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announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back. life well planned. erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join the engagement teams and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" annita: hello, i'm annita mcveigh.

you are watching "the context" on bbc news. >> the president and his administration are using every tool at our disposal to help fight the fires and ensure that the community's impact able to recover. >> delhi after battled all night in the palisades fire, hurst fire, kenneth fire, and airop efforts thank goodness continue. >> we have been walking through the wreckage of pacific palisades. it's an extraordinary site. bits of it are still smoking. >> think of all the memories, hang out with friends as kids. it is absolutely devastating. i am heartbroken. ♪ annita: los angeles is called a u.s. president, as the fires still burn. at least 10 people are known to

have died. a nighttime curfew has been imposed to try to prevent looting as police chief chief's of harsh penalties if the curfew is broken. around 70,000 homes and other buildings are either destroyed, damaged or at risk. we will hear from our reporter on the ground and speak to residents who have had to flee their homes. meanwhile in other news, donald trump given an unconditional discharge in connection with hush money paid to an adult film star. it means he will not go to jail but will still become the first u.s. president to take office as a convicted felon. president biden has compared los angeles to a war scene as multiple wildfires continue to burn around the city. the first and biggest of those, the palisades fire, which began on tuesday morning, covers an area of around 20,000 acres and is just 8% contained.

the eaton fire in the altadena neighborhood is just 3% contained. that modest progress comes as firefighters working around the clock, their efforts hampered by high winds. those winds have now ease but forecasters warned they could strengthen again through the weekend. a nighttime curfew has been imposed to try and prevent looting, and at a news conference earlier, officials warned anyone flying unauthorized drones in the areas affected by the fires would face the full force of the law after a water scooping plane was damaged when it was hit by a drone. at least 10 people have died and 70,000 homes and other buildings are either destroyed, damaged, or at risk. our correspondent john sudworth has been in the altadena neighborhood and sent this report. john: los angeles is a city in shock. thousands of people coming to

terms with the once unimaginable . >> my jewelry box was right here. john: pete mitchell, an electrician at disneyland and his wife have lived here for over 10 years. >> it survived, your elephant box from thailand. john: this was their home before the fire. altadena was a pleasant los angeles suburb, middle-class district a far cry from the mansions and celebrity lifestyles on the out of the city. >> devastating of course. we saw images, neighbors had come in before, but it is also the opportunity to rebuild, which is a hard road, but it can be done. i think we will do it. >> i hope we are rebuilding here. i hope that we will have, what we can find that can be memories of good times we had. it was a really good home.

john: around them, fire crews are still patrolling the area, putting out spot fires. this is a city in deep crisis with the emergency services stretched to the limit, and lives totally upended. just a few doors away, another family surveying the damage. this was stephanie's home for more than four decades, but she says she is now focused on the future. >> thankful we were able to get out in time, everybody is safe. we do plan to rebuild bigger and better. we are grateful. >> we are praying for everybody because this is devastating. altadena is one of the number one places to live, friendly, family oriented, just a wonderful community. john: a block away this house recently saw new tenants move in.

she and her family are now picking through the wreckage, salvaging the few keepsakes that have survived the intense heat. >> it is overwhelming right now. because it is like decades and decades of, you know, building things, and it's all gone. john: these are scenes repeated across huge swathes of the city, and with the emergency far from over. john sets forth, bbc news, altadena. annita: let's go live to los angeles to the altadena neighborhood joining with helena humphrey. hello to you. tell us what you been seeing today and what you been hearing. helena: the devastation as you can see behind me, is difficult

to put into words. we know the l.a. county sheriff said it looked like a bomb had gone off in some areas, and this area except with eyes that. you can see over my shoulder, people getting out as quickly as they could, leaving behind their vintage cars. further on, you can perhaps make out a bathtub. what is so striking about this area, actually, much of it is unrecognizable, some of it still smoldering amid twisted metal. it is difficult to see what is still here at a time when warnings from authorities are growing. we know there are 10 confirmed fatalities but police say they expect that number to grow, because they have not been able to reach some of the hardest hit areas. difficult to even wrap your head around, there are areas even worse than this might now wear those blazes continue out of control right now. we have been speaking to some people who have come back,

combing through the wreckage of their homes. of course, finding absolutely nothing left. it is really heartbreaking when you speak to, for example, children who find it difficult to understand there is nothing left. one of the boy said to me are they doing building work? his mom had to explain that is not building work. your school was here, this is our street. it is all gone. they said the fire that came down this mountain here so quickly, they have never seen anything move that quickly before and that they had not had warnings from authorities, instead, text messages from neighbors, people checking in on each other before making that terrifying decision to throw everything in the car at 2:00 a.m., getting the kids up, throwing them in the back of the car and just go. take a listen to part of the conversation i had with that family who sadly lost their home in altadena. >> really terrifying when we got

