there were 1200 people in the queue. tickets range from 500 to $1900. the match between the quakes and inter miami cf will be held at paypal park in san jose in may. coming up tonight at seven, why did the water run out for some firefighters in southern california? and tonight, the race to contain the catastrophic wildfires in southern california that have destroyed more than 9,000 structures. the historic fires burning out of control in the los angeles area. new images showing the scope of the destruction. at least five dead, including the first confirmed fatality from the palisades fire, the most destructive blaze in the city's history. officials warning the toll will likely rise. the flames burning tens of thousands of acres and now threatening critical communications towers. a staggering 180,000 people forced to evacuate. now families returning to find their homes burned to the ground.

officials under scrutiny for their preparation and response. our team on the front lines as firefighters encounter yet another failing hydrant. also tonight, the major winter storm slamming the south from new mexico to virginia and causing travel chaos. over 2,000 flights canceled across the country. the farewell to former president jimmy carter. the emotional state funeral at the national cathedral, bringing together all five living presidents. and then the late president's final journey to his hometown in georgia. and amid the utter devastation the symbol of hope still standing in the ashes of southern california. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening and welcome. tonight in los angeles county the smoke plumes parting long enough to reveal the heart-crushing extent of loss, stretching across neighborhoods in the eye of those deadly fire storms. in altadena two aerial images of a single

neighborhood tell the story, one a before photo of tree-lined streets and modest homes, the other what is now left. block after block of utter devastation. tonight, multiple major wildfires still burning across more than 45 square miles of the sprawling county. from inland cities north and northeast of downtown los angeles to the oceanfront enclave of pacific palisades to the west, where the first fatality from that fire was revealed today and where this drone video captured a barely recognizable hellscape that was once a thriving community and tourist favorite. the fires continue to defy efforts to contain them. at one point flames making a high-speed run at mt. wilson and its array of tv and communications towers. overall, calmer winds today aiding the fight against the most destructive fire in l.a.'s history. tom llamas is there to start us off tonight.

tom, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. what you see behind me here is a pile of misery, and it is not unique. there are several communities and neighborhoods and residential areas that look just like this. this was a shopping center, and beyond that a school. and now you can't even figure out what it is. tonight, everyone in this area is praying that the winds don't pick up. a firefighter telling me that the smallest ember with those winds can turn into a blowtorch. this is what the most destructive wildfire in los angeles history looks like. >> everything is gone. >> reporter: the toll of the devastation is staggering. thousands of structures already obliterated. more than authorities can even count. the burn area in the pacific palisades now bigger than manhattan. the fire killing five people. >> i think the death toll will rise. i hope i'm wrong. but i think it's going to rise. >> reporter: these apocalyptic conditions now in their third day, and the biggest

infernos are still zero percent contained. this is one of the eeriest scenes we've seen so far. this is where the cars that were abandoned when people got stuck in gridlock and had to run for safety. a bulldozer came through here to let fire crews out. those cars were spared but these cars right here were stuck in the inferno. you can see how hot it got. look at that. that's molten metal that was rolling down the bluff. and today stunning video showing the threat to los angeles's infrastructure. as the eaton fire approached the transmission towers on mt. wilson. threatening radio, cellular and broadcast signals citywide. roughly 2,000 firefighters are still stretched across the front lines. but it's not enough. residents pitching in to save their own homes. >> this is a tragedy. >> you just never think it's going to be you. and now that it is me, i can't tell you the amount of heaviness in this disaster. >> reporter: we met the champion family, who lost everything. >> what i would give

to do dishes in our own house, which is like so basic, but things that you take for granted. all this life that we built here. >> reporter: and the threat is not over. last night new fires ignited. near more heavily populated areas. the sunset fire triggering rush hour evacuations in the heart of hollywood. miraculously a break in the winds let crews attack the fire from the air, stopping the blaze before it could reach homes. these firefighters are going nonstop. 60 hours battling mo than just the flames. >> how's your water pressure been? >> water pressure's been a big issue. we have had dead hydrants. so we've been having to go back to sunset boulevard to get water to come all the way out here. >> reporter: the smoke hasn't cleared and anger is growing. many questions loom. was los angeles prepared? >> we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn't work, and to correct or to hold accountable anybody, department, individual, et cetera. >> reporter: failing

