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like you work hard for your american dream. seeing the destruction firsthand, people returned to their southern california homes destroyed by the wildfires. and this firefight is far from over. as a new wildfire just popped up. good thursday afternoon, i'm janelle wang. welcome to nbc bay area news at 4:30. more deaths, more devastation and thousands more homes believed to be destroyed as those southern california wildfires rage on. only hopeful news firefighters have gotten the upper hand of the woodley fire, but they are still stretched thin, tackling all these growing and raging wildfires, including the largest fire, the palisades fire and the eaton fire, burning in altadena. both are still 0% contained and just in the last 90 minutes, a brand new fire igniting in the west hills area, quickly forcing

evacuations. it is being called the kenneth fire. it's burning right off highway 101 near calabasas, which is near the la ventura county border. it's already burned about 50 acres so far, fueled by those powerful santa ana winds, the area still remaining under a red flag warning. we are also learning today that the palisades fire has turned deadly. human remains were found last night in the rubble of this destroyed malibu home. and we want to show you aerials above the palisades fire, where you can see most of the homes leveled, some scattered within that somehow luckily stayed standing. cal fire says it's now estimating that some 5300 buildings have been destroyed. these are just preliminary numbers, but many are homes, businesses, trailers and rvs. it's already being called the most destructive in l.a. history. the fire again, 0% contained. officials are also

now saying 4 to 5000 buildings have been destroyed in the altadena area by the eaton fire. they're also now saying that four people have been killed by this fire, not five. a firefighter was injured fighting this fire this morning, but they are expected to make a full recovery. i took video of everything before. i like fleeing in a panic. tk video of everything i could before i left. yeah. it's gone. just absolute. it's the further you go up, it's just t an absolute wasteland. when we came yesterday, it looked like an inferno in here. it looked like a tornado. the winds were so high and the fire was burning sideways. it was. it was heartbreaking. i hope no other families have to go through this. 400 federal firefighters, along with firefighting aircraft, have been sent to the state. president biden and vice president harris met with federal officials today after the president approved a federal disaster declaration yesterday.

president biden says governor newsom asked him for more funding this morning. so today, i'm announcing that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost for 180 days. this is going to pay for things like debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters, first responders, salaries, and all necessary measures to protect life and property. and let's take an aerial shot of the new fire that just popped up this afternoon. this is the kenneth fire burning just north of highway 101 and near calabasas and in the west hills area. meantime, authorities are now working to establish a curfew to prevent looting. sheriff's department has already made at least 20 arrests since theseildfires broke out on tuesday. more than 420,000 people in the city are without power. as you can see, the aerial fight is going on right now, which is good news, which means the winds have died down just enough for these aircraft

to launch again. but they have been grounded at times because the gusts are just so powerful. meantime, nbc's brittany hope is along the pacific coast highway with more on the devastation from the palisades fire. we're just east of dukes, which is an iconic restaurant that's been in malibu for decades now. and with that light and visibility, unfortunately all of the destruction here is being revealed home after home after home. oceanfront properties. we can hear the crashing of the waves. totally gone. a lot of it is still smoldering. we can smell all of the chemicals and things that were inside these properties that were burning. it's just complete devastation. palm trees somehow still standing, but their fronds and their leaves are singed off. now we've driven pch from topanga canyon boulevard all the way into malibu proper, toward

pepperdine. pepperdine wa where the franklin fire was just last month, where so much of malibu burned. we talked to an l.a. fire captain. he said the only thing that stopped this fire now, the palisades fire from going further into malibu was the burn scar from the franklin fire. but home after home after home destroyed. and this is what we're seeing on pch right now. this iconic highway showcasing the california coast on both sides of the street, homes and businesses gone. but then we see pockets like these homes here that aretill standing. there's not a lot of rhyme or reason of why something is standing and something isn't. but what we do know is that so many homes and properties and families are destroyed by this reporting in malibu. brittany, hope back to you. thank you. brittany. let's bring in our meteorologist, vianey arana and vianey. we're not seeing those hurricane force winds that we saw like tuesday night. winds have died down a little bit, but they could just

