it is to fly around these fires. it's not a normal mission. >> how the battle begins even before they get to the flames. >> that's why we have strike teams throughout the county. i'm anne makovec. right now is a pivotal point in the fight against the southern california wildfires. here is the good news. there have not been any new fires, but they are still in the thick of it this afternoon. biggest fires burning right now, still the palisades fire along the coast, and the eaton fire further inland. together, they burned an area about the size of san francisco and concord combined. the eaton fire destroyed or damaged more than 7,000 buildings, and killed at least 15 people. this afternoon, it's 35% contained. because of the winds, power has been shut off to certain areas, trying to prevent new fires. but those

winds have not grounded fire fighting aircrafts, which is good news, at least for now. firefighters say they have been able to keep the palisades fire from growing today, which killed at least nine people. it is 17% contained. thousands of people remain under evacuation orders, including the city of brentwood. national guard blocking. firefighters saw gusts in the area as high as 50 miles per hour. a live look at what the firefighters are up this evening. danya, the fire and the weather is the first concern? >> reporter: you're right. the weather is the first concern, but thankfully as of now, the winds have not been as strong as they were expected to be. but with wind alerts continuing through tomorrow, officials here are not letting their guard down. thousands of

firefighters are positioned throughout los angeles county, bracing for another round of high winds. >> the anticipated winds combined with low humidity and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in the l.a. region critical. >> reporter: officials fear the powerful santa ana gusts could slow progress and contain the palisades and eaton fires that have scorched tens of thousands of acres over the last few days. overnight a few fire broke out in l.a. and ventura county, forcing evacuations. crews managed to stop its growth for now. >> i don't want people to start thinking everything is okay now. everything is not okay yet. the winds are blowing and it will continue to blow. >> reporter: but because city officials know just how quickly these fires can spread and how much devastation they can cause, they are warning residents to be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice and to have a plan for their pets. >> if you're asked to

evacuate, please listen to all evacuation orders as they are meant as a life saving measure. >> reporter: just a week ago, hundreds of residents from pasadena had area nursing homes and assisted living facilities were forced to flee as the eaton fire would threaten the region. >> this is our home. >> reporter: staff in pasadena would race to help seniors, carrying some on their backs. >> the elevators were out of order, so we had emergency stair chairs that the staff was able to use. we have had staff also had to carry our residents down. >> reporter: a number of residents of altadena have since filed lawsuits against southern california edison, claiming the utility triggered the blaze. the company tells cbs news, the cause of the fire will continue to be under investigation. tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders. and with officials still assessing the damage and crews still going through the rubble, looking for human remains, it is not clear when they will be allowed to return back to their

neighborhoods. reporting from los angeles, i'm danya bacchus. back to you. >> and some major frustration and heartbreak combined. what is the air quality like right now? i had a friend in santa monica send me a picture aiming towards the pacific palisades. i actually saw blue skies for the first time in a while. was that a good sign? >> reporter: you're right. it is a good sign. after being here for about a week, you can definitely tell that the air quality has improved. but of course, officials and medical experts are still warning people, if you have respiratory issues, to make sure you're still wearing your mask. and also if you'll be in areas like i am for the prolonged period, which i should be wearing my mask in, but i'm not, that you definitely should be wearing the mask as well. >> had yes, all that mask wearing, it's tiresome as well. but yes, stay safe. thank you so much, danya, for that report. >> thank you. all right, let's get a

check with zoe mintz right now. meteorologist for a little bit about the weather down there and up here. >> i mean luckily for them, the winds haven't been that bad, but that doesn't mean even though you would see a little bit of the blue sky, you shouldn't wear a mask like you said. matter is just so small from the electronics, the plastics, from all the fabrics that are burning inside people's homes. you cannot see them. they're much smaller than the human nose hairs. so it could be unfortunately bad. we'll look for long-term potential impacts of this breathing in all the carcinogens. but right now, we are looking at the santa ana winds. and doesn't mean it is not weaponty right now as you can see the winds that are coming in from east to west. that is not the normal as it will come to the winds and they will remain strong through tomorrow. that's the reason why we will have the increased fire danger. we are looking at that level three out of three.

