the honor guard awaiting his motorcade after the funeral wrapped up 25 minutes ago. i am here with jonathan alter and chris matthews. i want to thank all of our guests and that does it for this special edition of andrea mitchell reports. "chris jansing reports" starts right now. jansing, we are following several major stories today. including the motorcade we are watching. there it is on your right. it is taking president jimmy carter on his ntfinal journey home. that will include the plane you're seeing. special air mission 39. his grandson today, describing his life as a love story. the plane waiting to bring him

home. the 39th president remembering the politician ahead of his time, who led on issues from conservation to civil rights. we'll cover the emotion, the laughter, and the memorable moments on this national day of mourning. ur >> the other big story, the most destructive wildfires in l.a.'s history. still, uncontained, more than 179,000 people now under evacuation orders, as more structures are tiburning to the ground. entire neighborhoods left unrecognizable. we'll go live to some of the hardest-hit areas. but we begin with that final farewell for former president jimmy carter. we are alstanding by to see special air mission 39, depart joint base andrews. where he will go to plains, where he lived most of his life, where he lived with his wife rosalynn, where he taught

bible school. they just wrapped up the funeral at the national cathedral of washington, bringing together all five living presidents, and a story of a life well lived. >> yes. they spent four year at the governor's mansion, and four years at the 'swhite house. but the other 92 years, they spent at home in plains, georgia. and one of the best ways to demonstrate that they were regular folks was to take them by that home. first of all, it looks like they might have built it themselves. second of all, my grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some '70s short-shorts and some crocs. and then you'd walk in the house, and it was like thousands of other grandparents' house, across ther south. fishing trophies on the walls. the refrigerator, of course, was papered with pictures of

grandchildren and then great grandchildren. >> eulogies were also delivered by president biden and by the sons of two people who carter outlived, former president gerald ford, and carter's own vice president mondale. te >> throughout his life, he showed us ouwhat it means to be practitioner of good works. and a good and faithful servant of god and of the people. and today, many think he was from a bygone era. but in reality, he saw well into the future. >> jimmy carter's legacy of peace and compassion, will remain unique, as it is timeless. i'm looking forward to our reunion. we have much to catch up on. >> i will always be proud and grateful to have had the chance to work with you towards noble

ends. th it was then and it will always be the most rewarding experience of my public career. >> nbc's peter alexander is reporting from the white house. nbc's andrea mitchell is at the national cathedral, as she has been all day. also joining us, eugene robinson, political analyst. and greg bluesteen is msnbc political contributor. andrew, it's hard to pick out a moment, i think that was as spectacularly moving, honest, moving service. but what stood out to youa someone who covered jimmy carter, and not just the end of his presidency, but for so many years after? >> i was so struck by jason, of course, carter's grandson, one of his grandsons, telling the stories, and just talking about

the story of his grandfather when he first got a cell fon. and jason's phone rang and he said, hi, papa. and the president said, who is this? and he said, it's jason. and he said, i didn't call you, i'm taking a picture. so that was just so classic. and jason paused and said, and he was a nuclear engineer. he just captured jimmy carter, who as he described it, was the same inside and outside the white house, as president and as grandpop, and person who met people around the world. i was also struck by stu who called him a renaissance man. he said, you, as the first southern politician, embracing desegregation, you could be chosen as vice rapresident in 1976 for the campaign, and carter said to him, no, i

intend to run for president, in 1976. not to be the running mate. so he also talked, you know, very movingly about all of the contributions that jimmy carter made around the world. and finally, the incredible eulogy that jerry ford wrote about his friend, jimmy carter, saying their friendship was forged on the flight back from egypt, after the burial, the funeral of an war sadat, who had been the partner for peace and was assassinated exactly because he made peace with israel. and they made a pact to get past their rivalries in 1976 from a bitter campaign and be friends. and they were friends for life. and really close friends. i got to know jerry ford very well in his senior years and in his retirement. he talked so movingly about jimmy carter and what jimmy

