set to begin. first up, pete hegseth, his pick for defense secretary. the tough questions he faces about his experience and his conduct. the alarming new study on the rising risk of dementia, and what you can do to minimize your risk. and the emotional reunion in california. the dog back together with his owner and the firefighter who saved his life. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> and good evening. i'm tom llamas in for lester, who is on assignment overseas. tonight there is new concern about the fire emergency and threat here in los angeles. that's because the santa ana winds that spread these fires so rapidly and destructively are once again forecast to ramp up. the situation so extreme, the national weather service says, quote, this setup is about as bad as it gets. there is some progress, though.

we saw firsthand the palisades fire, the largest, is 14% contained. and the eaton fire is now 33% contained. brushfires sparking even as far south as san diego at the marine corps air station in miramar. in a moment, we take you on the front lines with hot spot crews working these dry hills, knowing the fires could kick up at any moment. the mission is urgent tonight. for now, at least 24 people are reported dead, with many more missing. tonight, about 100,000 people here remain under evacuation orders. and for many, the next big challenge is finding a temporary place to live with not much available, and when it is, sometimes the prices have been raised sky-high. we'll get to that in a moment. but first, the latest on the firefight. >> reporter: fire crews working nonstop waging an all-out battle from the air and the ground as they brace for the worst of those punishing santa ana winds. the national weather service warning

conditions to be as bad as it gets, with the potential for hurricane-force winds over the next 48 hours. 13 milli are under red flag warnings, stretching north of santa barbara to san diego county. with more than 8,000 firefighters now in the front lines, officials insist they're better prepared with more ground and air resources this time around. just behind us here, you can see a massive burn scar. there is no more smoke, no more fire, but there is still a danger. that's why there are lines of firefighters right now with cutting tools like chainsaws and axes, clearing all the brush, making sure there is no fuel in case the winds pick up and carry embers. we were with cal fire as they worked to clear brush before the dangerous winds hit burn zones. so you're worried about this area because there is still brush here and it's so close to those homes right there? >> that's correct. >> reporter: firefighters lined up on cliffs, scaling canyons, and on the lookout. >> they're putting their lives on the line to get out in front of something that most people wouldn't get in front of.

>> reporter: over the weekend, california's national guard dropping flame retardant on hot spots in the palisades fire after flare-ups force new evacuations in encino and brentwood, triggering this eerie firenado. the eaton and palisades fire still mostly uncontained, with speculation on the origins of the infernos running rampant. the atf now leading a newly formed task force to investigate the cause of the palisades fire. as multiple law enforcement sources tell nbc news that a possible human cause is an early focus in this case. >> they're identifying cause and origin for each of these separate fires. there are so many of them. none have been ruled out of arson. >> reporter: the death toll has now reached 24 and expected to rise, including 95-year-old dalyce "mama d" curry. of altadena. >> that was her refrigerator. this is where she would be. >> reporter: her granddaughter looking for her remains in

what is left of her home. >> mama d? are you here? >> reporter: officials today ging residents to stay out of evacuation zones. >> people are saying i just want to go look at my house and i want to see what's left. we know that, but we have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors. >> reporter: law enforcement in the region announcing more than 70 arrests, including looting and burglary charges. the fbi says unauthorized drones over the fire zones are now well into the double-digits as they search for the drone pilot that crashed into a canadian superscooper last week, grounding the aircraft for days. today the los angeles unified school district reopened most of its one thousand campuses, giving students some return to normalcy. >> i was pretty scared coming here, but i feel -- but as long as the doors are open, i feel safe. >> reporter: schools damaged by the fires or inside the evacuation zones remain closed with tens of thousands pushed from their

homes now forced to start over. one estimate says the insured losses are already at least $30 billion. >> right now i'm trying to just keep it together to find us a place to live for us and temporary living for my family and my parents. >> reporter: andrea lost her family home as did her parents. >> reporter: how tough is it? >> it is tough. there is millions of people looking and millions of different places, and we've got to figure out one step at a time how we're going to handle it. >> reporter: and with the winds bringing the possibility of new fires and destruction just like this, some homeowners plan to take matters into their own hands once again. gadi schwartz tonight with their stories. >> reporter: for days, so many across los angeles faced off against apocalyptic wildfires. some homeowners defying the evacuation orders, choosing to protect their properties amid the hellscape. >> we need a water drop. >> we need a water drop. >> reporter: sprinklers, hoses, generators, pumps, and