we are at that top risk for wildfire danger over near the places that have been seeing it because the winds today and those winds tomorrow are going to back off just a little bit. but we're still in that level two out of three when it comes to the fire risk. let's take a closer look at the winds, what you could expect the next several days many southern california because there is finally some good news to talk about. the eaton fire, the palisades fire, the new fire that sparked yesterday and today. and the otto fire and the hurst fire, we're going to continue to see these winds calming down later tonight. that's good news. there will be a quiet period overnight before the winds pick up tomorrow morning. by tomorrow afternoon, we are, once again, going to be looking at another high wind event. but 40 to 60 miles an hour gusts, compared to the 80 to 1 is 00 miles an hour gust that started this event. it won't be nearly as dangerous as what we saw last

week. by thursday, much quieter, much calmer winds would have arrived. even a little bit of moisture, which is really great news. the winds are finally begin to switch directions because right now, they're coming in straight from east to west. again, with more moisture on the way later this week, that is really great news when it comes to hopefully being able to put a little bit more containment on these wildfires. but does that mean any of that moisture is heading for us here in the bay area? i'll let you know what that means for us over the next couple of days. that'll be coming up in my full forecast. back to you. three arrests for arson have been made outside the palisades and eaton fire zones. police in los angeles said they were separate incidents. they say they have arrested a total of 39 people in the palisades and eaton evacuation areas for burglary, flying drones, and curfew violations. >> if you do not live there, have any business there, i say this every day, don't go. why

am i repeating it? because we continue to make arrests for this violation. i don't want to make more arrests, so please stay away from there. >> the curfew will be in effect today for evacuation areas between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. california is getting help from our southern neighbors embattling the l.a. wildfires. a team of more than 70 firefighters from mexico now at the scene. a group includes military specialists, search and rescue personnel, and as well as doctors and engineers. they will join other firefighters from canada and several other states working to get the flames under control. reporter madison keavy gives us an inside look. >> reporter: tucked away just next to interstate 80, a pit stop for preparedness, to get fire crews back on the road when they get to southern california. from bumper to bumper and all the essential

equipment in between, these mechanics are making sure firefighter vehicles are safe before they ever get to the flames. >> the last thing you want to have happen is for them to have a breakdown. they will put a lot of people in jeopardy. >> reporter: it's been the busiest eke in the history of cal fire's equipment maintenance depot. >> we were getting calls right away for help. >> reporter: in january, they perform routine maintenance on cal fire vehicles. but now this team of more than two dozen mechanics is inspecting and repairing fire engines from across the western states, on their way to the southern california fires. >> the vehicles from oregon, washington were passing through any way, so it makes perfect sense for them to stop here and do a pre-mobilization inspection. otherwise they have to go through one down in l.a., and they're already overwhelmed. >> reporter: some of these fire crews are driving more than a thousand miles to reach l.a. >> over the course of the long drive, things start to rattle loose on these things. >> and these clamps will sometimes pop off.

>> reporter: their goal, to get a strike team of five engines checked out, up on the road in less than 45 minutes. >> we roll under it, and we look for water leaks, oil leaks, fuel leaks. we check the tires, belts, and hoses. >> reporter: of the more than 200 out-of-state fire engines inspected, so far 29 have needed repairs. >> we found some tires that were almost 21 years old on one rig. >> reporter: the dangers of responding to a disaster made a little less risky thanks to a roadside pit stop in davis. >> we want to make sure they're deployed, ready to go, and safe. a charter school in altadena was gutted by the eaton fire. coming up, an administrator takes us inside the campus and tells us what is bringing him hope in the face of destruction. and plus in other news, meta says they plan to lay off thousands of