carter meant for him. and that really came through in the eulogy that was written, which was read at the funeral by steve ford, who is a minister and one of his sons. they had teased each other and joked on the phone, about who would outlive the other to give the eulogy. and jimmy carter did eulogize gerald ford at his funeral. the fact that they had made that decision. and on air force one, returning from egypt. they had sort of shocked and created controversy by telling the press corps at air force one, that the unfinished business of camp david was to do something for the palestinians for their state, and that if that had not been agreed to at camp david, and it needed to be done. and that was very controversial. and jerry ford signed onto that. and to me, the poignancy of

that and of course, the looming instance of that. and something for the palestinians, can be achieved, you know, even the first phase of it, before january 20th, when president-elect trump is inaugurated. and that, of course, was so moving, see being the five presidents, seeing president- elect trump joking with barack obama sitting next to him, was quite a moment. >> i asked about two moments. one, of course, was that president biden did deliver a eulogy today. and that request was made several years ago, by carter himself. so that was behind the podium. but in the seats, a lot of attention going into an exchange. we don't know exactly what it was, between former president obama, and the incoming president, donald trump, smiling, even seemingly to laugh. talk about those emtwo moments, would you? >> yeah, the pews you speak to. this was remarkable to see these four former presidents

and the current president, effectively sitting side by fe side. and a lot of y eyes of american were certainly drawn to that image of president, former president barack obama ask soon to be president trump. they were laughing and appeared to be smiling at times. there was a notable moment where vice president looked back. si that wasn't the only notable movement. i was also struck by when donald trump arrived at the national cathedral there. he shook hands with his former vice president mike pence, the first time the two have been seen in public, in basically four years since icbe trump and pence left office. again, two weeks after the attack, where tdonald trump's supporter threatened to take the life of vice president mike pence. and notably, the former second

lady, wife karen pence, did not stand, didn't even appear to look at donald trump enas he wa arriving. that was striking to me as well there. but it did speak volumes to see this gathering of current and former presidents and the current president there, celebrating the life rrof jimmy carter, who in many ways, as joe biden himself said today, never let the tides of politics direct him from his mission to serve and as you look at the plane that will carry jimmy carter's remains back to plains, georgia. it will stop at fort benning there, in georgia, before returning to plains, maranatha baptist church is where a private service will take place later today. that is a place where jimmy carter, chris, as we sort of spoke about the lifetime of service, it's a place where he concluded each lesson with a challenge, basically, to all of those in attendance, as he taught sunday school there, to do one good thing for one

person, as the church itself says, whether making the time to call a friend who was sad or lonely, mowing the lawn for an elderly community member, or simply baking a cake for a neighbor, through one simple gesture of love, president carter suggest the, we can change the world. i think that was the message in part of what joe biden was trying to say. here's part of what joe biden said about his friend jimmy carter. take a listen. >> jimmy carter's friendship taught me, and through his life, taught me that strength of character is more than title and the power we hold. it's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and i mean everyone, deserves an even shot. not a guarantee, but a shot. >> just a little more from

today's powerful and poignant ceremony, celebration of life carter at the my national cathedral again, as you see the hearse arriving to take the president to plains. . i thought what president biden said about the sort of full circle of jimmy carter's life, where he noted he is a brilliant nuclear engineer who led a nonproliferation. he was a dedicated navy veteran. so much of the legacy of jimmy carter is not just his rearing on that family farm that didn't have running water, as he grew up, and how he ultimately became president of the united states. but the full circle, the latter half of his life as a private citizen, where he always was looking out out for others in his career. >> thank you, peter. as we see the hearse arriving. we should say, in addition to the honor guard, they also

invited members of the military families to be there. military families from joint base maryland. but also, members of the u.s. naval academy. and of course, jimmy carter was very much a navy man. when you talk eugene robinson, about the strength of character of jimmy carter and think about him, ofand you think about joe biden, very different in many ways, most obvious of which, is that biden was the ultimate insider of washington, jimmy carter obviously the outsider, and yet leaning on their faith, and i think now, the idea of legacy is something that joins them both. talk about what you think about these two men in the ways that they are similar, different, but also the message that jimmy carter's life has left. >> well, you know, i wonder if president biden might have been thinking about the other

similarity between him and president carter, which is, they were both one-term presidents. and yet, you can certainly look back at the carter presidency, and you can see lasting, big accomplishments. and some of which, we -- everybody knows about, and everyone appreciates, as really big things. and you know, just as a human being, i think president biden must have been thinking about how his one term in the white house would be remembered, what it would be remembered for. they also have in common, of course, faith. president biden's roman catholic faith, and president carter's, i believe it's baptist, faith. and somewhat different in that

