good evening. the news at five starts right now. thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. and i'm kira klapper devastation in california's largest and most populous city, los angeles, surrounded by fire tonight. at least five people have been killed, and tens of thousands of acres have burned, fueled by those infamous santa ana winds. at least six fires ignited since yesterday, but four of them are considered major, forcing more than 80,000 people from their homes. the largest two, the palisades fire in pacific palisades and the eaton fire in altadena. there's also the woodley and the hearst fires. those are burning just north of there. in pacific palisades, entire blocks have been turned to ash. more than 1000 structures have been destroyed, many of them homes. and these are just preliminary numbers. the fire is also putting a major strain on the city's water system, using more than 3 million gallons in just 15 hours. all right, let's take you

east to altadena. this is the eaton fire. it's being blamed for at least five deaths. dozens of others who did not evacuate in time have also been injured. this video is stunning. it shows the scope of those evacuations. look at that. nurses and workers having to transport dozens of seniors to safety after multiple nursing homes and assisted living facilities had to be evacuated. so here's where we stand right now. the palisades fire has burned more than 15,000 acres. the eaton fire burned more than 10,000, and the hurst fire 500 acres. none of these fires have any containment. and firefighters say they're exhausted and overwhelmed. so are many homeowners facing an uncertain future. our worst fear happens. so that's all right. we're survivors. we'll get through it. we'll build another home, will rebuild. but we lost. we lost all of the things.

that's the all the photographs and all my grandpa's antique chests and all that kind of stuff, you know? so difficult for so many people. such loss. we're waiting right now for los angeles mayor karen bass to provide us an update from los angeles. right now, you're looking at a live picture at the podium. miss bass had been on a foreign trip. she is now back in los angeles. she's going to be addressing the public. we'll bring you those developments as they come in. now, president biden also made a visit to santa monica today. he approved a major disaster declaration for that area and bay area firefighters, along with the california national guard and federal resources have been called in to help. as nbc's jennifer bjorklund shows us, the challenge is massive in southern california. the flames seem to be everywhere. i've never seen it come down this low before. fires that break the rules. burning downhill toward water. destroying anything that gets in the way. the palisades fire

among the worst. and the fire is growing. we have no percentage of containment. the flames feeding on dry conditions fueled by intense winds. winds so powerful aircraft. among the best firefighting tools aren't always able to get off the ground. normally we have some aircraft that can fly at night. last night it was just impossible with those 8090 mile an hour winds. right now it has calmed down a little bit. so i expect to see some of our aircraft back up in the sky this morning. reporter thousands of buildings already have been destroyed and more are in danger. and people throughout southern california have been told to leave their homes. some, however, chose to stay and fight with whatever they could find. this is home. what are we going to do? where are we going to go? authorities insist residents need to think about where they'll go when the time comes, and that time may still come for thousands more in the fire's paths. as this wind keeps southern california in its grip.

i'm jennifer bjorklund, nbc news. thank you. palisades village. thank you very much, jennifer. let's bring in our chief meteorologist, jeff ranieri. right now. let's this is exactly the worst case that firefighters were thinking about. nowou have four different fires and you still have the wind blowing. talk to me about that wind. because a convergence would be really the horror sight and the wind overall. not nearly as strong as we saw last night. when you see these wind gusts that we clock, these top wind gusts, we did get up to 100mph in the san gabriel mountains. malibu 85. burbank airport, 83, chino hills 77. and then back here in the bay area locally. we got into some gusty winds this morning. mount saint helena up to 68. but these winds in southern california, they weren't just a one time thing, as we've been mentioning. this was for several hours on end, which is making this firefight pretty much impossible. so as we take you down to those current conditions here, we're tracking the two largest fires. we have the eaton canyon fire near altadena, also the palisades

fire down here, the palisades fire, where we had winds of 80 to 90mph last night. it's now 15 to 35, so at least we're out of that highest threshold, but still very, very dry. hard to get in there. this will just continue with at least 15,000 acres burned up here towards the eaton canyon fire winds right now 15 to 35. this area last night also saw 70 to 80 mile per hour gusts. so the wind is down in this location from just about 12 hours ago. and the way the winds blowing looks like that fire would stay more in the ridge tops here above pasadena and above glendora. if it were to head more here off towards the south and also the east. so we're looking at the wind speed being a little bit better than this time yesterday, but still very gusty. you'll see here as we head through tonight. lower elevations 20 to about 30mph. some of the mountains here up towards the san gabriel mountains still could be that 50

