Los Angeles officials update Palisades Fire death toll after body found in Malibu home

Details about the individual, and their cause of death, has not been released so far.

Published: January 9, 2025 4:51pm

Los Angeles county officials on Thursday revealed that one person has died in the Palisades Fire in Southern California, and clarified that previous reports of five people dying in the fires had mistakenly claimed they all died in the nearby Eaton Fire.

The change comes after human remains were discovered when Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies were conducting a wellness check on Wednesday night in Malibu. The check was conducted after a person was reported missing, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Details about the individual, and their cause of death, have not been released so far.

The officials confirmed that the other four people died in the second largest fire, the Eaton Fire, near Altadena on Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Thursday indicated that the death count was expected to increase, but that they do not know what to expect in the final death toll.

“We’re working with our coroner’s office, we’ll figure out those numbers,” he told CNN. “Right now, frankly, we don’t know yet. We eventually will.”

The development comes as several large fires burn in the Los Angeles County this week. The Palisades Fire, which began on Tuesday, is the largest blaze, and has burned through more than 17,000 acres.

Both the Eaton and Palisades fires are still at zero percent containment at time of publishing. But several smaller fires have been fully contained, including the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills.

Los Angeles officials also reported that 20 people have been arrested for looting so far.

“In the midst of the emergency, we have all seen individuals who are targeting vulnerable communities by burglarizing and looting homes. This is simply unacceptable,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger told reporters Thursday.

Barger then promised looters that they "will be held accountable."

"Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis," she added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.