Eaton, Palisades fires continue burning as new wildfires erupts

At least 5 people were killed in the Palisades Fire and 6 others in the Eaton Fire, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirmed.

The death toll has gone up from the 10 fire-related deaths the department announced in a statement on Thursday at 9 p.m.

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."

Firefighters from Mexico are en route to the Eaton Fire, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.

They will be joining more than 10,000 personnel already on the ground battling the fires.

"California is deeply grateful for President [Claudia Sheinbaum's] support as we work to suppress the Los Angeles wildfires," said Gov. Newsom on X. "Our partnership and shared commitment to helping communities in need is greatly valued."

As of 2:50 p.m., the Eaton Fire had burned 13,690 acres and was at 3% containment. At least 3 deaths have been reported in relation to this fire. More than 7,000 structures have burned.

Victoria DeSantis had seconds to evacuate her Altadena home this week when the Eaton Fire broke out. She left so quickly, she left behind her wedding and engagement rings.

She returned to find her home of 20 years had turned into rubble, and sifted through debris to find her melted engagement ring. She thought the wedding band had melted in with it as well.

A firefighter was on the ground searching with her and found the wedding band seemingly untouched by the blaze.

She says it was one bright light during a very dark week. DeSantis started a GoFundMe to help raise funds to help rebuild her neighborhood.

Firefighters are hoping for a break Friday from the fierce winds that have fueled massive blazes in the Los Angeles area, killing 10 people, obliterating whole neighborhoods and setting the nation's second-largest city on edge.

AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135-$150 billion.

Previously, the company had estimated the damage could reach $57 billion.

The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday. No cause has been identified yet for the largest fires.