-- in that carter -- carter's faith tradition is -- is really all about walking the walk every minute and every day. and you know, teaching sunday school. and -- and living, according to the beatitudes, from the sermon on the mount, which is -- he had asked to be read at the funeral, and was read. but it's -- it comes, i think, from a similar place. so president biden must have reflected on that. you know, that small group of former and current presidents is -- is this -- it's the most exclusive club in the world, right? and they have had experiences

and pressures that i don't think anyone else can fully understand. and that must be a bond -- it's a bond that allows barack obama and donald trump to have that conversation. boy, i wish i were a fly on the wall there. but it allows them to have that conversation, after all that has happened. after donald trump started this. that was sort of his stepping stone to running for the presidency. >> some of the things former president obama has said about donald trump before the 2016

election in the past year. yet they were able to have that conversation. that's a small thing. but maybe we should be thankful for small things, these days. >> yeah. i think yes. absolutely. >> when you think about the differences talked about by jerry ford, and how they not only overcame them, but became so close. and i have to play the sound that andrea mentioned at the top of this hour. because i think it is indicative of the two sides of jimmy carter. one is the camp david accords and so many accomplishments, who was the most powerful man in the world, as president of the united states. versus the guy at home in plains. and what happened when he tried to work some new technology. let me play what jason carter had to say about his granddad.

>> demonstrate what they say with the times. and eventually, he did get a cell phone. and on my phone, it said paw paw mobile. so i answered it, of course, and said, "hey, paw paw." he said," whose this?" i said, "this is jason." he said" what are you doing?" i said, i'm not doing anything. you called me. he said, i didn't call you. i'm taking a picture. [ laughter ] nuclear engineer, right? i mean. >> greg, as we were playing that very charming sound, s they're doing a 21-gun salute. and somehow, it seems to me that jimmy carter would rather hear from his grandson than the 21-gun salute. having said that, his family life, relationship with rosalynn, grandchildren, and eventually great grandchildren, how did that inform the way he

was as president and post- presidency? >> what nta great tribute from jason carter. and i've known jason carter since i was in college. and worked with his wife kate. and something jason said, was that jimmy carter was a man of the people, but also regular guy. and i think that's what we heard from jason's tributes. that of course, he was an extraordinary person who had a legacy. but also a father, grandfather, a dad. someone, as jason said, who would answer the door in '70s short-shorts and crocs and lined his fridge with family members, who had a rack to dry ziplock bags because he had sort of that still great depression upbringing. and i loved when jason called him the first millennial, and also the father of the craft brew industry. >> yeah. the imagery of the zip lock

bags, hanging to dry out, so they could be reused. the juxtaposition of the powerful and the everyday, but elevating the everyday in only the way that someone who has so much love and is surrounded by so much love can have. andrea mitchell, greg bluestein, thank you all so much as we leave andrews, and jimmy carter makes his place back to the place he loved so much, plains, georgia. coming up, we will talk about the huge fast-moving fire that has left l.a. in ruins. but first, nbc's gadi schwartz brings us an upclose view of the carnage while driving through pacific palisades. >> wow. that is the pacific palisades presbyterian church. or what is left of it. those are the remnants of a beautiful church that used to be up on the hill there. and you see those concrete

