Los Angeles County medical examiner's office confirms wildfire death toll rises to 16

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed the death toll from the wildfires ravaging the area has risen to 16.

The total of confirmed fatalities stands at 16 victims, and the cases remain under investigation. Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire, and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the coroner's office said in a statement Saturday evening.

The previous number of confirmed fatalities was 11, but officials said they expected that figure to rise as cadaver dogs search leveled neighborhoods and crews assess the devastation. Authorities have established a center where people can report the missing.

Firefighters raced to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.

At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said a main focus Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.

“We need to be aggressive out there,” Litz said.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the LA area "had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire.”

Light breezes were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds — the nemesis of firefighters — could soon return. Those winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around to city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

The fire also was threatening to jump over Interstate 405 and into densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

The grim work of sifting through the devastation continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. He said a family assistance center was being established in Pasadena, and he urged residents to abide by curfews.

“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” he said.

The fires have consumed about 56 square miles (145 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered Friday evening after a flare up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.

Since the fires first began Tuesday just north of downtown LA, they have burned more than 12,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

No cause has been determined for the largest fires, and early estimates indicate the wildfires could be the nation's costliest ever. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.

So many volunteers showed up to help at donation centers Saturday that some were being turned away. That was the case at a YMCA in the Koreatown neighborhood. By late morning, cars with would-be helpers were also being turned back from the Santa Anita Park horse racing track, where donations of necessities were being accepted.

At the race track Friday, people who lost their homes could be seen sifting through stacks of donated shirts, blankets and other household goods. Altadena resident Jose Luis Godinez said three homes occupied by more than a dozen of his family members were destroyed.

“Everything is gone,” he said, speaking in Spanish. "All my family lived in those three houses and now we have nothing.”

Some residents have been venturing back to see what can be salvaged after wildfires destroyed their homes, sifting through rubble for keepsakes. But officials on Saturday urged them to stay away, warning that the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire. “All of that stuff is toxic.”

Residents will be allowed to return, with protective gear, after damage teams have evaluated their properties, Thomas said.

Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon (440 million-liter) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.

“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.

Firefighters for the first time made progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted.

LA Mayor Karen Bass, who faces a critical test of her leadership as her city endures its greatest crisis in decades, said several smaller fires also were stopped.

The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that regularly confronts massive wildfires.

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Gene Johnson in Seattle and Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles, and videographer Manuel Valdes in Arcadia, Calif., contributed.

Kaegan Baron, left, and Oliver Braren sift through the home of Kaegan's mother after it was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Kaegan Baron takes a moment as she sifts through the rubble of her mother's home after it was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A firefighter rests as crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Ella Venne, front, holds a cup she found in the remains of her family's home destroyed by the Eaton Fire as she searches with Glendale Fire Department captain Chris Jernegan, left, and his wife Alison in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Statues stand amidst debris after the Eaton Fire destroyed a property in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A vehicle is covered in retardant while crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A group of firefighters traverse a steep hill while battling the Palisades Fire in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Fire retardant covers leaves as crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Fire retardant covers a backyard in Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A worker trims a tree burnt by the Eaton Fire on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A medical examiner and sheriff's deputies check on a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over a ridge as seen from the Encino section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A Cal Fire hand crew walks past a swimming pool toward their next assignment during the Palisades Fire in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A bowl of cat food and water, placed by Kevin Marshall, sits near his mother's property, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Marshall placed the bowls for Simba, a cat his mother took care of. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Kevin Marshall sifts through his mother's fire-ravaged property in the the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The Palisades Fire burns above a home in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire behind a home with Christmas lights in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire behind a home with Christmas lights in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A neighborhood destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Police officers check on homes to evacuate residents near the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Firefighters set up to defend houses threatened by the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Fire Crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.(AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, right, speaks with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, and Doug Goodwin, who's home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The sun sets behind palm trees burnt by the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Luke Dexter kneels as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beach front property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A person walks past damage from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Residents dig through the rubble left behind by the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A property is destroyed by the Palisades Fire along Sunset Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Horses are held in a pen at Pierce College, a wildfire evacuation center for animals, in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Kenneth Snowden, left, surveys the damage to his fire-ravaged property with his brother Kim, center, and Ronnie in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Citrus fruit burnt in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Damage to structures is seen from hilltop perspective in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Homeowners Sohrab Nafici, left, and Christine Meinders return to their fire-ravaged neighborhood in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen in the early morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Luke Dexter kneels in front of his father's fire-ravaged beach front property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A worker clears debris from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter hoses down hot spots from the Archer Fire in the Granada Hills section of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Kenneth Snowden, left, surveys the damage to his fire-ravaged property with his brother Ronnie in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Garrett Yost gathers water from a pool while surveying his neighbors' fire-ravaged properties in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Beach front properties are burned to the ground by the Palisades Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Firefighters study damage at St. Mark's Episcopal Church after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Luke Dexter reacts as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beach front property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Cars are left charred inside a dealership in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

