Erika Martin is a digital news producer at KTLA.
Erika Martin
Recent Articles
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Thousands More Residents Return Home as Containment in Woolsey Fire Grows to 78%
More residents were being allowed back in their homes Friday as firefighters made progress against the Woolsey Fire, which was torched an area the size of Denver and more than 700 structures across Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The destructive blaze, which has also claimed the lives of at least three individuals, was 78 percent contained after failing to spread for a second straight day, Cal Fire officials said in an evening update. But the number of homes and other buildings […]
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Wife of Gardena Motorcycle Officer Killed in Crash Shares Tearful Memories at His Vigil
The Gardena Police Department will held an emotional vigil Friday night for a motorcycle officer who was killed in a crash while on his way to work earlier this week. Officer Toshio Hirai, 34, was a 12-year veteran of the Police Department who leaves behind his wife, Kristen, and 2-year-old son, Takeo. The family, his fellow officers and other loved ones assembled at the department headquarters on 162nd Street remembered him as someone who liked to live life to the […]
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Only 1 Lion Tracked by Santa Monica Mountains Officials Still Unaccounted for Amid Woolsey Fire; All Bobcats Deemed Safe
Authorities who track wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains reported Friday that 12 of 13 mountain lions and all four bobcats they are monitoring are safe. There’s no word yet on the fate of the outstanding lion, P-74, who is outfitted with a GPS collar that officials have not been able to track. The cats’ habitats were ravaged by the Woolsey Fire, which has claimed the lives of two people, scorched more than 91,000 acres and destroyed more than 370 homes, […]
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Gardena Motorcycle Officer, a Husband and Father, Dies Following Crash in Harbor City
A Gardena motorcycle officer died Thursday after being critically injured in a crash in Harbor City the day before, according to police. Officer Toshio Hirai, 34, was riding his bike to work when the collision occurred near the intersection of Western Avenue and 238th Street around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday. He leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old son. “A number of outstanding doctors, nurses and other hospital staff members did all that they could to try to save Toshio,” the Gardena […]
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Subsiding Winds Allow Firefighters to Halt Woolsey Fire’s Growth as Gov. Brown, Interior Sec. Zinke Survey Damage
Firefighters are getting a handle on the Woolsey Fire, now entering its second week, as Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke surveyed the damage caused by the blaze. The deadly blaze burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties has destroyed about 504 structures, while 57,000 remain under threat since it began Nov. 8, Cal Fire officials reported. On Thursday evening, firefighters said that — for the first time — the blaze had not grown during the day, […]
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Former First Lady Michelle Obama Pays Surprise Visit to Preschoolers at Skid Row Education Center
While in Los Angeles for her book tour, former first lady Michelle Obama spent a portion of Thursday reading to preschool children at the Para Los Niños Tina and Rick Caruso Early Education Center on skid row in downtown Los Angeles. She read two books to the 4-year-olds assembled: “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler, and “Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney. “It was incredibly unique, and what a special moment for our kids to see the […]
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Family IDs 3rd Woolsey Fire Victim Found in Burnt Out Home Near Agoura Hills as Retired Physician
The person whose body was uncovered Wednesday from the rubble of a home burned to its foundation in the Woolsey Fire south of Agoura Hills was identified by family members as a retired oncologist. Alfred Deciutiis, 73, chose not to leave his home in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road, in an unincorporated area of the Santa Monica Mountains, where evacuation orders were issued for the area, according to loved ones who spoke with KTLA. Deciutiis’ home was destroyed after […]
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22-Year-Old Hailed as Hero Is 1st Borderline Mass Shooting Victim Laid to Rest
A Ventura County native who others credit with saving their lives as bullets rained on a crowd of young people at Thousand Oaks’ Borderline Bar & Grill last week became the first victim of the tragic shooting to be laid to rest on Wednesday. Cody Gifford-Coffman, 22, is among 12 people killed last Wednesday, Nov. 7, when a gunman opened fire at a country music dance night popular with college students at the Western-style bar on Rolling Oaks Drive. The […]
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Body of 3rd Victim Linked to Woolsey Fire Discovered Near Agoura Hills; Some Residents Allowed to Return Home
The death toll linked to the devastating Woolsey Fire rose to three Wednesday after authorities confirmed the discovery of a fire victim inside a razed residence south of Agoura Hills. Cadaver dogs found the body among the rubble of a home burned to its foundation at about 6 a.m. in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road, in an unincorporated area at the northwest edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said. Authorities responded to the residence […]
