A 19th victim of the Eaton fire was found in Altadena on Monday, officials said, bringing the total death toll to 31 more than six months after unprecedented wildfires swept through broad swaths of Los Angeles.
The remains were found on the 10 block of La Venezia Court and determined to be human, the medical examiner’s office said in a statement Tuesday.
Like all but one of the victims of the Eaton fire, this person died west of North Lake Avenue, which served as a dividing line between those who received evacuation alerts before the flames arrived and those who did not.
The Palisades and Eaton fires were among the most deadly and destructive fires in California history. In addition to the dozens of lives lost, more than 16,000 structures burned, the majority of which were homes.
The victim was not yet identified. Only one other victim, discovered in mid-January in Pacific Palisades, has yet to be identified.
Before Monday’s announcement, the most recent discovery of remains was in April, representing the 18th victim of the Eaton fire and the 30th overall.
Investigators rely on dental records, DNA, medical records and radiographs to identify remains, the statement said. They interview families of missing people to look for clues.
“Due to the complexity of these methods and the process, it can take considerable time to confirm a decedent’s identity in these types of cases,” the medical examiner’s office said.