California National Guard line up along the Pacific Coast Highway as a plume of smoke rises from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A statue stands amid damage from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A car destroyed by the Palisades Fire sits on the side of a road Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

The Palisades Fire burns in Mandeville Canyon on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A plume of smoke rises from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Over two dozen families from one of the few remaining Palestinian Bedouin villages in the central West Bank have packed up and fled their homes in recent days, saying harassment by Jewish settlers living in unauthorized outposts nearby has grown unbearable.

The village, Ras Ein el-Auja, was originally home to some 700 people from more than 100 families that have lived there for decades.

Twenty-six families already left on Thursday, scattering across the territory in search of safer ground, say rights groups. Several other families were packing up and leaving on Sunday.

“We have been suffering greatly from the settlers. Every day, they come on foot, or on tractors, or on horseback with their sheep into our homes. They enter people’s homes daily,” said Nayef Zayed, a resident, as neighbors took down sheep pens and tin structures.

Israel's military and the local settler governing body in the area did not respond to requests for comment.

Other residents pledged to stay put for the time being. That makes them some of the last Palestinians left in the area, said Sarit Michaeli, international director at B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group helping the residents.

She said that mounting settler violence has already emptied neighboring Palestinian hamlets in the dusty corridor of land stretching from Ramallah in the West to Jericho, along the Jordanian border, in the east.

The area is part of the 60% of the West Bank that has remained under full Israeli control under interim peace accords signed in the 1990s. Since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, over 2,000 Palestinians — at least 44 entire communities — have been expelled by settler violence in the area, B'Tselem says.

The turning point for the village came in December, when settlers put up an outpost about 50 meters (yards) from Palestinian homes on the northwestern flank of the village, said Michaeli and Sam Stein, an activist who has been living in the village for a month.

Settlers strolled easily through the village at night. Sheep and laundry went missing. International activists had to begin escorting children to school to keep them safe.

“The settlers attack us day and night, they have displaced us, they harass us in every way” said Eyad Isaac, another resident. “They intimidate the children and women.”

Michaeli said she’s witnessed settlers walk around the village at night, going into homes to film women and children and tampering with the village’s electricity.

The residents said they call the police frequently to ask for help — but it seldom arrives. Settlement expansion has been promoted by successive Israeli governments over nearly six decades. But Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, which has placed settler leaders in senior positions, has made it a top priority.

That growth has been accompanied by a spike in settler violence, much of it carried out by residents of unauthorized outposts. These outposts often begin with small farms or shepherding that are used to seize land, say Palestinians and anti-settlement activists. United Nations officials warn the trend is changing the map of the West Bank, entrenching Israeli presence in the area.

Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Their presence is viewed by most of the international community as illegal and a major obstacle to peace. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state.

For now, displaced families of the village have dispersed between other villages near the city of Jericho and near Hebron further south, said residents. Some sold their sheep and are trying to move into the cities.

Others are just dismantling their structures without knowing where to go.

"Where will we go? There’s nowhere. We’re scattered,” said Zayed, the resident, “People’s situation is bad. Very bad.”

An Israeli settler herds his flock near his outpost beside the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja in the West Bank, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A Palestinian resident of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank burns trash, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian children play in the West Bank village of Ras Ein al-Auja, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)