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reinventing your business at paychex.com/tv. >> when you need brutal honesty. when you need answers first thing in the morning. when you need to go deep inside washington and hear from someone who's been there. you need your morning joe weekdays at six. only on msnbc. >> donald trump plans to reshape the u.s. government. >> democrats have wasted no time in laying the groundwork to fight the incoming trump administration. donald trump wants a presidential cabinet full of loyalists. >> don't miss the weekend, saturday and sunday mornings at 8:00 on msnbc. at this ishour, officials a warning that southern california is not out of danger yet. right now, five wildfires are still burning. they have killed five people

destroyed buildings. 48 hours into battling flames into nightmare conditions, firefighters got a temporary reprieve when those santa ana winds slowed a little. but gusts are expected to ramp back up to near-hurricane force by tonight. three out of five of the blazes are still entirely uncontained. yet some people are still returning to the path of destruction, to witness firsthand, the extent of the damage. far too few got good news. in the pacific palisades neighborhood, satellite images, reveal a devastating before-and- after, the flames leaving behind, entirely blackened streets. this is one family's house in that neighborhood. the house hollowed out, the windows and the red doors, gone entirely. one small victory, the hollywood hills evacuation order was lifted this morning, after these dramatic scenes near the iconic hollywood sign. helicopters dropping in water to battle the flames. my colleague, katy turis is

live. using the word good, it is even hard to get out of your mouth, because i can't believe what i'm seeing behind you. talk about -- look. you know this area so well. you grew up there. what even is going through your mind? and what are you seeing? >> reporter: well, let me just start with some breaking news. i just saw four water tankers. make a few circles and head back out. so that means there is an aerial salt in the air, working right now, to put out these flames. i'm in the palisades, crais. this chris. this is the heart. some areas not so changed by time as other areas. but now it's changed. now it's completely gone. what i'm standing in front of here, i think, was a barber shop when i grew up.

this was a barber shop. there was a little jewelry shop. there was a boutique clothing store to the left here. the chamber of commerce, which held all of the historical information about this historic town, this very old town, is completely gone. we're on arnie wishnick lane here. and he was the guy who was in charge of the chamber of commerce for decades. loved this place, put all of the records in that small building. he recently died a few years ago. and now there's nothing left of this building. you gotta hope somebody digitized of the records, albums, photos, the elementary. which, by the way, is just over here. you can see a little green grass there. heavily, heavily damaged. the elementary school that i went to. over 100 years old. stood for a hundred years, now it's partially demolished. but there were pictures of it in that chamber of commerce. there was a really wonderful

music class called the maze of music. you could buy a guitar, get guitar lessons. it was right down here. you could do karate right here. my brother did karate next door. there was an art studio that i learned how to use chalk and pastels in. that's all gone. it's all gone. and it's just still worse, if you look across the street. and we talked a lot about this building, but i think it bears talking a little more about it. this was the starbucks. okay. it's the starbucks. who cares about starbucks, right? it's one of the first ones in the country. it was a big deal. my mom used to sit on the big, leather chairs here drinking a cappuccino. i think at the time, we called it a cup of chino. it was built in 1994. i believe at one time, a fire tore through this, over the years, but they were able to save the facade. the bank of america was over

here. i met my best friend, in front of that bank of america. i hope that they're able to save some of this facade again, in order to preserve some of the historic nature of this beautiful, wonderful community, this place that so many people have loved for so long, the place that so many people desperately want to come back to. but i gotta say, chris, and it breaks my heart to say this. there is not a lot to come back to. i was just over in the alphabet streets, which is one of the first places -- was the first place i lived in here in the palisades. we rented, we moved around a lot. we had a tiny little bungalow, over on embry street. and i -- when the sun came up this morning, i took jacob soboroff over there, who also grew up in the pacific palisades, who i've known since i was a kid. i took him over there to see my first house. and there was nothing left of it. and i took him up the street

and took him to see one of my best friends from childhood, his house. and there was nothing left of that. and he still lives there, with his young family. i talked to him yesterday on my show. but the thing is, chris, it was so devastated on that block. you couldn't tell what you were looking at. couldn't tell which was which. so i think i was looking at has house, but i couldn't tell you, it could have been the one two doors down or the one next door. i'll show you, we have tape of it, just how bad it is. and why it's so hard to identify the remains. >> reporter: i think it was this one. but it might have been this one. they worked on the house, and this was their lives, working on this house. >> you can see the address on the street. yeah, it's all sort of

