Death toll in Eaton, Palisades fires rises to 24 as crews prepare for more strong winds

A local ER nurse was doing all she could to save her 90-year-old parents' home in Hastings Ranch as the Eaton Fire ravaged the area.

With garden hose in hand, a local ER nurse tried her best to protect her 90-year-old parents' Hastings Ranch home. She expressed frustration that their insurance company had recently canceled their fire coverage shortly before the Eaton Fire erupted.

Amid the firestorm, she expressed frustration that her elderly parents' insurance company had recently canceled their fire coverage.

"I know I'm not supposed to be here, but this is my parents' home. They just got canceled from their fire insurance. So they're dealing with this...They're 90 years old. They've lived in this house for 75 years. They've had the same insurance, and these insurance people decided to cancel their fire. And we're going through this. And it just happened. And they have no fire insurance. Thank you California insurance companies for supporting residents who pay taxes and love California. They wonder why people leave California," she said.

She was hosing down the property with a garden hose late Tuesday evening, determined to prevent it from burning to the ground like the home just across the street, which was fully engulfed in flames.

"There are no words to even describe how heartbreaking ... that's a life. That's your entire life. You don't get that back. The memories are gone. I hope they're alive," she said, wiping away tears.

Randy Stoklos has lived in the Castellammare neighborhood in Pacific Palisades for 65 years. He described staying behind and saving his home from burning to the ground - plus putting out fires at his neighbors' homes.

"I've gone through the Woolsey Fire, I've gone through all of them. And I know that actually the guy that stays is the guy who saves his home. I know that a lot of people don't want to hear that, but I'm capable," Stoklos said.

"I've gone through the Woolsey Fire, I've gone through all of them. And I know that actually the guy that stays is the guy who saves his home."

He described dousing a fire at his home, only to discover it reignited at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"I stopped a couple of fires. I stopped one, and then it reignited at about 4:30 this morning, and thank God I woke up at the perfect time and I got it and I stopped it from burning my house," he said, holding back tears. "It's pretty incredible what Mother Nature can do. I hope to never see this again."

After telling us his story, Stoklos said he was planning on putting more gas in his car so he can patrol his neighborhood again to help his community in any way he can.

A wind-driven fire in the Sylmar area rapidly expanded to 700 acres Wednesday with 0% containment.

The Hurst Fire -- one of four major fires burning in Southern California amid fierce Santa Ana winds -- was reported around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of Yarnell Street, and within a half-hour it had burned more than 100 acres, Los Angeles Fire Department said.

It rapidly grew in size to 700 acres by 11 a.m. Wednesday as it continued to burn uncontrolled.

Evacuations were ordered for the area north of the 210 Freeway from Roxford Street to the 5 and 14 Freeway split, according to the LAFD.

Evacuation warnings were also in effect for areas of Santa Clarita, along Calgrove Boulevard and the Newhall Pass, Wildwood and Eternal Valley, according to Cal Fire.

As several brush fires continue to devastate Southern California, burning hundreds of structures and forcing thousands to evacuate, authorities said Los Angeles County, and all 29 fire departments within its borders, were "not prepared for this type of widespread disaster."

During a Wednesday morning press conference, Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said there are "not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude."

Although authorities had pre-positioned resources across the region in preparation of the wind event, it wasn't enough for what those intense Santa Ana wind caused.

"The L.A. County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four, especially given the sustained winds and low humidity... This is not a normal red flag alert," he said.