Ten people reportedly have died from the several wildfires burning across Los Angeles County, the county’s medical examiner said Thursday, Jan. 9.
As of 9 p.m., the Department of the Medical Examiner said it was notified of 10 deaths related to wildfires burning across the county. The medical examiner’s office didn’t specify which wildfires each victim reportedly died in.
Officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, along with other public officials, previously have confirmed five fatalities related to the Eaton fire and one from the Palisades fire It wasn’t immediately clear why the medical examiner’s count is higher than the number of fire-related deaths reported by other public officials.
Officials are working to identify the victims and notify their loved ones. The process could take weeks because the medical examiner’s office can’t immediately respond to every death location because of fire conditions and safety concerns.
Traditional means of identification, including fingerprinting and visual identification, may not be possible, which will delay the process.
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