out. my cousin was in a uber. she said that she saw people throwing up because everyone was like seeing the fire down the mountain. i remember that it was called the eaton fire. it was going really fast. we had to go to our hotel. that is where my mom's work is. the fire was getting really close here. at 5:00 a.m., there was a teacher, he woke up at 5:00. the fire woke him up, it was so close. he ran out of the house and then he went somewhere else. suddenly, then our house, it

just burned and stuff, so sad. helena: i am so sorry. you just managed to find one of your toys. what did you find here? >> we found this and this. my brother found this. helena: i am so sorry. >> we had so many toys out here. that little trashcan over there was overflowing with toys. everything is just gone. heartbreaking. >> when we were leaving, we had to say they werefor the toys. we just had to get in the car. my husband went out and got them a new toy. i did grab one for each of them so they could have a sense of comfort, sort of enjoyment. right now, i don't think they understand the concept of their

home no longer being there. helena: as you can see, it is just destruction as far as the eye can see here. in terms of containment in the palisades fire, we are looking at 8% containment now. in altadena, 3%. it is moving in the right direction, but of course, such a long way from being under control. annita: as adults, difficult to really take in the extent of this, let alone a young child. i wonder as you have spoken to other people today, do you feel they are in a state of limbo, state of shock, or are they thinking in terms of practical matters, the question of talking to insurers, what they do next, do they rebuild, all of those questions? helena: they are doing.all of those things they are speaking

to insurers. there has been some difficulty for some people because some insurance was separated out for not just natural disasters but separate for earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, so that is a fresh headache for them. when you ask them the question of what's next, how do you rebuild, generally you just get a sense of exasperation, exhaustion. it is so difficult to confront those questions right now. and this is in southern california where people are used to wildfires. but they all tell me they have never seen anything like this. the mother that you just saw there in that clip was saying to me that she always thought that she was living in a state that was pretty climate savvy, taking policies, taking care for the future, but now she is also concerned about will it be enough when they see this level of devastation which of course is so unprecedented? annita: thank you very much.

helena humphrey there in altadena in los angeles. someone else who has seen the damage up close is tanner charles, a storm chaser, who a few days ago help his friend evacuate his home in the palisades area when that fire started out. thank you joining -- for joining us. i know that you and your friends found that dash from the home as it was about to be consumed by flames, running along a road where all the homes were on fire. tell us where you are now and how you are? tanner: thank you for having me. currently i'm in the palisades. brought up here by some other news agencies to do some interviews. that is why i'm in the vehicle right now. being here, my second time, it is surreal. there is literally nothing left.

my friend's neighborhood is completely gone. there is maybe one house standing. it really feels like a war zone out there. mentally, i'm doing a lot better. the first two days, we didn't sleep at all. there was just too much. what we experienced was too much, so we just stayed up and talked to each other, processed with each other, and that was good for mental health, everything else in general. annita: you must have had that huge rush of adrenaline as you fled the house, home, and then to return and see the damage in the daylight is so shocking. tanner: yeah. just rushing out of there. we stayed for as long as we felt safe. the whole time i felt like we had an escape route, i am a

professional storm chaser, i have friends that chase fires, so having my escape routes, knowing what was going on, for the most part, we were in a safe position. but once i saw the embers come in the backyard and it went up in flames, i knew it was over and we had to get out of there. annita: how does this fire compared to other fires you have seen, other events like this where you see nature really taking a hold and upending the lives of so many people? tanner: this event is honestly not comparable. it is vastly more severe than anything i've ever seen. even the nature of it, seeing some of the destruction, it is really heartbreaking. the intensity and everything of it, something i've never seen here before. it is unprecedented how far and how fast everything spread. annita: is it your intention to

stay in the area, see what happens next, see if you can help your friend? tanner: yes. my intentions are to hopefully volunteer with the red cross, other organizations i'm talking to as well to help in any way i can. also being there for orly and his family. they are going through a lot right now. just being there emotionally. whatever i can help donate, my time or energy, i am here. i was originally supposed to go back to minnesota, where i'm from, yesterday, but i decided to stay so i can help. to be honest, i just want to help everyone who has been affected. annita: good luck with that and thank you for talking to us on bbc news on "the context." as i've been chatting to tanner, you'll see on the screens images of the firefighting planes in the air.

