someone get a helmet on this guy. xfinity internet customers, ask how to get an unlimited line free for a year, plus a free 5g phone. >> this morning on world news now, the fire concern in southern california as fierce winds return that could cause flames to spread or even new fires to start.

>> something this region does not need. with more than 12,000 structures already damaged or destroyed, complete coverage ahead. >> and the other weather concern this morning. another arctic blast. wind chills in the negative 20s plus where people went swimming in ice. >> breaking overnight. the latest launch attempt by the company owned by jeff bezos, hoping to be a competitor to elon musk in the space race. >> and the nfl playoffs. narrowing the field in the race for the super bowl. all the sunday highlights. and how did andrew's packers do? it's monday, january 13th. >> from abc news this is world news now. >> i don't want to give too much away. good morning everyone. but andrew is not in the best mood this morning. >> yeah, there's not much to see in the way of packers highlights, unfortunately. congrats to the eagles though. the birds.

>> yeah they could go all. >> danny is not here to rub it in. >> i know you think he's sick or maybe football sick. >> he texted me. oh, i didn't text back. >> oh by the way that la rams minnesota vikings game. that of course moved to arizona. that is tonight for monday night football. it was moved of course because of those wildfires out in california. and that is where we begin this morning with the worst news of all about the los angeles county los angeles county wildfires is the rising death toll. >> the two largest fires, the palisades and eaton fires, are now blamed for at least 24 deaths, a number almost certain to rise. more than 100,000 people in these areas remain under mandatory evacuation orders. >> the santa anita horse racing track is now a donation center for fire victims. look at how busy it was overnight. >> most schools across l.a. county are reopening this morning, but those that are still in evacuation areas are still closed. >> yeah, and there are concerns, of course, about the fire spreading. and with new fires starting with the highest level

alert, a so-called particularly dangerous situation in effect. reporter josh einiger is in the devastated pacific palisades section of l.a. here in that pacific palisades neighborhood, there is destruction and devastation everywhere you look. >> although there are pockets where things seem to have emerged unscathed from this firestorm. case in point this vintage thunderbird, which seems to have gone through this without barely a scratch. of course, there is a lot of destruction, a lot of heartbreak in this community, and homeowners learned it will be days before they're allowed to come back to begin to pick up the pieces. the sun set through clear, smoke free skies and the moon rose over a community. the firestorm all but wiped off the map. pacific palisades, the once vibrant place not far from the sea, now an ashen hellscape. memories mercilessly devoured by a hurricane of fire. >> it's not about the goods, but

it's about family heirlooms. like my grandfather's handwritten books. it's almost like this is a second revolution for us. >> but tash esfandiari fled iran in the 1980s and made a life in pacific palisades. last week she was out when it all burned. she joined a line of people, 100 cars long, trying to secure an escort to see what's left of her house. but police announced there would be no access today, frustrating homeowners who've already had enough. have you seen the house? >> no. >> they don't let me out this year. >> these days, we can't get in. >> when the first flames approached, tara says she begged for help from 911, long before the fire ravaged her home. >> it was two hours after after i called 911, and it was just a tiny little bit on the mountain, and they could have put it off and not this disaster happened. >> reporter with light wind. an

army of firefighters rushed to stamp out hotspots at the palisades fire and the eaton fire, which are the second and fourth worst natural disasters in california history. two dozen fatalities and counting and now urgent warnings from emergency management officials here. southern california isn't in the clear yet, with severe winds set to gust again this week. >> these winds, combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of los angeles county very high, and that need to conserve manpower and make sure everything is sort of buttoned down in advance of those increased winds again this week. >> that's just one reason people have been told they can't get escorted back to their homes. they were yesterday coming in one at a time with cops, but those police officers found it was impossible to get them to leave. again, a heartbreaking experience for thousands of people who are right now waiting

to see what happens next. in the pacific palisades neighborhood of los angeles. josh einiger, channel seven eyewitness news. >> the whole thing really is just heartbreaking. josh, thank you for that story there. and the widespread devastation is leading a lot of people to question what's next. that is what so many homeowners are asking, like those here in malibu. home after home there has been destroyed. tens of thousands are already requesting federal assistance. most have yet to visit their homes because it's still unsafe. >> there's no power. there's no water, there's broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures. >> looting is also a concern. police arresting dozens of people near the palisades and eaton fires, including a man dressed up as a firefighter. >> i saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter, and i asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. i didn't realize we had him in handcuffs. we were turning him over to lapd because he was dressed like a fireman and he was not. he just

got caught burglarizing a home. >> early estimates predict $150 million in damage from the wildfires. some homeowners are calling for the government to make available home loans with 0% interest. one man in altadena with a message to lawmakers saying, if you can spend billions of dollars fighting a war, you can spend $1 billion to help us get back where we were at. governor gavin newsom is set to ease building restrictions and requirements for permits to help people rebuild faster. >> my wife and i are even considering whether or not we rebuild, but at this point with the insurance companies, it's a smoother transaction. it's a smoother road. if you rebuild, it's insanity. hotels are packed to the gills, shelters are packed to the gills. you know, hopefully a lot of these elderly have children or, you know, some sort of i pray i pray that they have some means of finding a place to, you know, get in and be a home base and just