to 60 mile per hour range. we're into more of that wind, especially in the mountains, as you can see, some of those bright colors, the red and magenta here awe roll through tomorrow morning, even into tomorrow evening. but eventually, as we head through friday, this is what we want. the wind overall, especially across the mountains, will begin to calm down. so by friday night, that's when firefighters should be able to get in there with more air attacks. as we get a lot of the wind in the mountains starting to calm down, you'll see this red flag fire warning now extended until 6 p.m. on friday with again some of this wind we're looking at right now. no big rain chances the next two weeks. i've got more looks to the bay area forecast what's happening with our wind. i'll see you in about 15 minutes. all right. thanks, jeff. we'll see you soon. as crews try to get a handle on those raging fires across southern california, california tech companies are offering ways to help. let's bring in our business and tech reporter scott budman with that part of the story. scott, it seems there is nothing tech isn't touching. it's true. kiera. and we are

hearing today from tech companies both in southern california and northern california, using ai and drones to detect flare ups and then to try to reach the fires as quickly as possible. they're among the newest weapons in the wildfire fight drones, bringing necessary equipment into a fire zone and getting closer to flames than humans would be able to safely. drones can also map the firefight, along with satellites dubbed eyes in the sky by nasa, especially with the satellites that measure the whole planet and can observe the whole planet over long periods of time. some of the folks here at ames are using the suborbital assets to study more closely and with better spatial resolution. the fires. the tech is often pointed towards flames by companies like annette, based in los angeles, fighting fires with

ai powered hardware and software that can detect smoke from massive distances and determine whether it's a threat. so as soon as we've identified with the sensor, there's something going on, there's heat. they can take an image and send that image confirmation right away to the fire department. all of this now in use, both down in southern california and in the bay area. i'll get an email that will tell me that an anomaly has been detected. i'll click on that email. it'll give me an approximate location, a location. they can then fly to. i mean, that's incredible. how far along is this technology though? it's being tested both here and in southern california. it sort of makes sense here that this would be something we're using a lot because a there's all this technology obviously in california. but b as we talk about constantly huge wildfire danger. so it's necessary to at least try this stuff out. yeah it's worth that shot. all right scott, thanks as always. we will

continue our coverage of the fires throughout this newscast. and coming up at 530, we will take you live to pacific palisades to get the latest on firefighters efforts to gain any type of control they can. all right, let's bring it back here because it is inauguration day today. danielle lowry was formally sworn in as san francisco's 46th mayor. lori founded a nonprofit and a political. he's a political newcomer today. he was inaugurated outside city hall before a huge crowd. here's nbc bay area sergio quintana. new san francisco mayor daniel lowry was sworn into office by jesse peterson, a san francisco resident and state public defender. ai daniel lowry do solemnly swear. he then took to the microphone to address the thousands who came to see the event. mayor lowry's speech touched on several of the themes from his campaign. he says he'll prioritize resolving the city's fentanyl crisis, and says tough decisions have to be made about the city's massive budget deficit, but pledged not to cut any public safety jobs or nursing jobs in a city that's

been ridiculed for its bureaucracy. he also pledged better efficiency. the era of a new restaurant going through 40 inspections and receiving 50 different answers is over. that's our promise to you. among the speakers at this event. warriors coach steve kerr, former california surgeon general doctor nadine burke harris, and mayor lowry's wife becca proudly in the audience. every seat was taken, with many others standing for the entire event, which started on time in a city where many things don't. political supporters say they're optimistic, but also realistic about the new administration. danielle lowry is someone the entire city can trust and believe in. he's got a hell of a job ahead of him. district attorney brooke jenkins says she hopes the new mayor will help, not just by backing law enforcement officers, but also by bringing change to other city departments. my big ask of the mayor right now is, is for a more robust public health strategy that doesn't simply embrace public drug use, or