tonight facing new red flag warnings. some angelinos say they are preparing for round 2. in wealthy enclaves rows of water trucks and private firefighters standing at the ready. right here we see one, two, three, four, five, five different water trucks. there is another three down the way. >> reporter: those in the evacuation zones who lived to tell the tale of how they saved their streets say they did what they could with high-pressured hoses. >> so we were in all of our neighbors' backyards and lugging our hoses around. >> reporter: in altadena, felipe carrillo saving two houses on his street with a garden hose. >> i caught on fire a couple of times. >> reporter: you caught on fire? >> yes. >> so what i started doing is every once in a while i would just spray myself with a garden hose, spray myself with the garden hose and continue to fight. >> reporter: fire officials say those who stayed to fight the fire are putting their lives at risk. 66-year-old victor shaw died in the eaton fire. his remains found holding a garden hose. right along the coast,

owners of this row of homes had their own fire hoses ready and some willing to risk their lives. >> there is another hot spot that just started up. so we've got our fire hoses again to put it down before the wind starts again. >> reporter: when the fire rolled in, clayton colbert and his friends stood their ground, tapping into thehe hydrantnd saving six homes. do you have any firefighting experience? >> i do now. >> reporter: what do you think would have happened if you and your neighbors weren't here? >> my house would have gone in a matter of minutes. >> reporter: tonight steve foster's home is still standing, but most of the surrounding community is gone. >> it's been difficult, but we're getting through it. >> reporter: would you leave? >> i'm not leaving. i've been here the whole time. i have no intentions of leaving until my neighbors are back. >> reporter: technically, it's a misdemeanor not to evacuate during the chaos, but it's not always enforced. however, firefighters say bottom line, every

moment during a firefight is precious, and if they have to be pulled off a fire line to come save someone that is not supposed to be there, it not only jeopardized their lives, but puts the whole community at risk. tom? >> gadi schwartz for us tonight in malibu. gadi, we thank you for that. for those who have lost everything, another crisis has quickly emerged. where will they find a new place to live. here is morgan chesky. >> we're going to find a house, i promise. i promise we'll find a house. >> reporter: a promise for a new home. ashley and tim palmatier are now fighting to keep amid the disaster that's ignited a citywide housing crisis. >> fire truck coming! >> reporter: the family of five, six including their pup apollo one of dozens packing an open house after watching homes approach, then engulf their beloved palisades home. >> wednesday afternoon we saw footage that our entire neighborhood had burned down. >> reporter: with more than 12,000 structures destroyed and potentially more to come, the demand for l.a.'s rental market

exploding overnight. >> you call and hey, can i come see it? nope, it's rented. you call another one. hey, can i come see it today? nope, it's rented already. >> reporter: ashley says she's looked into 50 properties over the last several days. >> reporter: in some cases people driving hours just to find a home? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: l.a. retailer to tanya stawski says fewer options are already leading to price gouging. >> we have greedy landlords who are increasing, spiking up the prices, and we also have a bidding war as well. >> reporter: a check on zillow for one property near the palisades three days after the fires began shows rent jumping $10,000. it's since been removed. but officials warn price surges are growing. the governor declared a state of emergency last week, which means any price hike over 10% on essential goods, including rental housing is illegal under california law. >> price gouging is sick. it's wrong. it's illegal. these scams taking advantage of victims and revictimizing them. >> reporter: they say if you see or are a

victim of price gouging, report it immediately to local law enforcement or state authorities. >> then we'll find another one. we'll just keep looking. >> reporter: for the palmatiers, it's not just about finding a place to live. they've also got to get their kids back in the classroom after their schools burned to the ground. how are we all staying sane amidst all of this? >> just taking it one step at a time. our friends have been amazing. our community across the country has been amazing. >> reporter: and morgan joins us live tonight from a palisades elementary school that once stood there. morgan, what's the plan for those students now? >> yeah, tom, tonight parents are giving all the credit to school officials who just days after losing this entire school have alalready ma plans for the student body to be absorbed into another l.a. school where classes are hoping to resume this wednesday. tom? >> all right, morgan, we thank you for that. the next round of high winds is nearly upon us. al roker tonight