water pressure and hydrants leading to a heated moment. a fire victim challenging california's governor. >> why was there no water in the hydrants, governor? >> that's all literally -- >> is it going to be different next time? >> it has to be. >> reporter: while the cause of the fire is still unknown, the damage is incalculable. before and after satellite pictures show the story. on the malibu coast a row of multimillion-dollar mansions laid to waste. 40 miles away this view from altadena. a middle-class neighborhood dotted with destructive fires. >> it's a wasteland. >> reporter: for those coming back home looks like a hellscape. >> you couldn't even recognize it on our way up here. we didn't even know where we were one block from our house because everything was so different, there's no landmarks left. >> and tom, you mentioned there was a break in the weather. the winds were a bit more favorable today. but the situation is growing more serious this evening. >> reporter: that's right. firefighters are still working around the clock.k. officials believe the death toll will likely grow as they check out

more neighborhoods. and there's one more thing they're warning about tonight, and that is looters. if you can believe it, lester, people are coming to areas like this and stealing what little people have left. so far there have been at least a dozen arrests. lester? >> all right, tom, thank you. the task of fighting such a massive area of fire is immense, and as morgan chesky reports, the struggle for water is complicating the fight on the front lines. >> reporter: tonight a relentless firefight far from over. front line crews facing challenges that only start with the flames. >> what have we got going? >> so what we have is the fire's already burned through here. >> what we're looking at right now could have been caused by a single ember? >> one ember could have caused this. >> reporter: we joined los angeles fire captain adam van gerprpen in thpacific palisades. >> this hydrant has no water in it. >> reporter: where lack of water, critical to battling a still active wildfire, frustrated crews. this one from san francisco. >> what should the water pressure be right now ideally? >> i mean, you want 50

to 80 is your ideal hydrant pressure. >> and what have you got? >> i'm bouncing between zero, 50. it's not a consistent pressure. >> reporter: as nearby hydrants failed and water pressure fell, firefighters above switching from offense to defense. >> when you run out of water in that engine -- >> not much we can do then. we came out, this is our first job for the day. >> reporter: flames burning for precious minutes before any reinforcements could arrive. >> had we had water earlier on in the firefight we probably could have stopped it from getting this big. >> reporter: this is something we have not seen often, but when the hydrants are dry crews have to rely on these tanker trucks because the fire waits for no one. the situation a familiar one for the captain, a 25-year veteran of the lafd. mere blocks away another call coming in for another home up in flames. if we had any wind right now, completely different firefight? >> 100% different firefight. >> reporter: just feet away, a million-dollar view burned beyond recognition.

>> there's not even a single home from this entire viewpoint that we can see that has survived. >> reporter: if you had officials in front of you right now, what would you ask for? to have had a proper firefight here. >> more firefighters, more fire hydrants, more air-dropping capabilities. we need more of everything. >> reporter: tonight these crews doing whatever they can with whatever they have. fighting a historic disaster head on. >> and morgan, this all coming out of a red flag warning. do those remain in effect? >> reporter: yeah, lester, they absolutely do. and that's one of the big concerns of the crew we embedded with today. they tell us that one ember can travel up to two miles, and that is why until that red flag warning expires at 6:00 p.m. on friday everyone needs to stay on guard because a potential fire could pop up almost anywhere. lester? >> morgan chesky, thank you. and the view from space shows the magnitude of the fire in altadena. just part of the fire zone. and for so many returning home today