pick right back up this red flag warning extended now. that's right. and it wouldn't surprise me if it got extended through the weekend. the reason being is because the humidity is just so low. and by looking at the model runs, it looks like we have a potential for another wind event. so those wind gusts are expected to ramp back up overnight into tomorrow. i'm going to take you through a map of that, but i want to give you some perspective here. as far as some of the fires that are actively burning in la, we just added that kenneth fire near calabasas. wind gusts there right now, still at about 20 to 30, and it could get even gustier into the overnight hours. you know, one of the big fires, one of the biggest that we've been following, of course, is that palisades fire almost at 20,000 acres. and current conditions show temperature wise. we've been in the 60s, but that's not the number we're worried about. look at the relative humidity there. it's about 12%. so we are bone dry out here dealing with any form of wind gusts. one spark could really change things and amp up these fires. now let's talk about the very important wind map. if you'd like to follow along there. we've put a time stamp in the corner thursday 5

p.m. so this is what we're looking at within the next 30 minutes or so. notice still looking at that la ventura county stretch 30 plus mile per hour winds. i'm going to advance this into the overnight early morning hours because i mentioned that we could see these wind gusts offshore kick up a notch again from the north northeast. and that's exactly what we're seeing. notice right around 5 a.m. look at this area. santa clarita, 50 plus thousand oaks, calabasas, right near where that fire is actively burning 61 mile per hour. wind gusts could be a possibility as we inch into that early friday morning. when do we see relief? well, let me move on over this way so i can show you that 5 p.m. hour is when we finally start to see some of those winds diminishing. but unfortunately, even though we're in a calm down into friday and saturday, it looks like we're on tap right now for a potential another wind event heading into sunday and into next week, but we'll keep you tapped in. i'll have a local look at your forecast coming up in a few minutes. okay. thank you. vianey. well, bay area technology helping to fight these wildfires down south. let's bring in our business and

tech reporter scott. scott, you got an exclusive look at san jose state's fire lab. what does it do? what do they show you? well, this is interesting, janelle. we heard from a lot of these people. we did a story yesterday about technology fighting fires, and we heard such a big response. it turns out there's a lot more at san jose state. they're actually mapping and forecasting this through their weather and wildfire department and their climate department to see where the winds have gone and where they're likely to go. and this really helps not only in charting where the flames might go, but also what areas might need to be evacuated. so it's the kind of thing that can perhaps predict what might come next. and that's so important in firefighting for sure. what about the giant robot helping on the front lines? right. that would be the thermite robot. and that's something that actually there is one in use in california. there are some of these scattered around the country. this is made by a company, and it is just a giant, super powerful robot that goes into places and structures where humans probably should, not because of chemicals or because of concerns of roofs collapsing. this can barge through just about anything and then send

huge streams of water. so it's the kind of thing that when there's lots of structures that are on fire, they're going to send this in there. and again, there is one of these on the ground in los angeles. it looks pretty powerful, like a mini fire truck. yeah. a popular app during this time is the watch duty app. it's made out of santa rosa. how does that app work? watch duty is an app that will tell you again where the flames are and where the evacuation orders are. janelle. and it has become the number one downloaded app in the apple app store over the last two days, more than 1.5 million people downloading it. all the information it really says is in one place, so you don't have to go to 3 or 4 different websites or apps. it will tell you where the fire is, where you can evacuate to, where the evacuation orders are. and it has really become a place. it's interesting you go on twitter right now and you see celebrities talking about how well, thank goodness that i had this app and i got out on time. so it's one of these ways, instant communication. and that's what so many people need right now. yeah. the residents are just craving information. anything they can get their hands on. okay. thank you scott. we'll check out this video. it's

new video, giving us a scope of just how quickly this escalated. time lapse video taken from alert cameras. you can see the intense fire conditions develop as the palisades fire quickly on tuesday. it is currently the largest wildfire burning in california. warriors coach steve kerr grew up in pacific palisades, and he says his 90 year old mother was evacuated. she is safe, but his childhood home has burned down. town looks like it has just been completely wiped out. it's surreal and devastating. it's hard to even fathom how pacific palisades. rebuilds and how it becomes a thriving community again. it's just shocking. kerr said he just had dinner with his mother at that home a few weeks ago. the fires in southern california are triggering horrible memories and new concerns for many in the bay

area. tonight, the devastation we are seeing right now also endured in multiple northern california communities, from wine country to the santa cruz mountains to the oakland hills. jacqueline brown not only lost her family home in the 1991 oakland hills firestorm, but two of her next door neighbors lost their lives in that fire. it's not something you can describe. it's something you have to feel, and it never goes away. you can put it in a safe place, but it's always tucked away. you can never forget that. the destruction has also triggered new concerns about oakland's decision to close down two fire stations, in an effort to help balance the budget. some people are now joining the oakland firefighters union and calling for the city to immediately reopen those fire stations. the city council had previously said the closures were unavoidable, as the city looks to fill a $129 million budget deficit. we are

