let's go now to julia vargas jones. you are there julia, in altadena we see crews working on a fire behind you. >> tell us what's going on there. >> well, brianna, we didn't expect to see this just a few minutes ago. maybe 20 minutes ago, we saw these fire trucks pull up in front of this house. and this tree now completely charred. it was a healthy, normal tree. the billboard businesses to the left and to the right. this house going completely up in flames in a matter of just minutes. as we've been waiting here, we've witnessed the destruction, the ferocity of this fire. how quickly things spread. you know, we are parked just a block away from this. it is quite destructive and moving so fast. and one thing i will say, we're seeing all these resources in this area being pulled into this one spot. we know this means this is a hot spot and they want to stop it to avoid further damage. this is just like the palisades. it is a very densely populated area. every street we have been down, we've seen damage on both sides of the

cnn's julia vargas jones is in los angeles. so, julia, you're on the ground. tell us what's happening and what are you hearing from residents on the ground? >> hey. thank you. yeah. manu, a lot of frustration this morning. we just got approached by a resident who had to evacuate the palisades fire area asking, you know, have you seen my house? this is something that we've been getting from resident after resident. as people start to try to come home and and get a real sense of the extent of this damage, we're still at around 11% containment of this fire, and it's moved east. now, as you can probably see, the winds are starting to pick back up here in los angeles. and that could mean that the fire could kind of fold back into itself this way. behind me, this is the west side of the city. all of the destruction from this fire has come from that direction over here. the neighborhoods that firefighters have been working tirelessly to save. this is the brentwood area, mandeville canyon, very close to the 405 freeway that cuts los angeles north south. we're very clo

julia vargas jones. thanks so much. so many people. and we've shown you some of the video of lost everything in the fire, some of their possessions are irreplaceable. >> georgie and leonardo antenori evacuated their home in pacific palisades on the first morning of the fire. and then hours later, their home and everything in it was gone, including their late daughter's ashes. >> we had a daughter 15 years ago. she'd be 15 and she passed away when she was one, and her ashes were in our home and. i mean, they're gone, like every memory, every piece of physical evidence of her life is just gone. and that hurts. i feel numb right now because i feel like i've cried all of my emotions, but i've just been. it's just been. the prices of insurance just got so high. and, you know, we were still trying to recover from, you know, the last four years of just everything changing after covid that we thought, you know, we'll recover fast and and then we'll just pick up our insurance again and everything will be fine. we never, ever, in

cnn's julia vargas jones joins us from altadena. julia, what are you seeing there?t's such a paradox, right? jim, we need that rain to be able to contain these wildfires. but at the same time, it could bring potentially more disaster to these areas, like here in altadena and in the palisades, where the palisades fire burned so many homes. look, the reason why it could happen is because we're basically both of these areas are in the foothills of mountains. that water could come down with all of that brush burned from the side of those hills and just sweep, not just dirt. and and mud, but also some of the toxic substances that are in this disaster zone. essentially all the toxins, the toxins that are in these household materials that officials have been warning against, they have made available 250,000 sandbags throughout the city. and we've been watching as they come in with heavy equipment here in altadena. some of that, i assume, will be from the california department of water resources, who said they're digging debris dams on the hillsides. exactly. to catch that

cnn's julia vargas jones is in altadena, where it has been raining. julia, what is being done to prepare these communities? yeah, jessica. >> we saw 250,000 sandbags distributed in these communities. we've seen them placed around the doors of businesses and homes that are still standing here. but what the national guard is really concerned about is potential runoff from the san gabriel mountains, just above the city. >> we're in altadena, california, and we're entering the sierra madre. villa debris basin. >> the national guard deployed to assist first responders just hours after the deadly fires in pacific palisades and altadena began in the first week of january. this unit, part of the guard's task force 49, is charged with digging trenches at the base of the san gabriel mountains in southern california. a race against the rain to protect neighborhoods in and around the burn zone. >> the fire basically causes it to be a lot more susceptible to erosion. >> oh, wow. oh, i see this now. so this is where the water is going. >> to flow. yeah. so the water

