jonathan vigliotti has more from siskiyou county. >> reporter: aerials. mckinney fire show the inferno that has crews struggling to contain it and homeowners scrambling to escape it. the volatility of the firestorm fueled by high winds, a heat wave and the decades-long build-up of dry brush caught most off guard as it exploded to more than california's siskiyou county, already destroying several homes and a community hall. some decided to say despite evacuation orders. >> when the fire came it traveled from the top of that ridge downhill in a space of maybe 15 minutes. trees exploding. >> i never seen anything like m it. >> reporter: officials say 60 people were rescued from the faint pacific coast hiking trail. some 500 households under a mand mandatory vacation. firefighters last week had said they anticipated to have the oak fire near yosemite fully under control over the weekend but the blaze is only roughly two-thirds contained. right now there are 54 large fires burning in 13 states destroying more than 1.5 million acres, larger than an area the siz

jonathan vigliotti reports on just how fast the fire has spread. >> reporter: the west is a tinderbox. the mckinney fire is still burning out of control, mushrooming to more than 55,000 acres and responsible for at least two deaths. >> it traveled from the top of that ridge downhill in the space of maybe 15 minutes. >> it was the most amazing, terrifying thing you've ever seen. >> reporter: as intense as the flames are on the ground and in the air, the view from space is jaw-dropping. this is the fire as night fell on saturday, growing exponentially. one couple died trying to escape when their car was overcome by flames in their driveway. the fire exploded so quickly in this neighborhood, it engulfed entire homes in a matter of minutes, destroying everything in its path. search-and-rescue teams are going property to property looking for anyone missing. it's not just the drought but the extreme heat. at least 14 deaths are being investigated in the pacific next, possibly related to record-setting temperatures. redmond, oregon, has topped triple digits seven days straight. >> with clima

jonathan vigliotti has the latest on the firefight. >> reporter: aerials of the mckinney fire show the inferno that has crews struggling to contain it and homeowners scrambling to escape it. the volatility of the firestorm fueled by high winds, a heat wave, and the decades-long build-up of dry brush caught most off guard as it exploded to more than 50,000 acres in less than 48 hours. the blaze is threatening hundreds of structures in northern california's siskiyou county. already destroying several homes and a community hall. some decided to stay despite evacuation orders. >> when this fire came it traveled from the top of that ridge downhill in the space of maybe 15 minutes. trees exploding. >> i never seen anything like it. >> reporter: officials say 60 people were rescued from a section of the faint pacific coast hiking trail. some 500 households are under a mandatory evacuation. a number which will likely grow. >> jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, yreka, california. >> several bay area fire crews are headed there after spending days fighting the oak fire. >>> new details on a shooting

they'r >> dickerson: jonathan vigliotti, thank you, jonathan.ons between the united states and china. house speaker nancy pelosi's expected to taiwan is sparking expected visit to taiwan is sparking outrage from beijing, which called it a major provocation. which china called it a majorlef provocation. now china is flexing its military muscle ahead of the anticipated trip. cbs' adam yamaguchi is in taiwan. >> reporter: across the narrow taiwan strait, it's a battle of wills. taiwan just wrapped up a week of annual live fire exercises, andc china has responded in kind, increasing navy patrols, conducting live fire drills, and releasing a highly produced propaganda video. china claims taiwan, a self- governing island of 23 million people as its own, and the anticipated visit of speaker pelosi, is generating accusations that the u.s. supports taiwan sovereignty. if speaker pelosi visits taiwan, says the chinese foreign affairs spokesman, it would grossly interfere in chinese's internal affairs. he warned the chinese military would never sit idly by

jonathan vigliotti is in los angeles with more. >> reporter: one of the hottest and driest regions inmerica was hit by a rare monsoon. that triggered historic flash flooding in and around california' death valley national park. rescues after a thousand people were trapped inside. mudflows damaged some 60 cars. as of tonight, there were no reports of injuries. around an inch and a half of rain was dumped in one day. that's about 75% of the region's annual total. kentucky's appalachian mountains already struggling to recover from earlier flash flooding that left 37 dead are facing torrential rains again. president biden and the first lady will survey the damage on monday. the powerful storms in the northeast and midwest are disrupting flights nationwide delaying at least 3,000 flights and canceling more than 600. in arizona more than 20,000 lightning strikes have hit since thursday as the state braces for more blistering heat. and firefighters in washington state have saved a small town of lind after gaining control of the flames that destroyed at least six homes. and back here in calif

cbs' jonathan vigliotti is near the front lines. >> reporter: the west is a tinderbox. the mckinney fire is still burning out of control, mushrooming to more than 55,000 acres and responsible for at least two deaths. >> it traveled from the top of that ridge downhill in the space of maybe 15 minutes. >> it was just the most amazing, terrifying thing i've ever seen. >> reporter: the fire continues to rage near the california-oregon border, but as intense as the flames are on the ground and in the air, the view from space is jaw-dropping. this the fire as night fell on saturday, growing exponentially. one couple died trying to escape when their car was overcome by flames in their driveway. >> the fire exploded so quickly in this neighborhood it engulfed entire homes in a matter of minutes destroying everything in its path. search and rescue teams are going from property to property looking for anyone missing. >> reporter: it's not just drought gripping the west but also extreme heat. at least 14 deaths are investigated in the pacific northwest possibly related to record s

cbs' jonathan vigliotti is at the courthouse. and a 12-year-old baseball player is out of the i.c.u., taking his first steps as his team pays tribute at the little league world series. cbs' nikki battiste speaks with his dad. >> he just keeps defeating the odds, and the the only way to explain that is by miracles. >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> brennan: good evening, and thank you all for joining us. i'm margaret brennan in for norah. tonight, the u.s. will, for the first time, give ukraine scan eagle surveillance drones, mine mine-resistant vehicles to mount a counteroffensive against russian forces. a senior defense official tells cbs news that the nearly $800 million package is to help ukrainian forces regain territory as the war nears its sixth month. shelling around a key nuclear plant in ukraine is drawing international concern. the u.n. secretary-general called today for a demilitarized zone around europe's largest nuclear power plant which first came under r

jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, los angeles. >> o'donnell: in tonight's "money watch," the cooling housing market fell for the 6th straight month. existing home sales dropped nearly 6% in july, to the lowest level since june of 2020. over the last year, home sales are down more than 20%. well, those dropping out of the market still need a place to live, and that's causing rents to skyrocket. here's cbs's carter evans. >> reporter: looking for a place to rent? good luck. michael citren is on the hunt in los angeles. he's a federal public defender with a legitimate complaint. >> i can't even tell you how many places i've applied for and been rejected from. >> reporter: you're a lawyer! you've got a good job! >> yeah. >> reporter: and you can't find an apartment? >> yeah. and i'm looking with two other professionals, as well. >> reporter: they tried to rent this three-bedroom bungalow in south los angeles for $4,100 a month, until someone outbid them by 10%. >> i'd never have expected that there would be a bidding war for a 12-month lease. >> reporter: across the country, rents are skyrocketi

here is jonathan vigliotti. >> reporter: the race to get people to safety and to locate the missing is underway in the fire zone. >> there is so much loss of the families here. >> reporter: teams are searching through destroyed property to locate residents who may have died in the flames. >> the fire exploded so quickly in this neighborhood it engulfed entire homes. everything that you see here just destroyed. the bodies of two people who officials say waited too long to evacuate were discovered in this vehicle after it was engulfed by the fast-moving inferno. in they tried to escape, their driver way gate apparently wouldn't open. >> it shows how swiftly these fires move. >> reporter: courtney cider is a spokesperson for the siskiyou county sheriff's office. she says two dozen people are still missing and that number could increase. >> what we're trying to do today is get a better reference of people that are either unaccounted for or, unfortunately, fatalities. >> reporter: with thunderstorms moving into the region, the damp conditions are helping firefighters, but the massive fire s

jonathan v jonathan vigliotti is in the area. >> there's so much loss of the families here. >> reporter: teams are searching through destroyed property to locate residents who may have died in the flames. the fire exploded so quickly in this neighborhood, it engulfed entire homes. everything that you see here just destroyed. the bodies of two people who officials say waited too long to evacuate were discovered in this vehicle after it was engulfed by the fast-moving inferno. when they did try to escape, their driveway gate apparently wouldn't open. >> it shows how swiftly these fires move. >> reporter: courtney crider i a spokesperson for the siskiyou county sheriff's office. she says nearly two dozen people are still missing and that number could increase. >> what we're trying to do today is get a better reference of people that are either unaccounted for or unfortunately fatalities. >> reporter: with thunderstorms moving into the region, the damp conditions are helping firefighters, but the massive fire still burns out of control. the lightning strikes could be disastrous. >> the one

jonathan vigliotti reports. >> reporter: so this is where you all sleep at night? >> yes.is our sleeping quarters. >> reporter: 65-year-old maria negrete, her daughter and granddaughter live in their car on the streets of san diego after losing their jobs and getting evicted from their apartment. you have been looking for work. your daughter has been looking for work. how frustrating has that been for you? >> it's hard, because i -- as much as we try, we feel that the system pushes you to the position that we are. >> reporter: do you see a way off the streets, back into a home? >> no. especially with everything so expensive, like gas, the rent, everything. and that's heartbreaking for me. >> reporter: negrete is among one of the fastest growing groups of homeless, baby boomers. many like her worked low-paying jobs and had no savings to fall become on when times got tough. according to research, the number of homeless people over 55 is expected to spike to 225,000 in the next four years nationwide, up from 170,000 in 2017. that's a 32% jump. i mean, this is an age, a time i

jonathan vigliotti has her story. ♪ >> reporter: you don't have to be a fan of baseball to be moved byic >> i don't really know a lot about baseball, bury i guess the dodgers are my team now. >> reporter: for 2100 people, the hallowed ground of dodger stadium was turned into a fitting stage, welcoming them as new citizens. >> i had to wait to get all the right visa and forms to come through. sorry. it's been a long time coming. yeah. >> reporter: from you know, latin america, and the caribbean, asia and africa, young and old, they pledged their allegiance on this field of their dreams in the heart of l.a. >> please raise your right hand. >> reporter: among them, the oldest new american in los angeles today, 89-year-old mona lindo. >> i'm very excited. >> reporter: who we met last week ahead of her big day. >> i'm very, very proud of my humble beginning, but i really love america. >> reporter: originally from jamaica, she brought her young family to l.a. in the '80s. she says she never felt the need to become a u.s. citizen at first, but having eight children and 41 grand and great gran

jonathan vigliotti has more from the neighbors impacted. >> reporter: the race to get people to safety and to locate the missing is under way in the fire zone. >> there is so much loss of the families here. >> reporter: teams are searching through destroyed property to locate residents who may have decide in the flames. >> the fire exploded so quick will i in this neighborhood, it engulfed entire homes. everything that you see here just destroyed. >> reporter: the bodies of two people who officials say waited too long to evacuate were discovered in this vehicle after it was engulfed by the fast-moving inferno. when they did try to escape, their driveway gate apparently wouldn't open. >> it shows how swiftly these fires move. >> reporter: courtney crider is a spokesperson for the siskiyou county sheriff's office. she says nearly two dozen people are still missing, and that number could increase. >> what we're trying to do today is get a better reference of people that are either unaccounted for or unfortunately fatalities. >> reporter: with thunderstorms moving into the region, the damp