people taking their own time to figure out when they want help. the da says drug treatment infrastructure needs to be buil. following the ceremony at civic center, mayor lowry slipped away from the crowds to sign the official documents needed to formally take office. then everyone was invited into city hall for a reception. the inaugural event inside city hall included food, commemorative mugs and a place for supporters to write wishes for the city. and now the danielle lowry is the mayor of san francisco. his supporters say they are cautiously optimistic that he can deliver on the promises he made on the campaign trail, and reiterated during his speech when he discussed his plans for the fentanyl crisis here in san francisco. that's pretty much what i wanted to hear at san francisco city hall. sergio quintana, nbc, bay area news. still ahead, let them play. that's the rally cry from some south bay parents, as their neighborhood little league field could be bulldozed over parking. the potential fight that is just

beginning. and help has arrived for some people trying to make it in the bay. we're going to show you the new affordable housing complex that welcomed its first residents today. and we are tracking what's happening with ourur long range forecast. and when a few showers may make it back into the mix. i've got that

tomorrow, the santa clara unified school district is set to review a master plan for all its schools, and part of that plan could include scrapping little league fields. here's nbc bay area's robert honda. there are essentially three baseball fields on district property right next to harmon elementary school. baseball diamonds at the westside little league has rented from the district for years. but now some families say planned school improvements could cost them their league. santa clara's west side little league is a big league with about 300 players in different age divisions spread out over two full baseball fields and one small so-called farm field, all on property owned by the santa clara unified school district and directly connected to harmon

elementary school. the district is now considering a 30 year master plan for all its schools that could reduce so-called green space. it would make room for improvements at harmon, but eliminate at least one full baseball diamond for a league as big as westside. our organization would collapse if that happened. why? we have nowhere else to play in town. we only have one other baseball field that's owned by the city. the rest are owned by the school district. that's like two divisions that are going to be completely gone. and our league literally thrives off of those divisions. the school district and a school board member declined to go on camera, but pointed out improvements at harmon would not be just for more parking and a safer pickup area, though they said it is needed, but would also allow for more room for physical education activities and new or expanded learning facilities. they also emphasize the master plan review at thursday's board meeting is only to approve a general roadmap and that all projects,

including for harmon, would be considered individually over the years with lots of community input. parents who grew up in santa clara are skeptical. taking this away little piece at a time. i mean, eventually it's all going to be gone. i mean, when i grew up, we had five little leagues in santa clara, and we can't keep two right now. it seems it seems just unbelievable to me. i think santa clara is a really big, small city. i've like i said, i've grown up here for the past 40 years and there's just not a lot of green space anymore. and to think that they would take green space and pave it over and make a parking lot is just it's hard to grasp. even though, as the district points out, many of the projects could be years away from starting the fight over, this one will begin to ramp up at the school board meeting thursday night in santa clara. robert honda nbc, bay area news. the fight for affordable housing is gaining the upper hand in one

east bay community. a new complex just opened today in castro valley. crescent grove welcomed new residents with a tour of the property. the 72 units are located right by ruby street and crescent avenue. some of the units already are reserved for people who have recently become unhoused, as well as for veterans and people with disabilities. the remaining units were assigned based on a lottery system, to people who make less than 60% of the average income in the area. one new resident says she needed this complex to open. i was on a verge of homelessness right now. in my place where i stay now is inhabitable to live. and so when i say this place came just in time, it came just in time. a few other features of the complex include on site washer and dryers, as well as a community room and ev chargers. that's going to be great for them. all right, jeff is back with us. you know, it's really hard to enjoy the good weather

that we're having when we're seeing what's happening in southern california. you feel kind of guilty. and we've had some winds, but nothing like what they've seen down there. and the destruction is hard to watch. yeah, we talked about those top wind gusts getting up to 100mph for some locations. this was for hours on end. so there just really was no relief. right now we're not seeing the winds up to that threshold. so that is a little shred of good news down there in southern california. but they still have a very tough next 24 hours ahead before we get out of this wind. i did want to start off and take a look down here in southern california. again, we know so many of you have a lot of connections down here into southern californi whether you grew up there, you still have family down there. you have friends down there. you like to just go on road trips. you got your favorite spots to that you always tend to check out. you can see down here across southern california, los angeles, only five miles per hour. so not that gusty down in the valleys. but you'll notice here in the mountains, some of this bright color. that's pretty