tracking it all. and al, millions are under red flag warnings again tonight. tell us what it all means. >> all right, well, tom, we're talking about 13 million people from san luis oh bispo down to campo. gusting winds up to 70 miles per hour. humidity levels are dropping. a particularly dangerous situation. pyramid lake, san person nando, camarillo, and this is unfortunately due to climate change. in the last 36 years, the conditions are 9 degrees warmer, 15% dryer, 20% windier. and right now the winds are fairly calm, but they are starting to pick up within the next few hours. they will be at hurricane-force, and that is going to limit the ability to bring some sort of air support in there. and as you can see for tomorrow, there is a critical risk from santa clarita, los angeles, all the way down to escondido. so we're going to continue to track this, have the latest tomorrow morning. tom? >> everyone tracking those winds here in los angeles. all right, al, we thank you for that. we do want to take a turn now to the middle east and the growing potential for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. richard engel joins us tonight. richard, it seems like

all sides seem to be optimistic. >> tom, a senior arab negotiator tells me this is the most progress they've seen in months, and it comes after intense efforts from the prime minister of qatar and president-elect trump's personal envoy. according to two u.s. officials, 48 hours after this deal is signed potentially this week, hamas would begin to release a large number of hostages, and that ultimately all of the hostages would be set free. in exchange, israel would end major combat operations in gaza after nearly 47,000 palestinians have been killed, according to local officials, and israeli troops would pull out of major palestinian population centers. according to the officials, some of the hostages, tom, are quote, in bad shape. >> richard engel for us tonight, richard, we thank you. back home now to the confirmation hearings beginning this week for president-elect trump's cabinet nominees. the first up, pete hegseth, his embattled

pick for defense secretary. here is garrett haake. >> reporter: tonight, a visit by president-elect trump to california's devastated wildfire zone is under active discussion inside the trump transition, sources tell nbc news. as the trump team also preps for 13 high-stakes confirmation hearings this week for trump's cabinet picks. with smooth confirmations expected for marco rubio as secretary of state, pam bondi as attorney general and scott bessent as treasury secretary, among others, but then there is embattled pentagogon pick pete hegseth whose hearing tomorrow could be make or break. >> he can expect his hearing to be tough but respectful, candid, but fair. >> reporter: hegseth, a former fox news host and decorated combat veteran is likely to be pressed about allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, allegations he denies. if all democrats vote against him, hegseth can only afford three republican defections. what are you hoping to

hear from him? >> well, i think he's got a lot of questions that need to be answered. >> reporter: as the vice president-elect is detailing an inauguration day blitz of executive orders focused on immigration. >> dozens of executive orders coming from the trump administration, coming from us on day one that send a message to customs and border patrol, you guys are allowed to do your job again and to illegal immigrants all over the world, you are not welcome into this country illegally. >> reporter: as for potential january 6th pardons, vance said those who protested nonviolently should be pardoned while those who committed violence should not. tom? >> okay, garrett, thank you. in 60 seconds, former north korean soldiers describe the brutality under which they serve as the first north koreans fighting for russia are captured by ukraine. stay with us. are captured by ukraine. stay with us. with clearer skin and less itch. the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, helps s heal youskin from within. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue

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>> reporter: tonight the first north korean soldiers ukraine says it has captured alive. seen in this video being questioned by ukraine's military with help from south korean intelligence. one telling interrogators he thought he was going to russia for training, not war. the soldiers providing a rare glimpse into how north korean troops are fighting with russian forces in kursk, where u.s. officials say they're taking heavy losses. roy sung-yun was a north korean soldier until 2019 when he ran across the demilitarized zone to freedom in south korea. >> honestly, it's not easy to capture north korean soldier. >> reporter: why is it not easy? >> before capture, they -- themselves. they training like that. >> reporter: he says every recruit learns a song about saving her last bullet for themselves to avoid capture. interviews with several former north korean soldiers reveal