and that's where we find cnn's julia vargas jones. julia, what are you seeing there? >> well, we're seeing a lot of residents trying to see if their houses are still standing at this point. jake. four days out, they're trying to get to the scenes. and this is what they're meeting. this is, you know, the remnants of homes that they left, and some of them still have not been able to see. we've seen people walking the streets of the pacific palisades climbing up those hills on foot at times because cars cannot get through. they need police or authorities, firefighters. someone needs to escort people in. you know, there is a growing concern with looters or people that might be taking advantage of this situation. so security around here is really tight. but we've heard from people, we've seen people pleading with authorities to come and see if their homes are still standing. and jake, it's just been so much heartbreak. just devastation and hearing these stories or watching witnessing people for the first time realize that their homes have been completely burned down, their

cnn's julia vargas jones with more from altadena. >> more than ten days after both the eaton fire and the palisades fire started, in some areas that were previously under evacuation are now open to residents. still, 41,000 people across l.a. county under these evacuation orders and warnings. but in santa monica, some good news the pacific coast highway is open to local traffic and all curfews and evacuation warnings are now lifted as these residents begin to come home or to what's left of their homes. many will need help to rebuild. sometimes entire neighborhoods. governor gavin newsom announced on saturday that five major lenders will provide a 90 day grace period on mortgage payments for california wildfire victims. that kind of assistance is coming not just from government and from neighbors, people helping each other, but also institutions that are beloved by angelenos like the l.a. dodgers and other sports teams. that together raised more than $8 million for both victims and frontline workers. and on friday had an event where they gave out essential items to families that were in

julia vargas jones, thank you.coming up, why a new study is linking adhd with shorter life expectancy and higher risk of mental health issues. i'll discuss with an expert after the break. >> today. >> week one of trump 2.0. >> senator lindsey. >> graham joins dana to look at all the changes. then illinois governor j.b. pritzker on the promised mass deportations, plus what he says democrats need to do now. state of the union live this morning at 9:00. this is no ordinary scallop. >> distinguished by its juicy. >> texture. >> deep umami flavor and elegant finish, this scallop is meatier and sweeter than what you might expect. raised in the crystal cold waters of japan, rich in minerals and sea life, they are packed with vitamins and nutrients, and you can even eat them raw. this japanese scallop is special. it is one of the most coveted seafoods to taste. >> it. are you ready for this? are you ready for this? are you ready for this. >> new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews? chew fizz. feel better? fast. no wa

cnn's julia vargas jones has more on what the national guard is doing to prevent these mudslides we're in. >> altadena, california. >> and we're entering the sierra madre. villa debris basin. >> the national. >> guard deployed to. >> assist first responders just. >> hours after the. deadly fires in pacific palisades in altadena began in the first week of january. this unit, part of the guard's task force 49, is. >> charged with. >> digging trenches. >> at the base of the san gabriel mountains. >> in southern california. >> a race against. >> the rain. to protect neighborhoods in. >> and around the burn zone the fire basically causes it to be a lot more susceptible to erosion. oh, wow. >> oh, i see this now. >> so this is where the water. >> is going. >> to flow. yeah. so the water will come through there. >> wow. that is deep there. aim to divert water that could. trigger dangerous mudslides once rain begins to fall. >> we have two means of loading. we have our excavators. and then behind us we have our loader, our front wheel loader. >> crews digging. >> pits into hillsides to create

julia vargas jones cnn, altadena. >> we have more breaking news from gaza for you.sraeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the israeli military has recovered the body of an israeli soldier killed in gaza more than a decade ago. oron shaul was captured and killed during a battle in 2014. israeli troops found his remains on saturday night. we'll be right back. >> kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> it's one of the most remarkable stories in sports history. >> i don't want to be remembered as just a basketball player. >> kobe premieres next saturday at nine on cnn. oh, what a good time we will have. >> you can make it happen you. >> voltaren for long lasting arthritis pain relief. >> our remodels are made to look beautiful and made to last. >> so we hand selected products that are stylish and durable to create new designs for your bathroom. see them now at reebok.com. >> so what do you think about these? >> we're going to take everything down to the studs, from design and products to removal and installation. >> turned out amazing. >> re-bath