indistinguishable. like the features, the basketball hoop on the back. that's the other -- >> the house on the other side. >> yeah. >> this is -- i mean, this is where you see it. it's like, there isn't the faucet. like the water is running there. there's not a house left standing in this neighborhood. >> i can't tell if it was this house or that one. i think maybe it was this one. >> so, chris, you could see, i think it actually ended up being the house a couple of doors down. but the memories are all still there. and we took a lot of video, just up and down these neighborhoods, went to a lot of the places i used to live, so

far, not a single one is standing. went to a lot of friends' houses, not one standing yet. i have friends who lost their own home, parents' home. got a lot of cell phone messages. you really can't get through. i think they're starting to let some people in. but the police are stopping anyone who doesn't have a press credential. they're really worried about looters. i was driving through the highlands area, the flats, a moment ago. and sammy, watch out for the curb behind you, my cameraman, sammy. and we were stopped by a private security guard. and the neighborhood had hired a private security guard to watch over the few houses that still remain. they're worried about people coming in on foot and getting into these houses. there was a news conference earlier, with l.a. officials. and they said they're worried about it, too. they don't want anyone taking advantage of this horrible situation. and i mean that, chris.

it's awful, even if your house is still standing, and there are some -- some lucky ones here. even if your house is still standing, there's really nothing to come to, there's no community left. the schools are burned down. a lot of elementary schools. the high school, the private schoolsa around here. i mean, it's just -- you can come back. but you're not going to go to a grocery store. not going to go to the grocery office. >> maybe you can go to the air one. the air one is still standing, believe it or not. rick caruso. he apparently hired private fire crews to work this area. it worked, i guess. and the rest of the place, it's no good. >> yeah. and it's been stunning to hear how many people have some sort of connection, right? just hearing people, for example in the newsroom. >> yeah. >> my nephew and his wife, they were here over the holidays, in the newsroom, they live in pacific palisades.

they're down, obviously not there now. and i think what strikes me a lot, is that when we've gone to scenes of destruction, including wildfires, and i covered wildfires when i was out in l.a. you could go through and find things. you know, pieces of your life, or memories, you know, maybe it's a picture frame. it seems like there's nothing there, katy. nothing. >> no. i was looking. i was looking. i didn't see anything. i mean, i wasn't going on properties or anything. if it wasn't metal, i don't know how it survived. i was able to find a watch on the street. the cliche of a stopped watch. it was stopped. but it wasn't working any longer. it was shattered and smashed. if you didn't leave with your stuff, the stuff is not there. unless you have a fire safe in the garage. and hopefully you can get to some of your documents or whatever you were able to preserve. but if you didn't take it, you're not coming back to it. and that's what i've been hearing from a lot of friends. and i spoke to a woman who was

just coming up on our house this morning. he was able to get through with her two kids. they left in a hurry. you know? all of a sudden, it was an evacuation order. all of a sudden. hey, look, look. we can take a look at one of these water scooperless. it's an aerial tanker, going out to work. the thing is, chris, the palisades fire, which is the biggest fire right now, which has burned thousands of acres, destroyed thousands of homes, it's still burning. still really hot. they are 0% contained. it's pretty calm here, because it's burned through much of this. but there are definitely hot spots. there was a huge blaze over there still. they've gotten it out. but there is some wind. it's not a lot. there is some wind. they're starting to pick it up. and what they're really worried about, chris, is going forward. there is more wind forecast for tonight and tomorrow. they're worry about about this thing picking up. it's scary stuff.

if i can toss to some of the sound from the press conference from officials here in los angeles about what is going on and what the status is. >> it looked apocalyptic. not since the 1990s, when los angeles was hit with the fires, the flood, the earthquake and the riots, have i seen such disaster occur here in our city. >> reporter: yeah, i mean, it's true. and i grew up here. chris, i grew up here in the '90s. i remember those fires. i remember the massive rain storms. i also remember the earthquake and then the riots. i mean, that was a bad era. and this is very much what it looks like today. i'll leave you again, with this incredible shot of the damage of this part of town. and for anybody who knows it, this is antioch street. if you go up there, you go to via delapaz, and you make a left, you'll hit paleo elementary, which you can see through the trees here. and then the methodist church. and yeah. it's just all gone. again, this is not the only

