LOS ANGELES — Nearly three months after two wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, officials said the death toll from the blazes had reached 30.
A team responded Wednesday following a report of possible human remains at a scorched property in Altadena, within the Eaton Fire burn zone, the Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.
An investigation determined the remains were human, bringing the total deaths from that blaze to 18, the statement said. Twelve people died in the Palisades Fire.
To identify charred remains, the medical examiner’s office said it compares dental records and DNA, reviews health records and uses radiographs to search for medical prosthetics or devices. The office also works with law enforcement to gather information on suspected missing persons.
“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 statement said.
The two blazes ignited during fierce winds on Jan. 7 and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. Rebuilding will take years.
The causes of the fires are still under investigation.
Dozens of lawsuits claim Southern California Edison utility equipment ignited the Eaton Fire. Pedro Pizarro, president of Edison International, the utility’s parent company, said this week it’s still too early to tell if electrical infrastructure is to blame.
“We still don’t know whether Edison equipment caused the Eaton fire. It’s certainly possible it did. I’ve pledged to be transparent with the public as we continue to investigate,” he told the Los Angeles Times.