(NEXSTAR) — More than one dozen people have died as a result of the still-spreading wildfires burning in Los Angeles. Crews — some from as far away as Texas and Mexico — are now preparing for potentially strong winds to return to the area.

In an update Saturday, officials with the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirmed five new deaths related to the Eaton Fire, Nexstar's KTLA reports. In total, 11 deaths have been connected to the Eaton Fire while five others occurred as a result of the Palisades Fire, bringing the death toll to 16.

Among those killed was 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who, according to loved ones, died while defending a home that had been in his family for 55 years.

The Eaton Fire started on Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the Altadena area. It continued to burn as the Palisades Fire — the most expensive in Los Angeles history — took aim at the heavily populated San Fernando Valley on Saturday morning. Several other blazes erupted across the Los Angeles region last week, including the Kenneth, Hurst,

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