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 atat mt. wiln 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 more 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. 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 gerpen in the pacific 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 cld 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 much 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 er 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 formrmer presint, 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 thers 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: jmy 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 country right after this. crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. with skyrizi, feel symptom relief at 4 weeks. many people were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization may occur when treated for crohn's. ♪ control is everything to me. ♪

ask your gastroenterologist about skyrizi. (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. ask your gastroenterologist that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com 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. and lester, we're looking from norfolk all the way to dallas, anywhere from a tenth of an inch of ice to even a little bit less, going to cause some major problems on roads. >> all right, al, thanks very much. and coming up, the next struggle for many in los angeles. navigating insurance after the fires. what to know, after the break. what to know, after the break. disease... ...gritty eyes could be more than a rough patch. people with graves' could also get thyroid eye disease, or t-e-d, which may need a different doctor.

find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com. upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. advil liqui-gels are faster and stronger than tylenol rapid release gels. ♪♪ also from advil, advil targeted relief, the only topical with 4 powerful pain fighting ingredients that start working on contact and lasts up to 8 hours. known for pursuing your passions. no one wants to be known for cancer but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer.

fda-approved for 17 types of cancer, including certain early-stage and advanced cancers. one of those cancers is early-stage non—small cell lung cancer. keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies before surgery when you have early-stage lung cancer, which can be removed by surgery, and then continued alone after surgery to help prevent your lung cancer from coming back. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body during or after treatment. this may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity,y, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion, memory problems, persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. there may be other side effects. tell your doctor about all medical conditions, including immune system problems, such as crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus, if you've had or plan to have an organ, tissue, or stem cell transplant, received chest radiation,

or have a nervous system condition, such as myasthenia gravis or guillain-barré syndrome. keytruda is an immunotherapy and is also being studied in hundreds of clinical trials exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see all the types of cancer keytruda is known for at keytruda.com and ask your doctor if keytruda could be right for you. ah mornings! cough? congestion? i'm feeling better. all in one and done... with mucinex kickstart. aaaaaaaaaaaaa. - headache? - better now. mucinex kickstart gives all-in-one and done relief with a morning jolt of instant cooling sensation. it's comeback season. (vo) if you have graves' disease... instant cooling sensation. ...and itchy eyes, the truth may be even more uncomfortable. people with graves' could also get thyroid eye disease, or t-e-d, which may need a different doctor. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com.

even before the wildfires raging through southern california, the state was facing a major crisis. 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 document 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. taking paxlovid with certain medicines can lead... to serious or life- threatening side effects or affect how it... or other medicines work, is rol. r medicines may be needed. rol. tell them if you have kidney or liver problems, hiv-1, are or plan to be pregnant or breastfeed. don't take paxlovid if allergico its ingredients. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you have allergic reaction symptoms. serious side effects can include allergic reactions, some severe like anaphylaxis, and liver problems. these are not all the possible side effects, so talk to your doctor. if it's covid,... paxlovid.

ask your doctor today. ah mornings! cough? congestion? i'm feeling better. all in one and done... with mucinex kickstart. aaaaaaaaaaaaa. - headache? - better now. mucinex kickstart gives all-in-one and done relief with a morning jolt of instant cooling sensation. it's comeback season. the average dog only lives to be ten. that's ten birthdays, ten first summer swims, ten annual camping trips. at the farmer's dog, we don't think that's long enoh.

that's why our freshly made food comes pre-portioned just for your dog. because a dog at a healthy weight could live a longer, happier life. [dog barks] ♪♪ here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! how did i ever miss this? before you were preventing migraine with qulipta? you'll never truly forget migraine, but qulipta reduces attacks, making zero-migraine days possible. it's approved to prevent migraine to help give you that forg-you-get migraine feeling. don't take if allergic to qulipta. get help right away for serious allergic reactions, like trouble breathing, face, lip, or tongue swelling, itching or rash, which may occur when taking qulipta or days after. common side effects include nausea, constipation, and sleepiness. learn how abbvie could help you save.

qulia, the forget-you-get migraine medicine. 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 lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

[applause] ♪♪ >> kelly: welcome to the show. woo! [cheers & applause] we're going to open our times and share our favorite from kellys gone by. here's me and my band with fletchers, "heirs of us."