one of the world's largest standing armies lacks regular training in modern warfare. >> i think i only fired three bullets per year. when i moved to a special force, we do had more than like 20 bullets. >> reporter: most months they say spent on farming and construction. for lee chul yon, who swam six hours to escape, the main enemy was hinger. grass, tree bark. >> reporter: you ate tree bark. there is no rule for the kinds of meals served. president zelenskyy now making an offer to kim jong-un to swap his soldiers for ukrainian prisoners in russia. the captives living proof, he says, of the widening war. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, seoul. and up next, the troubling new numbers about cases of dementia. up next, troubling new numbers about cases of dementia. for peopd by the unpredictability of generalized myasthenia gravis, season to season, ultomiris is continuous symptom control,

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back now with the health alert about the rising risk of dementia. anne thompson joins us now. anne, tell us about this new study. >> tom, this new number, a 42% risk of getting dementia after 55 scientists say is due in part to better tracking and the fact we're living longer. in fact, for women who live longer than men, the risk is now 48%. and the number of dementia cases among black americans is projected to triple. to stave off dementia, doctors say you need to exercise your brain just like the rest of your body, and that means taking care of your mental health, getting proper sleep, reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and

paying attention to hearing loss, which is associated with increased dementia risks. tom? >> important tips there. all right, anne, we thank you for that. next, the remarkable reunion between a man and his dog and the firefighter who made it possible. firefighter who it possible. i got somebody for that! ♪♪ i got somebody for that. ♪♪ i got somebody for that! you guys got somebody for peyronie's disease? ♪♪ there's hope for the estimated 1 in 10 men who may have peyronie's disease, or pd. a urology specialist who treats pd can help you create a plan— including nonsurgical options. find somebody today at gogetsomebody.com and my progressive rep was super helpful. tom hayes is passive progressive. including nonsurgical options. the way kevin says he always has to help you. tom doesn't have progressive, so he takes it out on those who do. if you switch you can save hundreds. that's great. you can buy more of that cologne we all love.

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>> reporter: we first met casey colvin amidst the chaos of evacuations. >> my boss is calling and saying is everything okay in the palisades. i'm in the city, i don't know. >> reporter: the pacific palisades resident raced back, even renting a bike to get back to his two dogs inside, but couldn't get past the roadside. >> i literally rescued them off the street. they deserved better. >> i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry. >> how do i get to my house? >> reporter: a firefighter offered to go for him, knocking down his door, rescuing one of his two dogs be, the but the other, oreo, was still missing. >> is that the dog? >> yeah. this is my daughter. the behavioral dog, he ran out of the house. >> reporter: later that night, the palisades fire reduced casey's home to rubble, but his only concern, oreo. for five days he was missing. then casey got a call. >> hi, bubba! >> reporter: oreo spotted in the neighboring property. >> it's your daddy! hi, bubba!

how's the fire, oh, honey, oh, honey, oh my god! >> reporter: it's the happy ending casey prayed for. >> oh, honey, woo! >> reporter: and there is one person he really wanted to thank. >> this guy saved your life, this guy saved your life. and you look like a ken doll. what's up, dude? >> reporter: cal fire battalion chief brent. >> if that dog could talk, he would have a story to tell. >> reporter: i'm sure. >> he would have a national best-seller. >> reporter: had he not knocked down that door, both dogs would have been trapped inside. >> reporter: casey, what do you want to say to brent? >> when i first met you, i was in the middle of a crisis, in the middle of a firestorm. my dogs would have died if not for you. >> reporter: liz kreutz, nbc news, los angeles. >> we'll keep an eye out for that best-seller. we thank liz for that story. and we thank you for watching "nightly news." i'm tom llamas in los angeles. have a great night. >> woo! woo!

♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ you gotta be out there ♪ ♪ you gotta be somewhere ♪ ♪ wherever you are ♪ ♪ i'm waiting ♪ ♪ 'cause there are these nights when ♪ ♪ i sing myself to sleep ♪ ♪ and i'm hopin' my dreams ♪ ♪ bring you close to me ♪ ♪ are you listening ♪ ♪ hear me ♪

♪ i'm cryin' out, i'm ready now ♪ ♪ turn my world upside down ♪ ♪ find me ♪ ♪ i'm lost inside the crowd ♪ ♪ it's getting loud ♪ ♪ i need you to see i'm screaming for you to please ♪ ♪ i'm restless and wild ♪ ♪ i fall but i try ♪ ♪ i need someone to understand ♪ ♪ i'm lost in my thoughts ♪ ♪ and baby i've fought for all that i've got ♪ ♪ can you hear me ♪ ♪ ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪

♪ hear me ♪ ♪ hear me ♪ ♪ can you hear me ♪ ♪ hear me ♪ ♪ hear me ♪ ♪ can you hear me ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hear me ♪ ♪ hear me ♪ ♪ hear me ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: oh, my god!

what? you -- i literally sang a completely different ending to that song, different timing, because i was paying attention to you and i was like, wait, i've got to sing. [laughter] you are so great! that was amazing! [applause] everybody welcome to "the kelly clarkson show." give it up for my band, live, especially vox on guitar! oh, my god! that was what we call a kellyoke classic. "hear me" was on my "breakaway" album. little-known fact, it's my sister's favorite on that album. it's never had a guitar solo like that! it literally distracted me. i was like, oh, shoot. i'm supposed to be singing here. that was incredible. i first met vox last year in my "what i'm liking" segment. virtuoso.ears old, he's a guitar right? a guitar virtuoso who impressed our band so much, they invited him to play. in fact, this whole hour is

dedicated to a few of our favorite "what i'm liking" guests. we had so many, but this is our "what i'm loving" hour. ♪ ♪ [applause] in my brain movie tonight, i'm going to be as cool as you, oh, my god! let's look back at some of the people we've met in the past five seasons. >> get ready to stare at something i'm about to share from the world of social media. >> this is b22. ♪ ♪ >> hi, kelly! >> hi, kelly. >> an infant in cincinnati has taken mean mugging to a whole new level, y'all. you've got the best baby photos i've ever encountered! because she wanted her grandmother to know the thrill of writing a wave. i'm 41 and i'm like, hard pass. >> this is for the government, and i'm protesting. i want three days off of school.

>> since november, papa legba has returned home at diffent outfits. >> i still don't know who's doing it. >> i came around one day and i was like, that's a solid routine. ♪ ♪ >> i'm not worthy, i'm not worthy! >> i'm officially liking your post right now. [applause] >> kelly: clearly over five years i have met hundreds of people, but as many of you know, it is always virtually. i usually turn to the big monitor and sometimes it's not long enough to really know their story. that is what today is all about. i've invited some of my most memorable guests to be here in person for the first time, starting with vox. vox, remind everyone how you got into music. this can't be that long of a story, because you are not old. right? >> i'm not old. >> kelly: when did you start? >> i started guitar when i was seven years old, and the first song i learned was "iron man" by black sabbath, and that's when i knew i loved music and metal.

the pandemic, actually enjoyed, because it gave me a bunch of time to practice. so i practiced every day after breakfast, and when i started posting online, i named my show "metal for breakfast," and people were really supportive. >> kelly: because you're insane! i literally forgot what i was supposed to do in the middle of a song, that i wrote! [laughter] it's fine. last year you got to meet one of your biggest heroes, right? who is that? >> that's my grammy award-winning, and i got to meet him my talk with him, and jam at him with 25 other guitar nerds. we sat down and talk everything guitar, and the really special thing is he took something really hard technical like music theory and made it fun and interesting for everybody, and it was amazing. >> kelly: it should be fun. [applause]

i mean, what are you thinking? that's incredible! >> i need to practice more. [laughter] honestly, it is so impressive. you are not just a great player, but you're such a great person, as well. when jason and i were going over the song with you before hand, you are so smart and friendly, and i can't wait to see all the success you achieve. [applause] >> kelly: so crazy good. hey, can you stick around and maybe jam with the band? >> yeah! i would love to! >> kelly: okay, i'll just forget more things while i pay attention to you. one of our favorite "what i'm liking" guests from the season and the audience. you might remember kierra, better known as the speethirty seven. do you have any reads for us? >> you know i absolutely do. it is the c21 hour and i love "the nightingale" by kristin hannah. it's a moving and impactful story about two sisters who experienced so much adversity but who still hold onto the hope and love