originally, this was part of the reason why flames were able to take hold, spread so fast because of the high wind. the planes were not able to get up and drop water strategically on the flames but there has been a bit of a lull in the wind, so planes have been able to get up which is why we are seeing some progress, although modest still in containing a couple of the fires. forecasters come as we mentioned, are predicting the wind could strengthen again through the weekend, so that raises all sorts of questions about the ability to hold that containment, hold the line where firefighters have been able to make progress. some of these planes are going to reservoirs, scooping up huge loads of water, and then they are guided to where to drop the water to make the best use of it, the best strategic use of it in fighting these immense wildfires we are seeing in l.a.,

first starting on tuesday morning. we heard in news conference earlier that one water scooping plane had been hit by a drone, with some damage to one of its wings, so that is why we heard that warning from the police chief saying anyone flying unauthorized drones in these areas would be met with the full force of the law. really dramatic pictures there of those firefighting planes and helicopters in action. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. ♪

annita: let's continue with our coverage of those fires in los angeles. a couple lines coming into us in the last few minutes. we are hearing an evacuation order recently put in place for the archer fire in grenada hills

has been downgraded to an evacuation warning. that is one piece of good news coming from the los angeles fire department. we are also hearing that a public health emergency has been declared in southern california. that has been issued by the state health secretary. in a post from the health secretary, he says he is ready to support the well-being and health of all californians impacted by these devastating fires. the quality of the air very poor as a result of the health implications of that, to help aid the medical emergency response. the powerful winds and parched ground after months of no rain mean the california fires have been described as the perfect storm. today, it's been confirmed that last year was the hottest ever recorded. temperatures were 1.6 degrees higher than the pre-industrial

average. european scientists are morning that the paris climate agreement target of 1.5 degrees to avoid the worst effects of global warming is in danger of being permanently breached. let's speak now to the professor of earth systems science at ucl. professor, thanks for joining us on "the context." there is a huge desire for people to understand more about how this happened, why it happened, how it spread so quickly. what can you tell us about that? >> i think the most important thing is that climate change means we are getting more water or less water, so the dry air is getting drier, like california, and the wetter areas are getting wetter. the fires in california are symptomatic of climate change. the fire season is usually march until october. except now we are in january. what we have is three months where there has been less than

half a centimeter of rain. that is half the size of your thumbnail. therefore, it's incredibly dry. combine that with the wind, and therefore you get these huge fires that have been raging across california. annita: in terms of your reaction to that data from eu climate scientists, that we are in danger of permanently breaching that 1.5 degree target set in the paris climate agreement, how high is that risk and what can be done, can something be done to turn that around? mark: absolutely. we have been warning about breaching this limit for the last year or two. it goes back to paris, 10 years ago, when the leaders of the world knew exactly what they had to do. what we have to do is halve global emissions by 2030, and then by 2050, we have to get to net zero carbon emissions.

we know what to do, we have to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy as quick as possible to stop climate change getting away from us. annita: we report all year round on disasters related to global warming in many, many different parts of the world, mark. do you think what has happened in l.a., because it is l.a., the scale of the disaster, the dramatic images, do you think that will be a tipping point? even though we have a new u.s. president about to move into the white house who is a climate change skeptic? mark: the u.s. is very interesting because the president doesn't have all the powers. most interesting is, even under the last trump presidency, the governors who look after the people in the state took climate change very seriously. also you have to remember, the

global economy is going toward renewable energy. in the u.s., even if the president said, no, we must use more fossil fuels, it is cheaper to use renewable energy. every company and state will be moving in that direction. that is an important understanding. the u.s. is not just the climate skeptic president. annita: in terms of that point within the question about, it is l.a., everyone knows where it is. do you think this will make this more of a tipping point? there are huge disasters all around the world but is this the one that might make a difference, wakes people up to what needs to be done? mark: i think it will wake people up in the u.s. it is really personal. when a climate disaster happens in your country, or in a country close to you, then that makes sense to people. it starts to wake them up.

but remember, most of the actual people in the world, about 70% except climate change and want something to be done about it. it is only our politicians that are too slow to react. most people just think it is real, let's deal with it. annita: there were some conversations a few months ago at the most recent cop climate summits were too big, were not doing enough to drive forward what needs to be done to tackle climate change. do you think more is happening at a local level? mark: there is a lot happening at the local level. you now see the u.k. has stepped up, going back to being one of the climate change leaders. we see india and china also stepping up their politics, going, hang on, there is a void that will be left out of the u.s. stepping out of the agreement, so therefore they can feel that. again, driven by the economy,

driven by the impacts. so we are seeing lots of local action, but also action at the national level in key countries. annita: professor mark maslin from ucl, thank you for your time. continuing to look at pictures of those firefighting aircraft planes and helicopters. smoke rising, but we are seeing some small signs that they are making progress. the big warning that comes with all of that is the stronger wind that is forecast to strengthen again over the weekend. questions over what that may do to the firefighter's efforts to try and contain these fires. much, much work ahead for all of those involved in this massive effort. stay with us on bbc news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

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