, a normal day ended in tragedy
In her youth, Dalyce Curry was part of Old Black Hollywood, an actor who appeared in films such as “The 10 Commandments,” “Lady Sings the Blues” and “The Blues Brothers,” a career that spanned decades.
In her later years, she was Momma D, a beloved grandmother.
On the morning of Jan. 7, Curry’s granddaughter Dalyce Kelley took her to a few medical appointments. On the way back to Curry’s Altadena home, danger did not seem imminent. “We smelled a little smoke,” Kelley said, “but I’m telling you, it looked normal, like a normal day in Altadena.”
The next morning, Kelley received a text from her grandmother’s landlord asking whether anyone had picked up her grandmother because an evacuation order had been issued.
She called 911 thinking she could have police pick her grandmother up, but after being redirected a few times she decided to head out to her grandmother’s house herself.
It was too late. Curry’s house had been reduced to rubble. All that was left was her blue Cadillac, her refrigerator, a stationary bike and her metal frame bed.
“She was full of vitality, elegance, and an unmatched zest for life,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Her presence graced our family gatherings, her wisdom guided us through challenges, and her laughter brought joy to every moment.”
If you knew Malibu, you knew the Crab Shack, that barn-red, century-old little house hugging the hillside a few miles south of the pier.
And if you knew the Crab Shack, you definitely knew its owner, Randall Miod — better known as Randy, or Crawdaddy, or simply the Craw, my colleague Corinne Purtill wrote.
“The whole community knew the Craw,” his friend Todd Proctor told Purtill. “I don’t care if you were driving a Bentley or you were hitchhiking to the beach. You knew the Craw and you loved the Craw.”
As the Palisades fire closed in on Jan. 7, he called his mother to say he had a hose and was going to fight for his home.
His remains were found among the charred wreckage of his house. He was holding his kitten, the Malibu Times reported.
An Altadena woman survived the Eaton fires; her brother perished
Victor Shaw’s body was found on the walkway outside the front door of the home that had been in his family for more than half a century. He was holding a garden hose.
Shaw loved to drive to different U.S. cities and was fascinated with Route 66. Together with his sister Shari, they took weekend trips to Reno, Lake Tahoe, San Diego and Palm Springs. They enjoyed each other’s company.
“When you’re younger, you don’t really appreciate your sibling,” Shari said. “As we got older, our relationship developed. ... He was a good guy.”
Annette Rossilli’s body was found in her car after she refused to leave her pets behind
As the fire approached the Pacific Palisades, Annette Rossilli’s caregivers and neighbors tried to get her to evacuate. She declined help from all of them, saying she wanted to stay with her pets — two parrots, a canary, a turtle and a dog.
The 85-year-old’s body was found in her car outside her Pacific Palisades home. “She was such a sweet lady, very pleasant, full of life,” said Fay Vahdani, owner of Luxe Homecare.
Read more:
Many more people lost their lives. One was remembered as “a man with a quick wit, a brilliant mind and a love for his family.” Another victim was known to mentor young men, passing on “old-timey family values” he had learned as a boy. Here’s what we have learned about them.
The week’s biggest stories
How did the fires start?
- Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts have long been drawn to Skull Rock north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades. Now, the area is being investigated as a potential starting point for the Palisades fire.
- As officials try to determine the cause of a wildfire that has burned an estimated 7,000 structures in and around Altadena, investigators keep returning to an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon.
- Fire agencies are investigating whether downed Southern California Edison utility equipment played a role in igniting the Hurst fire near Sylmar.
How to get help if you’ve been affected by fires
- Does your home reek of wildfire smoke? Here’s how to get rid of it — safely.
- Inspections of fire-damaged homes are less than halfway done. Here’s how to check your home’s status.
- Lose your essential documents in the L.A. fires? Here’s how you can replace them.
- I was forced to evacuate my home. Do I still need to pay my mortgage, rent, utility bills?
Why egg prices are skyrocketing and for how long
- A bird flu outbreak has Californians paying steep prices for eggs. Prices have soared to $8.97, a 70% increase in the last month.
- Brunch in L.A. may soon cost more as restaurants weigh whether to raise prices on egg dishes.
A bitter feud among Sinaloa cartel families brings grave desecration
- As rival factions of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel wage war, one side is suspected of desecrating tombs that belong to rival families.
- One recent incident targeted a tomb near Sinaloa’s capital Culiacán said to belong to the family of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
More big stories
- With her city in flames, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ political future hangs in the balance.
- Trump made many ‘Day One’ promises. Will he make good on them?
- Two months after she was recalled, Oakland’s former mayor has reportedly been criminally indicted by a federal grand jury.
- The Supreme Court upheld the TikTok ban. Here’s what happens now.
- Trump named Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson as ‘special ambassadors’ to Hollywood.
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This week’s must reads
Lessons from the burn zone: Why some homes survived the L.A. wildfires. The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed thousands of homes but left some still standing through a combination of fortunate timing, wind shifts and — according to experts, modern approaches to architecture and landscaping.
More great reads
- This young Altadena weather guy had a growing following. In the Eaton fire, he saved lives.
- These gardeners, housekeepers and nannies kept Pacific Palisades going. Fire took their jobs.
- The unbearable guilt of losing nothing — and everything — in the Altadena wildfire.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your weekend
Going out
- 🎢Disneyland’s original Haunted Mansion returns today with a heartbreaking new scene.
- ⛰️When will Eaton Canyon recover? Sooner than you think.
- 🎥Two slackers are short on rent in ‘One of Them Days,’ — now playing in theaters — an L.A. comedy with extra moxie.
Staying in
- 📺‘Severance’ Season 2 — now streaming on Apple TV+ — is a refined, thrilling masterwork.
- 🍽️ Here’s a recipe for spiced rice and fish with minty peas.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
Which “American Idol” winner is slated to sing at Donald Trump’s inauguration? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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