LA County medical examiner reports at least 10 fire-related deaths
The Department of Medical Examiner announced it has received notification of 10 fire-related deaths as of Thursday at 9 p.m.
"The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner is working with local law enforcement and fire departments to respond to reported fatalities due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County," read a statement.
It's unclear where each person died. Earlier on Thursday, two confirmed deaths were linked to the Palisades Fire while at least five others were linked to the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area.
The department said all cases are currently pending identification and legal next of kin notification.
Once that happens, the information will be posted on its website.
Officials said identification could take several weeks since staff isn't able to respond to all death locations due to the fire conditions and safety concerns.
"Please also keep in mind, traditional means of identification such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available and will add more time for naming these decedents," said the department.
"The Department of Medical Examiner understands how important it is to identify those lost in the wildfires and is working diligently, while following safety protocols, to provide the information to the next of kin as soon as reasonably possible."