place in los angeles. this is what make ths so -- so much more remarkable than it already is. there are five fires burning across los angeles right now. five of them. and the other big one, is near altadena, or in altadena, and in pasadena. and that's where we find our colleague, dana griffin. she's been reporting out there. dana, are there still any active flames over there? what are you seeing? >> hi, katy. let me walk you through where we are. i want to show you, the power pole has been split here. it is charred. you've got power lines in the middle of the roadway. you've got a streetlight that has fallen to the ground. homes on this street look just like this, katy. they are decimated. many have burned to the ground. you see flames behind be us. those are actually gas lines that have not even been shut off because that is not the priority right now. still the firefighting, still saving lives, making sure

people get out if those evacuation orders continue. but you can walk through this neighborhood. it is so honest, it looks like a scene from a movie that someone staged, but this is not -- this is reality. and i think that's what is mind- boggling for a lot of people, is that this does not seem real. a lot of people did not think that this could happen in an area like los angeles county. the most populated county in this country. and there's just so much devastation, you can see cars here. these are just shells of what they used to be. you can't even make out the seat cushions or anything that may have been inside this vehicle. i know you tried to look for some items at that home in pacific palisades. and it's hard to make out a lot of thursday items. we're just seeing a lot of charred -- charred remains here. i was speaking to a couple that lives just across the street. and you may be able to see across the way. this looks like a war zone. there are a few homes that are standing in this neighborhood,

but there are a lot that have burned to the ground. there's a couple that came. they didn't have -- they had four minutes to get out. they thought that -- they didn't realize a fire was at their door, until they heard their gate kind of rattling, and they've never heard that before. they were in the back, in, like, this -- this -- it's almost like a -- a home -- what -- i forget what you call them. but it's like the many homes that you have, and the bigger homes, and so they were there because their house was actually supposed to go up for sale next week. the house had been staged. they had been staying in the loft behind the home. and it wasn't until they stepped outside that door and saw flames. they had just minutes to get out. they came back, looking for their mezuzah, which is a very sacred item that they kept at their home. that irstill searching for it.

but for a lot of families in this area that are returning, it is very devastating. katy, chris. >> i think you were thinking about an adu, dana. i'm sorry. i just lost my earpiece. >> reporter: yes. thank you. >> i just want to show you one thing we're talking about. don't worry -- words escape me all the time, especially when you're out here working on very little sleep and covering a disaster zone. this is a hot spot, and this is a telephone pole here in the middle of town. and the smoke is -- you can see the smoke -- the wind is swirling it around. this is a problem. this is what firefighters are work worried about. it looks small here and there's not a lot to burn here. but a hot spot in a house that hasn't yet burned down, that's a real problem. and that is what they are worried about. so right now, they don't want the wind to pick up again. they don't want it to feed these flames and to bring them onto a part of these neighborhoods that might still be standing. so there is -- it looks calm

here now. but don't mistake that calm for safety. because there is still a massive, a massive threat, right nowl, across los angeles. and also the -- just the parts -- most of southern california, because of how dry it is. because of the winds. there's been so little rain here. january, you usually get some. december-january, you usually get some. so when the santa anas come through. the warm air that comes through. it doesn't pick it up. it's not supposed to catch things on fire. but because we're living in a new world order. climate change, whatnot. it's just much dryer. and so these santa anas are able to do a lot more damage around this time of year than they might have done in the past. >> they did not get the rain, and anybody who has covered a fire or lived through a fire, has seen one of those sparks travel on wind, land somewhere and set off another fire. it is a terrifying prospect, which is why officials today said this isn't over yet. katy, we'll be talking to you

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it looks like a bomb was dropped. that's how the los angeles county sheriff robert luna is describing the destruction across the fire zone. right now, pacific palisades is still burning, though we know at last count, it had already claimed 17,234 acres. the number of structures damaged or destroyed, still unknown at the palisades fire. but it's estimated to be in the thousands. and some residents in malibu, they're now getting their first look at the sheer level of destruction. >> i kept spraying all the embers, and then the next thing i know, a 30-foot wall of fire was coming at 60 miles an hour, and i couldn't see.

