Aussie among LA wildfire victims

An Australian is among the victims of the LA fires, where a grandfather who refused to leave his home died, and an amputee died while trying to save his son.

An 83-year-old grandfather was found dead in bed amid the charred remains of his home after refusing to heed an evacuation order and the pleas of his family.

Rodney Nickerson’s life was claimed by the deadly Eaton Fire which raged through Altadena.

His daughter Kimiko said loved ones had taken turns pleading with him to leave but it was all to no avail.

“My son tried to get him to leave, my neighbours and myself, and he said he’ll be fine,” Ms Nickerson said.

Ms Nickerson said he ended their conversation telling her: “I’ll be here tomorrow”.

Rodney Nickerson had insisted on staying behind in his home.

Mr Nickerson had insisted on staying behind in their family home he had purchased in 1968 for $5, according to the New York Post.

The Nickersons are well-known in the Los Angeles community where his father William was the founder and owner ofNickerson Gardens in Watts, the largest public housing development in Los Angeles.

Rodney worked at Lockheed Martin for 45 years where he was a project engineer.

Rodney Nickerson was a project engineer.

Rory Sykes

The Los Angeles wildfires have tragically claimed the life of an Australian man.

British-born Australian Rory Sykes, 32, died on Thursday, after his mother Shelley Sykes revealed the tragic news in a post on X.

Rory was born blind, had cerebral palsy and difficulty walking.

“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes

to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken,” she wrote.

“(Rory) had his own cottage on our 17 acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate, decked out with all the latest apple gadgets, which burnt down yesterday 8 Jan 2024 Malibu Fires.

“I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water.

“Even the 50 brave fire fighters had no water all day!”

She said he was the founder of Happy Charity with her, and described him as a “true humanitarian”. He saw himself as the number one fan of Apple, Tim Cook and Runescape as a gamer.

“He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk,” she said.

“Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica.”

She said he was sought after by Tony Robbins as an inspirational speaker when he was only eight years old. Shelley also said a book she had published called Callums Cure was about his courage.

“He will be incredibly missed by @shelleysykes, mama his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie & all his online fans around the world!”

Rory Sykes, 32, (R) an Australian man who has died in the LA wildfires where he had a house in Malibu. His mother Shelley (pictured) broke the news. Picture: X

Anthony and Justin Mitchell

A great-grandfather confined to a wheelchair was on the phone to his daughter when he frantically hung up the phone after saying the fire had spread into his yard.

He didn’t make it out alive, and neither did his son with cerebral palsy, as the two died in the raging wildfires in southern California.

Anthony Mitchell, the 67-year-old amputee, and his bedridden son Justin, in his 20s, are two of ten victims who have so far been killed by the deadly firestorm.

Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, tried to save his son. Picture: Supplied

Mitchell had phoned his daughter Hajime White on Wednesday morning amid the chaos and informed her they were evacuating their home in Altadena.

White, an Arkansas resident, told the Washington Post that was the last time she spoke with her father.

“He said, ‘Baby, I’m just letting you know the fire’s broke out, and we’re going to have to evacuate,’” she said.

“Then he said, ‘I’ve got to go — the fire’s in the yard.’”

Authorities then informed the family that Mitchell was found by his son’s bed, leading his family to believe he was trying to save Justin.

“He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” White said.

“It’s very hard. It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me.”

White described her father as a generous man who adored his four children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The Arkansas-based family affectionately called him FaFa, short for “far away.”

Victor Shaw

The 66-year-old man was discovered outside of his home clutching a hose he had been using in a last-ditch attempt to fight the flames.

Victor Shaw lived in Altadena with his younger sister, Shari Shaw, and refused to join her when she evacuated the Eaton Fire as it threatened their property on Tuesday, according to KTLA.

“When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply back, and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm – I had to save myself,” Shari Shaw said.

“And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”

Victor Shaw was found dead clutching a hose. Picture: KTLA

Erliene Kelly

The retired pharmacy technician is the fifth victim of the southern California fires to be identified.

Erliene Kelly died in the Altadena home she lived in for years, according to family members and neighbours, the New York Times reported.

She was described as “an angel” by her neighbour Terry Lyburn.

“That’s the perfect neighbor. When you see her, you have a smile,” he said.

Annette Rossilli

An 85-year-old woman died in the Palisades fire after refusing to leave her home and pets, according to her in-home carers.

Annette Rossilli was told to evacuate but she refused to leave, Fay Vahdani, president of Luxe Homecare told CNN.

She lived in the home by herself and received in-home care three days a week.

A caregiver offered to pick Rossilli up and neighbours but she wanted to stay with her pets: a dog named Greetly, a canary named Pepper, two parrots and a turtle, Ms Vahdani said.

Firefighters discovered Rossilli’s body in her car, Ms Vahdani and Rossilli’s family confirmed.

Originally published as Aussie among LA wildfire victims