there was little left. gadi schwartz joins us. and gadi, you spent the day in altadena. what did you find? >> reporter: lester, heartbreak. we found so mu heartbreak. people coming back to nothing left at all. in fact, this building right here, this is the outlier because this building still has walls up. so many of the homes that we visited today were down to the foundations. bunch of melted metal and piles of ash. in altadena today desolation and eerie silence punctured by gas lines still spewing fire. in the destruction there was a search for anything with meaning. >> this is everything you own. >> everything. and then you know, now we're just trying to find something. i mean, i don't care like my kid found a teacup, half a teacup. broke. she was thrilled. you know? i mean, what else can we get, man? it's gone, bro. >> reporter: as the flames descended at 4:00 in the morning,

rupert garcia tried to fight back. >> this tree caught on fire. embers were flying all over the place onto the house. >> reporter: one ember even scorching his cheek. >> at what point did you realize that like i'm not going to save the house? >> when my son-in-law grabbed me like this and said no, we've got to go. >> wow. >> and i was like no, man. i turned around, i can't go, bro. 51 years, man, i've been in this house. >> reporter: shortly after rupert was forced to flee the neighborhood we arrived to find what felt like a hurricane of fire. in the chaos we spotted a horse alone and trapped in an inferno and ran to get help. this is firefighter garrett moore jumping into action. >> i was keeping him cool. i sprayed some water around him. >> reporter: today when we met up with garrett again we learned the horse survived. but across the way jose de la torre shows us what was the garage full of landscaping tools he had just invested in. now his livelihood along with almost everything else gone in an instant. so often we hear they escaped only with the clothes on their back. >> i didn't get anything. this is it. look at my shoes. see? these are my house

slippers. >> reporter: tonight that is the shared and terrible reality. >> you work hard for your american dream. >> reporter: for so many in a community who came face to face with these flames. gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena, california. there is breaking news from the supreme court tonight after president-elect donald trump asked the justices to intervene before his sentencing tomorrow in his hush money case. laura jarrett is here. what did the court say? >> yeah, lester. no question this is a major blow to the former president, the president-elect, who had tried every way possible to get this sentencing called off. tried to get it blocked. they appealed every way they know how. and tonight the supreme court handing down a very short order saying it will go forward. they're refusing to block it. we don't know all of the reasons why but they do at least list two. saying one, he still has an appeal in the state court if he thinks there were evidentiary issues with things that came in at trial. and two, they also say because judge merchan who's overseeing this case said he's not

going to get any prison time they're going to let it go forward tonight, lester. >> laura, thanks very much. former president jimmy carter is remembered for his kindness, compassion and character as four of his successors were among those who gathered for his funeral at the national cathedral. here's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: the passing of a president offers a rare moment of national reflection. stirring traditions played out today to honor the life of jimmy carter. ♪ amazing grace ♪ the 39th president brought together decades of his successors. their interactions appearing to set aside conflicts in politics and personalities. one handshake ended nearly four years of no contact between former vice president pence and the president he served. and mr. obama and mr. trump engaged in conversation. in his eulogy president biden praised carter's example of leadership.

>> strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. >> reporter: sons of the late republican president gerald ford and carter's vice president walter mondale read tributes their fathers had written. >> it was because of our shared values that jimmy and i respected each other as adversaries even before we cherished one another as dear friends. >> we told the truth. we obeyed the law. and we kept the peace. ♪ imagine there's ♪ >> reporter:father was likely to show up remembered as a global humanitarian, to his family a regular guy at home. >> my grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some '70s short shorts and crocs. >> reporter: jimmy carter's long faithful journey ends tonight. forever a son of plains, georgia. kelly o'donnell, nbc news. we'll take a break now, and in 60 seconds al roker on when conditions will calm down in california. f the

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welcome back. those on the front lines of the firefight in southern california are hoping for conditions to improve. al roker is here. any relief in sight, al? >> just a little bit, lester, and then it's going to get bad again unfortunately. the red flag warnings now still for 17 million people. wind gusts tonight. 65-mile-per-hour plus single-digit relative humidity. the gusts redevelop tonight, especially over the hills and the mountains. they die down a bit. then latter part of the weekend into next week they increase again unfortunately. thanks to a warming climate and persistent drought more than half of the top 20 largest fires have happened in california in the last five years. right now 86 million people looking at winter weather advisories, storm warnings from the southwest to the coast. big storm system now getting itself together, bringing snow to oklahoma, northern texas. one to three inches of a sloppy icy mix in dallas. six to nine in little rock. two to five in charleston.