monitoring these wildfires 24/7 online. you can get lots of information and stay up to date. also by downloading our free nbc bay area app. we have a lot more news ahead. clearing out rv encampments in san jose. the city lauhes a new program to tow them away. but where will these people go? are ian cull is looking into those efforts. also, where is the best place to find a job? the bay area isn't bad, but it's not number one. we're going to show you a

new solutions to its long running issue of people parking and living in their rvs on city streets. and as part of the process, it's also cracking down on more than two dozen sites where rvs are stacking up. today, the mayor outlined the crackdown and offered suggestions about where these people can go. our ian cull was there with the mayor, who

explained the new plan. and ian, tell us and you join us with the details. yeah. and this is all starting with city crews putting out temporary no stopping those tow away signs. today it was in south san jose, near chenowith park. the city will ultimately focus on 30 rv dweller sites near schools and neighborhoods. the people living in these rvs are being told they have two weeks to move, or they'll be towed. city leaders say the goal is to improve the safety and quality of life for all residents. the city estimates there are 2000 oversize vehicles like these on the streets. we are going to set a new expectation that we will not have permanent encampments of dozens of rvs as a permanent living condition. so, ian, usually they just move from one place to the other. where are these rv residents supposed to go now? is the city doing anything to provide them alternate locations? yeah, and the mayor pointed out today that they are planning on having 1000 interim housing units go online or open this year, and the

city's second and largest safe parking site is expected to open soon. that's near the san jose flea market. it will host 85 vehicles, and the mayor agrees the crackdown is an imperfect fix, but says the neighborhoods that these rvs are using now won't work long term. i also talked with paul peterson, who has lived on the street for three months. he says that he'll have to move his rv to a more industrial area soon. you know, it's a cat and a mouse and the creeks, it's a cat and mouse. and on the streets, it's just, you know, and it's just a repeat. it's just a vicious circle, really. and today, mayor mehan also suggested that people who plan to live in their rvs long term could either find an rv park or property owned by friends and family if they can't find one of those safe rv parking sites. he says bottom line, this situation just isn't working. you'll hear more from both sides and all sides coming up at 530. okay, we'll see you soon. thank you. ian. the new mayor of san francisco, daniel lurie, is making his first official move with a citywide

hiring freeze on his first day in office. mayor lurie says he's working to curb spending to get ahead of the city's budget deficit. so he has ordered the city to stop hiring new city workers and pause new contracts or programs that have not already started. the mayor is also ordering other departments to realign their spending with the city's priorities. our vianey arena is back getting a check of our weather. it's been pretty consistent, kind of chilly in the morning, and then the sunshine pops up and we warm up during the day. we've had clear skies, and that's what we're seeing on our live cameras throughout. no rain right now in the forecast for the bay area. but i do want to talk about the temperatures, of course, because we're actually rather mild and above average. we've got some 70s on here right now. so let's get right to your microclimate forecast, because i'm also keeping an eye on winds here locally. now as we look at this map, you'll notice we've got several 70s that include concord areas in through san jose. also today climbing into those 70s. so we've definitely got that ridge of high pressure that's bringing this warmth and the sunny skies. and if you look at

satellite radar right now, we've got those clear conditions through and through. now because of this, we're going to remain dry. but also we've got to monitor how the wind speeds are doing. now. we can expect to see, for the most part, calm winds, breezy at times though you'll notice in through this evening for san jose 14 to 15 plus and could get gusty at times for some of the higher ridges, especially up through parts of the north bay. in the next couple of hours. notice that we go to about 15 to 20 plus. as we get into that ten 11:00 hour, we'll get some gusts around the coastline and we can expect to see those coming from the north. so not as far as wind advisory wind events, but still in some of those higher peaks. we've got to remain cautious as we're seeing these dry conditions temperature wise heading into your friday forecast. very similar to today, except for less 70s on the map. we're going to see upper 60s throughout for san jose, 68 degrees. martinez, 60 for napa in the 60s, san francisco in those low 60s as well. and this is going to guide us into the weekend forecast as well. we're expecting to remain dry. and

here's a sneak peek at your 7-day forecast. you're going to notice on the icons a lot of sunshine right now looking at the long range outlook. we really don't have any sort of rain in sight. we're going to keep the sunshine and also the temperatures will remain in the 60s through the weekend for the city, getting even warmer for the interior. but i'm also monitoring the extended outlook into the rest of january and of course, the conditions of southern california once again. so stick around. i'll be back at 5:00. janelle okay, we'll see you then. thank you. vianey are you looking for a job? if you are, you might want to head to arizona. a city in the grand canyon state tops a new list of where to find a job. but the bay area ain't bad either. here's our marcus washington with the details. well, important new data to tell you about for job seekers trying to make it in the bay. wallethub. out with a new list of best u.s. cities to find a job, researchers looked at 182 of america's largest cities scottsdale, arizona, ranking first with pittsburgh, pennsylvania, and columbia, maryland, close behind. now,