consistent. we're averaging about 40 to 50 through the mountains. and with these fires already started, that still is a substantial amount of wind that still could blow those embers. we're going to have more reports on this coming up at 536. really all of our shows as we head through tonight. now back here across the bay area, we had some gusty winds early this morning that did get up to 50 and 60mph. thankfully, we had some rainfall over the past couple of months, and that's why we didn't have red flag fire warnings and all of that wind has subsided. we just got an isolated gust up here at mount saint helena to 33, so i don't see any problems here with wind as we roll through tonight. as we get a look right now in san jose. pretty good recovery for us. mostly clear skies and temperatures. it was nice this afternoon. temperature wise, 63 degrees will be down to some colder 40s right around 11:00. and here's the thing tomorrow high pressure continues to build in. that's going to keep us on this dry path of weather, even

right into this upcoming weekend. we'll talk more about some rain chances that could be coming our way here in just about a minute. but as we started off through tomorrow morning's forecast, we got some fog at the coastline, maybe some patchy fog around the bay. nothing that looks overly thick or widespread right now. and as we head through the afternoon, we will start to get in on some sunshine. so just remember to have that jacket out for tomorrow morning. temperatures are going to start it off here in the low to mid 40shroughout the bay area. so a chilly beginning 35 in san francisco east bay right here at 40. and daytime highs. we're going to get close to 70 down heren the south bay. so not a bad afternoon as we head through thursday 68 in san jose, 67 in morgan hill, 69 in milpitas. right over here to the east bay. 66 vallejo, 68, in danville, 65 in oakland, over to daly city. 62 redwood city, right here at 65, san francisco 63, in downtown and for the north bay. got you to 69. in napa, 67 in santa rosa. rainfall chances still look to really stay away

as we move through the next 7-day forecast, but we might actually start to see things change once we get into maybe the 18th and the 19th, we may actually see a few showers kind of pop up here through california. it's not the big storm system we'd like to see for the state, but it could be a little something for us. on that 7-day forecast, you'll see temperatures holding steady in the 60s and pretty much the same thing here through the inland valleys, with some chilly mornings in the 40s. so again, more checks on all of this coming up at 530 tonight. and on that southern california wind friday evening, it looks like the mountains would be below 30mph. and that's what those firefighters are waiting for right now. friday night. such a relief. yeah, just have to wait that 24 hours. thanks, jeff. sure. coming up, did the covid stimulus help contribute to inflation? treasury secretary janet yellen has some interesting thoughts as she prepares to leave her

these could impact inflation. that's according to the minutes from their meeting last month. officials expressed that concern about the effects that changes to immigration and trade policy could have on the u.s. economy. now, because of that uncertainty, they now plan to slow down interest rate cuts back in september. you'll remember the federal reserve predicted it would make four cuts this year. now it's only planning on making two. officials did, however, stress that it could change depending on what happens over the next few months. in one of her last interviews before leaving office, treasury secretary janet yellen said the stimulus spending during covid may have contributed to inflation.

secretary yellen today spoke with cnbc talking about the covid 19 pandemic and how she believed the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill was necessary to help people. although she did say it probably contributed a little bit to inflation. yellen went on to say supply chain problems were the main contributor to inflation in the past four years. president elect trump has tapped hedge fund executive scott bessent to take over the treasury. meanwhile, the dow jones rebounded today, rising by aut 106 points. the nasdaq fell by ten. the s&p managed to gain about nine despe that gain. it looked like all three were headed towards a weekly loss for the second week in a row. okay, wicked continues to earn accolades. the latest news

the cast learned they are headed back to the red carpet. the screen actor awards, or sag, shared its nominations today. the film landed five nominations. that includes one for best ensemble and individual nods for lead actors cynthia erivo, ariana grande and jonathan bailey. it's a big

deal, given that the sag awards are often a good indicator of who will receive oscar nominations. we shall see. all right. don't forget you can watch our newscast 24/7 on pluto and other streaming platforms. janelle joins me now with what's coming up at 530. jessica and kyra, right now at 530, we continue our breaking news coverage of the devastating wildfires in southern california. we're going to take you live to the front lines, and we'll have the latest updates on the fight by firefighters to gain some type of control as the fires remain at 0% containment. also done with congress and focusing on oakland, barra lee officially announced that she's running for mayor. we talked with her about the big move and two big name bay area companies are teaming up the partnership between facebook and ebay. the news at 530 starts right now. thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. and i'm janelle wang right now in los angeles, mayor