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work force. that means thousands of workers about to lose their jobs. a meta spokesperson confirmed ceo mark zuckerberg sent out an internal memo about plans to push out people that they call low performers. the company will offer severance and back fill those positions. advocates and people who live in san francisco are demanding city leaders address the closure of the neighborhood safeway. it is set to shut down next month. after 40 years, they say losing the neighborhood's could be a great loss. they need to have a voice in what happens next to the site. >> we're looking at replacing safeway with another grocery store. we're not necessarily focused on keeping safeway here. what it is about, the unfinished agenda that all the

obligations that the city owes it this community. >> safeway says they decided to close the store because of ongoing concerns about safety along with issues involving thefts at this location. the company plans to reassign all employees at this location to other stores in san francisco. fremont beefing up their fire department. holding a ceremony to welcome a new fire truck and nine firefighters. the fire truck, 56, is going to serve the fire station on central avenue. the department is hoping the new resources will help with the increase of calls in the downtown area. back to our coverage of the l.a. fires and an image that it doesn't even look real. a retro blue volkswagen, practically unscathed by the palisades fire. an ap photographer captured this image in malibu. the owner parked the van there after a surf session before the fires erupted. the friend said it is cool that the van has become a beacon of hope amid all the

destruction. governor newsom calling on lawmakers to accelerate a billion dollars in funding for the wildfires. he expanded a special session for the legislature this week to address the disaster. he is also calling for another $1 is.5 billion to protect the state against future wildfire threats. the governor issued an executive order aimed at helping students affected by the wildfires get back into their classroom sooner. that order makes it easier for damaged schools to use temporary facilities and start their rebuilding efforts. they also remove penalties against displaced students who don't meet the minimum school year attendance requirements. among the thousands of structures destroyed by the fires, our elementary, middle school, and high schools is hitting really hard. >> there is nothing natural about any of this. >> reporter: losing more tan some. the fire wiped out his home. then two blocks away, it

took his pride. he runs avis charter school. >> careful of the roofing nails. >> reporter: it is mostly rubble. but inside one classroom, untouched by flame. >> and this survived. >> reporter: mcphee found laptops, holding a message from students. it moved him close to tears. >> their school said they wanted to adopt our school. it was beautiful. >> reporter: what does that mean? >> i mean for them, for the students, they said clothing, blankets, letters of support. that's all wonderful. that's where you find moments of light. >> reporter: paige works there too. >> that means someone is doing a good job. that means someone is letting the children know that it is important to care. >> reporter: paige sees inspirational kindness everywhere her displaced family sleeps from frog town near usc,

and who are in pasadena, where we met them in a garage full of donations he plans to share. he owned the rhythm of the village store on lake avenue until fire burned it down too. >> it had gesture of helping one another should be our new beginning, that each one will help the other, and we will build a brand new community. >> reporter: paige's new house is still standing thanks to neighbors and her son, who escaped just in time. >> he said that was the moment when he thought they were about to get cooked, you know, and then the wind shifted the other way and they were able to extinguish that fire. i'm sorry, i'm out of breath because it is just so unbelievable. >> reporter: so too is the support giving her boss and their community hope. all right, to the first alert weather forecast, zeroing in a little closer to the bay area. the taking a live look on top of mount diablo. the east pay has been dealing with

pretty chilly mornings. >> reporter: most of our locations are slightly above that threshold. so yes, north bay, if you have seen the freezing temperatures, you'll likely see them again tomorrow morning, but nothing that we're not used to for this time of the year. that is too crazy. it's wintertime. it is what we expect. we will continue to see quite a lot of calm air and quiet conditions. one of my favorite things is to show you what we look like from space right now. you can see the huge dome of high pressure that is just building across the west coast of the united states. it is keeping us dry and keeping us quiet. you can also see that departing storm system that brought the santa ana winds across southern california. those two in combination were really ushering in those dry offshore breezes, but i do have some good news for us all. that will not continue forever. that high pressure will not be dominating. in fact that low

pressure system will actually move back over southern california and bring them a little bit of cloud cover and moisture and a little bit of cloud cover into moisture is also headed our way. that doesn't mean we could expect any rain though, unfortunately. we are not likely to see any rain over the next several days, but a bit of a cool down along with the cold front and associated low pressure system. so warm air, warm air through the rest of the week. but then you notice that nose of cold air that is just going to bring us back down to seasonable for this time of the year. so i hope you can get out and enjoy the beautiful weather that we have been seeing. enjoy the above average heat because this has been some of the record warmest starts to the year for a lot of places in the bay area. for santa rosa, san rafael, and even for san jose. you are at your top first warmest starts to the year on record. we're still feeling that warmth, although i wouldn't say it is warm out there. it's 50s. you still need to grab a warm jacket, but dress in layers. because in the