here in the bay area, san franancisco ranks 18th. silicon valley sits in the top quarter. oakland and santa rosa are squarely in the back half now. the metrics here include cost of living, starting salaries, and median household income. wallethub chris lupo says that the bay area leads everywhere else when it comes to the average starting salaries and pay rates in the large chunk of the nation, just not keeping up with inflation. while there's a robust job market there, there still seems to be a significant segment of the population that's maybe working a maybe 1 or 2 pay levels below what their what they should be, what their qualifications would indicate. okay. so he also says that you stand a better chance of boosting your salary by changing employers. and the best sources for jobs, but still to find them through personal networking. you get stories like this when you join us for today in the bay. be sure to join us every morning, monday through friday from 5 to 7. and good luck if you're

looking for a new job. i'm marcus washington. back to you. thank you. marcus. we are going to go back to our wildfire coverage. the loss and destruction just unimaginable. hundreds of homes, thousands actually destroyed in southern california, including some celebrity homes. how they're responding to

fires raging in southern california. this is the newest one. it broke out just before three this afternoon. it's about 50 acres. it's burning just north of 101 near calabasasas. overall, over 10,000 structures have burned in these wildfires in southern california, many of them homes. five people confirmed dead tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders. and we are getting word moments ago that a drawing a drone collided with a firefighting aircraft. it happened over the palisades fire today. fortunately, the aircraft

landed safely. the faa is now investigating. we do not know who was operating that drone. the wildfires raging in southern california have been some of the most destructive in hollywood's biggest stars are among those who have lost their homes. paris hilton said she knew her beachfront property was destroyed when she was watching the news. actress mandy moore posted pictures to her instagram of her husband sifting through the rubble. and this is in altadena, where the eaton fire is burning. actor cameron mathison posted a video showing what is left of his home. parts of it still on fire. other celebrities dealing with the loss of their properties include billy crystal, ricki lake, and rosie o'donnell, and one of nbc's own is mourning the loss of his childhood home. jacob soboroff grew up in pacific palisades. he is now in la, currently covering the wildfires, and he got a chance to stop by the home he grew up

in. he became emotional when he first saw it reduced to ashes. it's just one of the hundreds of homes burned to the ground. the announcement of the oscar nominations being pushed back now because of these ongoing wildfires, the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences revealed today the list of nominees this year will not be unveiled now until sunday, january 19th. the move gives voters two extra days to get their pks in for the awards show, still scheduled for march 2nd. there are nearly 10,000 voters for the academy awards, with many based in l.a. the voting extension comes after delays for the critics choice and sag awards. that's going to do it for us at 430, but there is a lot more news ahead. jessica aguirre and candice nguyen are working on the 5:00 newscast. they're going to join you in two minutes.

wildfire still burning out of control in southern california continues within the past couple of hours. a new fire has sparked, threatening more homes. we have complete coverage throughout this newscast. also, more destruction left behind by the fires. tonight, we spent time with a bay area woman who travels to decimated communities to help. she provides to fire victims as they look to rebuild their lives. and remembering former president jimmy carter. the funeral that brought together former presidents for one final goodbye. the news starts at five right now. thanks for joining us. i'm candidice uyen. and i'm jessica aguirre. those santa ana winds continue to fuel these wildfires across los angeles. and just as firefighters start making some progress on the current fires, we are tracking a new blaze heading towards the calabasas area in ventura county. now, this is being called the kenneth fire, and it's burning off highway 101 near the la ventura

county border. the fire started shortly before four this afternoon and has already burned more than 50 acres. evacuations have been ordered. you can see here homes very close to the fire's path here. even though fire crews are stretched just so thin right now, they are responding quickly to try and knock down some of these flames early on. the new fire comes as a red flag warning has now been extended to tomorrow night. all right, let's talk about the original fire. that palisades fire. it has now grown to almost 20,000 acres. that is bigger. think about this than the entire city of palo alto. and the devastation is widespread. cal fire now estimating that at least 5300 buildings may have been destroyed. and a lot of those are homes. now that palisades fire has also now turned deadly. human remains were found las night in the rubble of this destroyed malibu home. this is along the iconic pacific coa