LOS ANGELES — The death toll from the various wildfires ravaging parts of the Los Angeles continues to climb.

Late Thursday night, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said it was working with local law enforcement and fire departments to respond to 10 deaths because of the ongoing wildfires in the region.  

The county coroner’s office said identification could take several weeks since it could not respond to all death locations because of the fire conditions and safety concerns.

In a statement, county coroner’s office said it “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.”

All ten victims are currently pending identification and next of kin notification.

Earlier on Thursday, a person who died was identified by his daughter as Rodney Nickerson, 82, of Altadena. His daughter Kimiko told local media that her father died in his bed while he was home alone at 352 Alta Pine Drive. She said her father bought the house in 1968 and she was raised there.

She described her dad, who retired after a 45-year career at aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin, as “funny, the life of the party,” adding that he “loved sports, people, (and was a) very intelligent man. He loved to read.”

Relatives said Nickerson’s son tried to get Rodney to evacuate, but he refused.

Relatives identified two other Eaton Fire victims as Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son Justin, who was in his 20s and had cerebral palsy. Mitchell’s daughter told The Washington Post that Mitchell and his son were waiting for an ambulance to pick them up, but they never made it out.

“He was such a jewel,” Anthony Mitchell’s cousin, Rita Cook, told local media. “This is going to be a great loss.”

She said she did not know if Anthony and Justin were sleeping when they were overcome by the flames.

Another victim was identified by family as Victor Shaw, 66. His sister, Shari, told local media she had urged her brother to evacuate the area, but he insisted on staying. She said Victor was found dead at the home, with a garden hose still in his hand.