♪ how are you doin' ♪ ♪ where have you been ♪ ♪ i've been practicing this moment for like 20-something years in my head ♪ ♪ it's nice to meet you, that's what i said ♪ ♪ you said baby this is gonna be some movie we'll never forget ♪ ♪ sometimes i re-run those 16 seasons for the rush ♪ ♪ these are the eras of us, a story of love ♪ ♪ stealin' the air right from my lungs ♪ ♪ girl of my dreams forever we're young ♪ ♪ remember it just the way it is was the eras of us ♪ ♪ i didn't mean it when i said i was numb ♪ ♪ cause i'm feelin' every feelin' cutin' straight to my guts ♪

♪ but the problem is that i'm just an adrenaline slut ♪ ♪ yeah, i said it so what ♪ ♪ lately i've been swingin' fists and startin' a fight ♪ ♪ i've been tryna kill the memory of you in my mind ♪ ♪ it's cross i'm gonna bear until the day that i die ♪ ♪ yeah, i said it ♪ ♪ i miss the eras of us, a story of love ♪ ♪ stealin' the air right from my lungs ♪ ♪ girl of my dreams, i -- it up ♪ ♪ we had it all and now it's just ♪ ♪ how are you doin', where have you been ♪ ♪ i've been practicin' this moment, but i never thought i'd see you again ♪ [cheers & applause]

>> kelly: give it up for my band, ya'll. [cheers & applause] all right. let's get to our first guest. 22 years ago, he became the youngest person ever to win the oscar for lead actor for his performance in "the pianist." he's has countless roles like "midnight in paris." his new movie is call "the brutalist." please say hello to adrien brody. [cheers & applause] ♪♪ >> kelly: hello! i'm such a fan. >> nice crowd. >> kelly: i know. a lot of energy. a lot of energy. how is the first part of the new year treating you? >> it's good. you know, off to a good start. you know? >> kelly: yeah. >> should always be this easy.

>> kelly: exactly. you grew up in queens. when you come back, do you go to your old stomping grounds? >> yeah, i love this city. i had this old place -- i hadn't been there in awhile. i've been meaning to go back, which is a restaurant, el cayote at the chelsea hotel. used to go and get a lobster dinner. >> kelly: fancy. >> fancy but affordable. it was a cool spot. we used to go there a lot. but i -- i love the city, you know. >> kelly: yeah. it's a magical place to love. i moved here. it literally feels like i'm walking home from work and it's a movie. it's magical. i grew up in a small town. it's very different. i love that my kids are getting that. i love that you -- you have pretty artistic parents going up, right? >> yeah. >> kelly: that's cool. i didn't have anybody artistic. it was weird. yeah. still am. yeah. >> i'm pretty weird, too.

it doesn't make you not weird to have an artistic background. makes you feel like it's all good. you know, they're very encouraging. my mom is sylvia plachy. some of you might know who she is. she's an amazing photographer. my dad is also very talented. he can paint. he created all kinds of wonderful crafts and woodorks and things. but my mom used to -- in her work, she'd love behind all of these photos that were like test prints. she would let me draw and paint on them. so as a child, i grew up and my love of art and my love of painting that ensued really came from having imagery all the time. you know. >> kelly: that's so cool. yeah. something else i did not know about you, you raised -- raced

cars. >> yeah, i drag raced. racing. w nothing about drag >> there's nothing else to do. >> kelly: what got you in to that? >> all the kids on my block, a few kids that i related to had muscle cars. and i -- my dad loved cars -- loves cars as well, but like when i was a kid, i was obsessed with cars. couldn't really afford anything that worked, so i had to learn how to fix them. once you learn how to fix them, you learn how to make them go fast, pretty fast. yeah. one thing led to another. i love that time of my life. i'm glad i made it out of it, but -- >> kelly: yeah. alive. >> i'm alive. >> kelly: i love cars. i've owned a few. the problem with me, i don't know -- i don't know how to fix them. i had a 67 chevelle named

charlie. a rocket on wheels. >> i think they made a horror movie like that. >> kelly: me behind the wheel was the start of the movie. yeah, i love it. i just feel like it just drives differently. it's a different thing. we grew up poor. we didn't have money for anything like that. but then you have money to buy it and you i don't know what you're doing. >> cars were more forgiving then and more accessible. now it's like -- >> kelly: because of the technology. >> like i don't know what to do. >> kelly: yeah. i ask my children. is it true your family -- did they also have a glut of superstitions? >> yeah, they were -- it's funny. this film, "the brutalist" is about hungarian immigrant that comes to america. he -- i'm a descendant of hungarians that came to america. my mother, my grandparents aarrived in the 50s. they fled budapest