Victor Shaw, one of five confirmed dead in the devastating Eaton Fire, was discovered on the side of the road near his home last Wednesday, clutching a garden hose.
His family said the 66-year-old died defending the house that had been in his family for almost 55 years. The deceased shared the house in the 3000 block of Monterosa Drive with 61-year-old Shari Shaw, his only sibling and younger sister, who revealed that when the fire approached them last Tuesday night, she attempted to persuade him to leave with her.
According to NPR, Victor Shaw’s family members reported he had Asperger’s syndrome and had experienced vision problems and other health issues in recent years.
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Still, Victor Shaw told his sister that he intended to stay behind and try to put out the fire as she was rushing out the door.
Shari Shaw, who also acted as his caretaker, told 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. And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”
The Eaton Fire was one of four major, active wildfires in Los Angeles. The Palisades Fire, which spanned 17,234 acres, burned around 1,000 structures. The Hurst Fire, which spanned 855 acres, broke out in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Lidia Fire, a fast-moving fire in the Antelope Valley, has scorched at least 348 acres and caused evacuations. There were also quick evacuations in the Hollywood Hills due to the 43-acre Sunset Fire, but crews have made progress.
Victor Shaw’s burned body was discovered by the side of the road with the hose the following morning, according to family friend Al Tanner, who spoke to KTLA.
“It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years,” Tanner observed.
Shari Shaw, who returned the next morning after the fire had passed, recounted, “I fell to the ground, and I didn’t know––I didn’t want to look at him. They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace.”
She also told CBS News, “He wasn’t in the best of health but I know he probably fought with all his will.”
“I’ll miss talking to him, joking about, traveling with him and I’ll just miss him to death,” she added. “I just hate that he had to go out like that.”
The cause of the Eaton Fire is still being investigated.