and it was so smoky, so i said, it's time to leave. we lost everything we own, but -- it doesn't even look like a house anymore. it just looks like a -- something. >> cbs of nbc steve patterson is on the ground for us. he is in altadena. steve, what's it like there? >> we're in pacific palisades now, chris. we've moved. and it looks as everyone has described it, like a war zone. this is a perfect example of what we've heard from jacob and katy, who grew up here. that these neighborhoods are gone. this neighborhood is gone. there is nothing left here. i don't know if you can see, you know, the level of destruction. we can't show it all to you. because it's all just wreckage. we can't walk through this. can't possibly hope to. but it's in every direction, as far as the eye can see. and you may be able to see just the images in the hills.

i don't know how far deep you can see. but there are homes that are also fine. it's incredible to see. in fact, i walked this entire neighborhood. there is one home that survived, somehow, surrounded by dry brush. seemingly at random, it survives. meanwhile, the mementos, the pieces of people's lives, just laying the wreckage. we're pointing toward the sun. not sure how easy you can see that. but you can see pilot people's personal effects. this is just one of dozens and dozens in a neighborhood of hills that is just wiped out. this fire is 17,000 acres. there is still an active wind event. want to say that again. there are still active red flag warnings. this is not over. the major operation continues, despite the fact that the winds have, yes, died down. we are starting to see some of the best signs, which are aircraft in the air, overhead.

periodically, making air drops, refueling. if they're able to operate and as much as they can, then they will be able to get this fire under control. but until then, this it still an out-of-control fire as people come back to their homes and pick up the pieces. >> chris? >> steve patterson. thank you. >> katy? >> reporter: i'm sorry, steve. thank you very much. it just looks awful out there. and i was struck on your last words. we just saw another, and i'm sure you saw this, too, steve. saw another water tanker. here's another one now. a scooper coming through, they're making the rounds, which is great news. because they are the ones that are going to be able to quash these flames. they're the ones that can make significant impact. the fact that they have not been able to work for two days, is part of why it's just been so awful out here. let's bring in now,a actor and

producer william mcnamara. he has been trying to rescue animals. i understand you had a pretty harrowing experience out there. >> i want to apologize for my appearance. but i did get burned yesterday, i guess. it looks like a bad sunburn. i believe it was the day before yesterday, in the morning, from my kitchen window, i saw this giant plume. and i thought it was in santa monica, where i live. so i rushed over there to see what was going on. i felt like it was montana or something. but i realized that wasn't. it looked like the highlands or the palisades. it was in the palisades. so i did some video taping. and it looked like the super scoopers were right at it. i also did a major rescue in the woolsey fire. so i learned a lot of that in the fires. and there are similar bad things that occurred. but anyway, so eventually, i realized, i need to get into

the palisades and see if there's any animals that need to get evacuated, to help. i work with east ranch foundation, that works with cat rescue and dog center in agoura hill. and i don't want to get in the cops or firemen's ways. so i know how to get in and out without getting in their way. and i ended up on pch for what? 24 hours? and i guess i did get burned. i didn't realize that yesterday. a couple of things i want to mention. i did cnn. they asked me on cnn yesterday. and before i went on, i spoke to a friend, she's a firefighter, and she's an equine rescuer. marlene dodge. ask she's with valley view ranch equine rescue. and we have a 20-foot trailer.