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thousands of homeowners dropped from their insurance. now as liz kreutz reports many who've lost everything could struggle to be made whole again. >> hey, bring the engine right here. >> reporter: as wildfires continue to rage in california, one estimate says the insured losses are already at least $20 billion. for briana navarro the loss is incalculable. >> she loved her family. >> reporter: she believes her grandmother, arlene kelly, perished at their home in the eaton fire. >> i thought she would be like 99. you know? just walking around. >> reporter: their house of more than 40 years burned to the ground. >> are you worried as you rebuild that you won't be able to get insurance anymore? >> possibly. yeah. it's difficult. where do you even start? >> reporter: 7 of california's top 12 home insurers either paused or limited policies over the last two years.

state farm, which has 21% of the market share in the state, announced in march it was making the difficult but necessary decisions that would mean not renewing 30,000 home policies in the state, ending 69% of its policies in the now devastated pacific palisades. >> insurance in california is horrifying. >> reporter: in altadena dustin and erin rubin say they were dropped from another insurance company last year. it was only last month they finally found a company that would give them coverage. >> no matter how many other people weren't able to get that policy at the 11th hour, because you worked very hard to get it. >> reporter: more and more californians are turning to the state created insurance provider of last resort called fair plan, a temporary safety net offering basic coverage when people can't get insured through private companies. with enrollment in home policies surging 123% in the past four years. ricardo lara is california's insurance commissioner. >> once people submit their claims when should they expect to see the money? >> so it all depends. i know it's difficult and a difficult answer. i want to make sure that we get it as quickly as possible. weeks if not a month. >> reporter: experts say those who have

suffered a loss from the wildfires should keep track of all expenditures, start going through photos and videos that can be used as evidence to show what was in the home, and documentnt everything. something many here are doing right now. and the governor here in california telling me he expects these fires to be among the most costly disasters of our lifetime. so many losing everything. and the process of being made whole just getting started. lester? >> liz, thank you for that. up next, signs of hope amid the ruins. what our jacob soboroff found still standing in his old neighborhood. stay with us. standing in his old neighborhood. stay with us. i'm not waiting. if it's covid, paxlovid. paxlovid is an oral treatment for adults... with mild-to- moderate covid-19 and a high-risk factor for it becoming severe. it does not prevent covid-19. my symptoms are mild now, but i'm not risking it. if it's covid, paxlovid. paxlovid must be taken within the first 5 days of symptoms... and helps stop the virus from multiplying in your body. tataking paxvid with certain medicines can lead... to serious or life- threatening side effects or affect how it... or other medicines work,

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notorious finally tonight, the palisades fire destroyed so many houses of worship. but one is still standing tonight, and our jacob soboroff is there. >> everything across the street from the synagogue burned down. but the synagogue is still here. what's it like to see it? >> surreal. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: for rabbis amy bernstein and daniel sher and cantor chayim frenkel seeing the kehillat israel synagogue standing amid so much devastation is staggering. >> look at this. this is the ash that came through the door. >> yeah. >> i'm so glad it's here i'm so glad. >> knowing what happened outside of

these walls and seeing even just this piece is -- >> the remnants of the palisades is right here. >> wow. >> this is the community in which i went to preschool. >> yes. >> my siblings had their bar and bat mitzvahs here. >> this is now a refuge for the entire community, not just the jewish community. >> you know what, chayim? you could fill the sanctuary with your congregants who lost their homes. >> correct. >> yes. >> at least this home is standing for so many people. so many of us. this is our home. >> when tragedy strikes and disaster strikes, we turn to our faith. and that's what this represents. i sing this lovingly for our community to heal. ♪ [ singing in a global language ]

♪ >> and that is "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm lesterer holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.

fire is one of the most destructctive natural disastersn the history of los angeles. right on nbc bay area news