somewhere where they can just recuperate their mindset. >> city officials also vowing to investigate price gouging, with some properties in the area reportedly doubling the rent in recent days. police also warning of scammers using unsolicited phone calls for donations for fire recovery. but through the turmoil and chaos, there are moments of humanity and encouragement. we are now hearing from the firefighters seen in this video. last week, firefighters slater lee was holding a hose spraying a burning home when he took a moment to calm this frightened dog. >> one of our biggest this at san marcos is customer service, and i believe that extends to pets as well, you know, so seeing anything in that much of need, it was it was a priority of mine to try and console the dog. >> thanks to all those first responders putting their lives on the line out there in california. and the need for basic items is so great. so if you'd like to help, visit redcross.org. we will have much more from the fire zone ahead in the next half hour. >> moving across the country to

washington, d.c, capitol hill will be busy this week as confirmation battles begin for more than a dozen cabinet nominees for the second trump administration, including the controversial choice to lead the defense department. here's abc's maryalice parks. >> senate republicans eager to get started on president elect trump's agenda, are hoping to have his cabinet in place as soon as possible. they have scheduled at least 14 confirmation hearings this week. on tuesday, the senate armed services committee will begin the process to confirm one of trump's most controversial picks. former fox news host pete hegseth for defense secretary. hegseth previously faced accusations of sexual and financial misconduct, as well as alcohol abuse. he has denied the claims and has never been charged. but some senators are also concerned that the army national guard veteran does not have the experience to run the pentagon. he spent several days on capitol hill last month working to drum up support. >> what they want to do to make sure that department is properly oriented for the threats of the world, and make sure that we're putting the warfighters first.

that's what donald trump asked me to do. >> abc news confirming the fbi interviewed multiple people about his personal life as a part of a background check investigation. hegseth himself sitting for an interview with the fbi as a part of that work. some of trump's other controversial and potentially very consequential nominees are still waiting for their hearing dates to be set. kash patel nominated to lead the fbi. tulsi gabbard, nominated to be the director of national intelligence. and robert f kennedy jr, nominated to head the department of health and human services. kennedy has made repeated false claims linking vaccines to autism. republican west virginia senator shelley moore capito told fox news sunday that she was impressed with kennedy. after meeting with him. >> he came back with he's not anti-vaccination, he just is anti. he wants to have its science based and that's what he kept going back to. let's have basic science to make these decisions. >> this week hearings will be held for pam bondi to be the attorney general. she's expected to be confirmed easily, but will likely face tough questions

about the independence of the justice department and pardons for the january 6th rioters. and florida senator marco rubio is also likely to have an easy time getting approved by his colleagues to be the next secretary of state. maryalice parks, abc news, washington. >> all right, maryalice, thank you for that. the eastern u.s. is in store for an arctic blast this week. minneapolis and chicago will feel like it's well below zero through wednesday morning. windchills in d.c. feeling like 12 degrees this morning. and it will feel like it's below zero as far south as north carolina by tomorrow. boston and the single digits later this week. >> and despite the frigid temperatures, many americans are still finding ways to have some fun. >> yeah, even outdoors, even though it's cold. look at this. this guy was spotted practicing his ice hockey on a frozen pond at the national mall. but as you can see, he's all alone. there were no other takers there. >> and then there's this boxy boxer puppy in little rock, arkansas, experiencing his first time in the snow, and it looks like he couldn't get enough of it. >> i can't get enough of dogs

playing in the snow videos. look at this. brave souls in chicago. oh, man, i don't know if this is brave or something else. they took the plunge into lake michigan. look at the ice pancakes. >> don't do this at home. because, you know the fear really is real. at a water temperature just above freezing, death can occur in as little as 15 minutes. to me, not really worth the risk. >> they're definitely not. coming up, the overnight rocket launch attempt, plus the terrifying moments overseas after the collision of two trams, and where there are fresh worries over a certain great white shark. you're watching world is coming home

alive. >> help me. >> you will. trent. tuesday on abc. put some water on it. >> we are back now with the warnings in southern california right now that winds this week could result in explosive fire growth. the two largest fires in the la area are now being blamed for at least 24 deaths. officials are hoping to allow residents back into devastated areas by thursday. meanwhile, pope francis offered prayers for the fire victims and first responders over the weekend. >> in france, panicked moments were captured on camera after two trams collided. strasbourg left more than 60 people injured. reports say one vehicle, which had been stopped, rolled backwards down a slope into a second tram behind it. all of the victims are expected to recover.