we've got the trailer, palisade, malibu, whatever. anyway, i asked her. she's a former firefighter. i told her what i had witnessed the first night in there. because i think i was the only person in there. and i said, i witnessed the firemen not -- not using their hoses or putting out the fires. i was kind of shocked and didn't know what was going on. i asked her if i should mention that on cnn. she said, it doesn't reflect well on the firemen, and we don't know what is going on, billy. so it might be better for you not to mention that. so i didn't. but now i'm seeing a lot of the tv reporters today, they are talking about that they weren't able to use the -- i guess they ran out of water. so i did want to mention that, that i did see that yesterday. i refrained from saying that because i didn't want to reflect badly on the firefighters, who are the true heroes here and the police officers. so, you know, the same thing

happened in the woolsey fires. i was in corral canyon, putting out -- the rescue had a fire hose. so i was putting out spot fires around the stables, where these two horses were. and i was doing very well. and then the water ran out. and there was a major spot fire that i couldn't put out. so i guess the same thing happened again. and i think our local government has to really make this a priority, that we need water. and, you know, that's the most important thing -- >> listen. what we've heard from reporters and that's the thing, they did just run out of water. a city municipal system is not designed to fight a wildfire. and they had so many fires going at the same time. and they just ended up use it all. obviously, there needs to be an investigation, and some second thinking about how to make this work, in the event that this happens again. and it might happen again, because of what we're experiencing through climate change. i think that's exactly the

question to ask and something to press our officials on. because it is, i imagine when you saw that, it made you furious. and it would make anybody furls. and furious. and i'm sure it made the firefighters furious as well, not to be able to fight the fires. i want to ask you a question. i'm sorry you got burned. i'm glad you made it out safely. if you're somebody with a pet in danger or horse in danger, what do you do? >> well, first of all, what i did notice, when i was going to the palisades, when i first got in there, at the beginning of the fire, it would be nice. you can't break into people's homes, obviously. you can't do that, because you turn from a rescuer, to what looks like a looter. so i'm very nervous about that. but put stickers on your doors. there is something in the highlands now. katy, i don't know if you're in the highlands,there's a house, we're trying to find out if that house is still standing.

because they -- they had two cats, and they weren't able to get back in. they were in a hotel. the whole thing shut off. and they weren't able to get back in. and i was trying to get to highlands as well. it's not possible. reporters were sent through. so i sent the producer the address, just in case you have a moment. so you gotta put the signs on your doors or windows, and let people know that you have animals in there. and also, you know, right away, put your information on facebook and instagram. because the rescuers, we check that. and we will look and help. we have the resources. we can get your horses, anything, we can get them out. just give us notification. >> reporter: thank you for that address. we will try to get up there. we're trying to get to a number of spotting here today. ask you're so right about that note. leave a note, say what's left. we sua saw a note on goucher

street. we're down in the town, the village area, so a little ways from the highlands. but we saw a note on the car that said, "the smiths have evacuated. the people at x address have evacuated ." so that sort of thing is helpful. i know the death toll stands at 5 now. i know there are many injuries. but just the scope and scale of the injuries. i know the officials here have said they're not really relying on that death toll because of how quickly these fires moved, how hot they burned, and just how much destruction there is. but i guess we'll hold out hope. william mcnamara. thank you for joining us. >> i wanted to put a shout out to two other people, mark shane and christianson, who are also out there rescuing animals way more than i am. >> thank you for that. william thank you very much and stay safe out there.

i'm going to pass it back to chris jansing in new york. thank you, katy. i want to go to hanna malic. we know there are places that are at capacity. there are folks who even if there were hotels, could not 2350rd to find a place to stay for indefinite period of time. so talk about what your organization is doing right now? >> we have hundreds of red crossers on the ground, helping to support people. we want people know, they're not alone. folks can find a red cross shelter by going to redcross.org. our focus is to make sure people are out of harm's way. they have a meal. we have people refilling prescriptions, letting people know they're not alone at this time. >> i know there are a lot of folks who may be worried about going to shelter because they have a pet with them. they were able to take their cat or dog with them.

veterinary clinics report being overwhelmed. what happens if someone goes to your shelter and has a pet? >> all the shelters are handled differently. some shelters have pet space in a separate room. we welcome pets into shelters. >> there are a lot of people watching, they are overwhelmed by what they see, as it's impossible not to be. so how can people who are watching and listening help? >> yeah. the quickest and most efficient way to make an impact by those affected by this disaster, is making a financial donation to the red cross. folks can visit redcross.org. or text red cross to 9099 to make a financial donation. or folks can sign up to be a volunteer. >> that is important information. hanna malak. thank you the. our coverage will continue

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