sunshine, it feels really nice in the low 60s and the upper 50s. but again, it's going to continue to cool down overnight. we are going to feel those chilly temperatures, especially across the north bay communities. you'll see that cooler air in the color of blue. again, we will be seeing those morning low temperatures in the 30s across the north bay. low 40s elsewhere. again, you will need to bundle up, waking up early tomorrow morning. but tomorrow afternoon, once again, a rinse and repeat of what we felt today, we will be seeing those highs climbing back up to well above average. 5 to 10 degrees above average. tomorrow might be warmer today down across the santa clara valley. you could potentially be near 70 degrees in san jose. so i hope everybody again, can get out to enjoy themselves into tomorrow because these above average temperatures are not going to last forever. so enjoy the warm weather while you can. high pressure directly overhead through the rest of the week. that area of low pressure is moving closer to southern california and bringing them a

little bit more moisture while the cooler air will begin to imsaid everybody by the time we step out this weekend. so if we do take a look at our seven-day forecast, you will see the 60s sticking around through friday, by the time we would step out on saturday, sunday, nextic woo, we will be back down to seasonable for this time of the year, back to where we are expecting. it will all kind of depend on where you're located. either bay, it will be dry for the next seven days, maybe even up to 14 days from now. >> i don't like to hear that. >> no, it is not my favorite thing, but something we'll keep an eye on. luckily our fire threat is still low right now. next week, we will

>anne>well, the los angeles magic castle is taking the los angeles orlando castle is taking donations. they have collected books, clothes, toys, and balloon animals for families in need in the l.a. area. they say it is just a drop in the bucket. >> i think like everyone else in the city, we all feel like we want to do something to help. everyone is still in shock. this is a first step. it means the magic castle is always here for the community. >> magic castle says they also plan to put on a benefit show to help people in need around

l.a. i've got chicken tenders, burritos, and donuts. >> bay area celebrity chef, tyler florence, is making sure first responders on the front lines are fed as they battle the wildfires in los angeles. he teamed up with the non-profit world central kitchen. they have seven food trucks, and they have been delivering food to crews in the mountains. >> and also going way up into the hills into the palisades to go find fire companies that have been sleeping in their trucks the last two days, to make sure they get food as well. it's been a very satisfying day. we've fed a lot of people. >> reporter: he owns several restaurants in san francisco. it's not the first time he's helped out with fire relief efforts. in 2017, he held a benefit dinner to raise money for victims of the wine country fires. and cbs is partnering with the red cross to raise money for people impacted by the southern california wildfires. you can go to redcross.org/cbs

to donate. call 1-800-redcross or text to the number 90999 to make an automatic $10 donation. coming up next at 5:00, firefighters are working 24-hour shifts to try to protect neighborhoods in southern california. we're going to talk to them about their heroic work in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. one bay area councilwoman with a very special connection to the fires, how she is trying to rebuild a historically black community devastated by the flames. president-elect trump's pick to lead the department

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right now on cbs news bay area, southern california on guard once again as powerful santa ana winds return. how first responders and millions of fire worried residents are handling the latest threat. i hardly slept. it's very difficult leaving your home. >> and also we'll show you how oakland residents are sending aid to southern california to help a now destroyed black neighborhood. >> this is middle class. black folks in a lot of instances that are being overlooked because folks think this is something that just affected the rich and celebrities. while some fire departments

in the bay area are facing cutbacks due to budget problems. one city in alameda county is bolstering its forces. we'll take you to today's celebration. plus. >> by all acts, to be secretary of defense. >> i would be shocked if anybody voted against him. >> president-elect trump's pick to lead the dependent of defense facing allegations of alcohol abuse and disparaging comments about women in the military. right now millions of people in southern california are on alert once again as extreme winds return to the region. good evening, i'm ryan yamamoto. firefighters are still dealing with the three big fires happening right now, along with a new one that forced evacuations overnight in ventura county. a look at the hills ab