>> and this morning, we are marking the passing of a woman who made history right here on abc. actress leslie charleson played monica quartermaine on general hospital. it's a role she began playing back in 1977. that makes her the longest tenured cast member on the daytime show. nearly 50 years charleston started her career in 1964, appearing on a variety of shows before landing on general hospital, including happy days right here on abc. leslie charleson was 79 years old. >> well, a massive great white shark lurking off florida is getting the states attention. his name is breton, and he wears a tracker after being tagged five years ago. he's 13ft long and weighs about 1,400 pounds. breton has been making headlines because he has resurfaced at least seven times in the past week, including once on sunday. his track seems to be going right towards daytona beach, perhaps for spring break. yeah, right. get a little early start. did you see that map? just my gosh the amount of he's busy

water. yeah the area covered there. look at that. >> coming up the latest on the overnight launch attempts of blue origin's new glenn rocket. >> and later the end of the line for one of our teams as another finds out who it will be playing next. >> you're watching world news now protected in the poc t. new s

wednesday on abc. there's a. >> starman waiting in the sky. he'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds. there's a. starman

waiting. >> and breaking overnight. the attempt for space company blue origin to launch its newest rocket. >> the effort overnight at cape canaveral, florida, marks a major moment for the company and its founder, jeff bezos. overnight, a setback as jeff bezos takes on elon musk in the modern space race. blue origin, the space tech company founded by jeff bezos, delaying the launch of new glenn, set to be the first rocket from the company to reach orbit, the reusable rocket marks the first major competitor to elon musk's spacex falcon nine, which has been launching payloads for more than a decade. new glenn is larger than the falcon nine and packs twice the power. >> we can take 45 metric tons to leo orbit. it really changes what people are going to think about how and what they can bring to space. >> blue origin has made some notable launches in the past, sending nearly 50 people into space aboard their new shepard rocket, including our michael strahan. oh, my. yeah. at the same height as a 32 story

building, new glenn could fit the new shepard rocket inside its cargo hold. and yet, it's still not as large as spacex starship rocket. bezos is also challenging musk on other fronts, with plans to launch a constellation of internet satellites to take on spacex's starlink internet service, and the race is on to be the first private company to land humans on the moon, something that hasn't been done in more than 50 years. >> wow. just incredible. the numbers there, 32 stories tall but still not as big as spacex's rocket. >> musk and bezos going after it after it for space supremacy. >> michael strahan michael strahan on the piece was went to space. got to go up there and he said it was life changing. >> yeah, i believe it, i believe it

thriving. >> call or visit national debt relief.com to get started. >> time now for sports news now and the effects of the california wildfires.

>> both of the nba's l.a. teams are set to resume their schedules, and the league has informed the lakers and the clippers that their home games are expected to be played tonight. >> meanwhile, in the nfl, the rams are prepping to play their home wild card game against the vikings tonight in arizona. now, the arizona cardinals owner sent two planes to pick the rams up and bring them to the game. their families and pets came to that game right here on abc. >> nice to see the nfl community coming together to help. >> absolutely. and that is no easy task to move an entire operation like that, a playoff game all the way to arizona. >> and it should still feel like a home game for the rams since arizona to a degree. >> yeah, i would think so. i hope so. >> we'll have to wait and see tonight on monday night football and more football. sunday was the biggest day of wild card weekend. >> three games, two home teams advanced and the one that didn't was sent home by this a doink. but it went in. this is in tampa. final play between washington and the bucs. zane

gonzalez 37 yard field goal hits that upright, goes in. commanders win, 2320. >> i cannot believe tampa bay lost that one. >> heartbreaker. >> buffalo. i was i really wanted buffalo to lose, but congrats they won. they beat denver 31 points. they trampled them 31 to 7. up next, baltimore. and i hope we don't have to face the bills again because they are good. >> very good. >> he is just a legendary quarterback punching his ticket to the hall of fame. let's get to this game i guess. >> in philadelphia andrew does want to talk about dallas goddard with a stiff arm. >> and then he rumbled in his third quarter touchdown. all right philly shut down green bay 22 to 10. green bay never really had a chance in this one. and now the eagles will host either the rams or the vikings depending on who. >> i have to tell you i don't want to face the bills or the eagles, to be honest with you. >> at least your season is still going. >> my season is still going. game one of divisional playoff weekend will be held in kansas city. >> the two time defending champion chiefs host houston saturday afternoon. kc is trying

to become the very first team in the super bowl era to win three titles in a row. the league is already hyping this quarterback matchup between last season's rookie of the year, c.j. stroud, and three time established super bowl mvp patrick mahomes, posting on x stroud mahomes divisional round. let's go. their only meeting was in week 16, with the chiefs coming out on top. >> i don't love facing c.j. stroud either. >> he is electric and good and the weekend has nothing to lose. >> they got to win it. >> the weekend's biggest play might have been this one. >> yeah, it happened on the new york subway. look at this rat snagging an intact package of reese's peanut butter cups from the track. >> perhaps he's dragging it back

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