julia vargas jones on the ground for us this morning. julia. very grateful for you. thanks very much for this. all right. let's turn now to this story. today, former president jimmy carter will reach his final resting place in just a few hours. washington, d.c., will gather to say goodbye to the president. peanut farmer and humanitarian. carter's state funeral at the national cathedral, expected to be attended by all the living presidents, including president joe biden, who will deliver the eulogy. president elect trump also expected to be there. he visited carter as he lay in state in the capitol yesterday. later this afternoon, carter will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife of 77 years in the place where it all began for him. >> the plains is my home, you know. i was born there. my wife was born there. when i got out of the navy in 1953, i came back to plains. and then when i got through being governor, i came back to plains. when i got to being president, i came back to plains. and now, no matter where we are in the world, we always looking forward to gettin

cnn's julia vargas jones is in altadena, california. a, what can you tell us about what's going on there right now? >> yeah, well, we're in this first phase, fred, of the recovery efforts. >> we just have some crews on the street that we're on coming on and cleaning up some of these trees that were burned by the fire to starting the the beginning of it all. fred, if i may say, of course, these homes are also being inspected. the homes that are still standing for gas and electric lines and other safety concerns. all of this as the city is starting to get a real grasp on how real and widespread this damage is, and there's a lot of grief at this point from the families that have lost so much and had to be evacuated. but there is also a lot of solidarity, of kindness and of the community coming together, neighbors helping each other, but also we have the los angeles dodgers, the world series champions, yesterday handing out some essential items to some families that need it the most. we caught up with one of those families. take a listen. >>

cnn's julia vargas jones is in pacific palisades. julia, what are you seeing there on the ground? well, we're seeing people are starting to try to get back to their homes, and they're seeing this. it is completely unrecognizable. >> and, you know, we're hearing from from these officials some really important updates and some information that i do want to share with you now. >> the first thing is something that happened to our team here. we have been receiving alerts. these have been critical alerts to get people to evacuate specific areas. as you know, we have five different fires burning in los angeles. people need and they rely on this kind of information to be able to know when they need to leave their homes. i got this at my house last night. i received an alert that said, evacuate immediately. gather your pets, your belongings, and leave. 20 minutes later, we got another alert that said disregard the last evacuation warning. it was for kenneth fire only go to alert la org for more information. of course, that has caused so much panic and officials are now saying, look, this i

joining us now is julia vargas jones in los angeles. julia, what's the latest and what's the plan for firefighters today? as there has been a bit of a lull in the winds. >> good morning. amara, look, this is almost surreal as this fire is coming east towards the city. now, i'll step out of the way. so you see what you're looking at here? you're looking west through the hills here, over on the other side of this is all of the destruction that we've seen in the palisades fire over the past five days. what you're describing there, that kind of frustration of firefighters were there not enough firefighters on the scene? was enough done to save the homes of residents? those are questions that we have been hearing from residents over the past couple of days as they start to understand the true extent of the damage, start trying to get back to their homes. but it's it's difficult to even think about that, as this fire is still raging, 11% contained. and now moving into this area of los angeles, we are so close to the getty center, one of the mo

cnn's julia vargas jones is in palisades for us. and julia, fire officials say the wind conditions for the moment are better. what does that mean for the effort? >> well, boris, that means that for now, they can continue to fight these flames from the air as well as from the ground. it means that there's a bit of a lull, an opportunity. they say they're trying to get up to double digits still today, but that will depend on whether or not those santa ana winds come back. there is, for the next few days, we're expecting them to pick up a little bit, but still stay steady. that could change at the beginning of next week, and that's where those conditions could worsen and make it harder for them to fight. it's not just one front of this fire. if the winds go north or west or east, it all goes to different places. but we did hear from officials today about some some updates that they have. we are at 20,000 acres that have been burned already on just this one fire. the national guard is arriving now in the palisades in shortly. they've alr

cnn's julia vargas jones is in altadena, california. julia, what's it like there today? >> well, fred, the mood here is still very much sober and sobering as people are grappling with just the scale of this. unprecedented disaster. but there's also a hint of hope. this community has come together, not just neighbors helping each other, but also big figures in the community, like the beloved baseball team here, the la dodgers, world series champions yesterday handing out essential items for families that were displaced by these fires, even if they still have a house standing. we caught up with one of these families from altadena. take a listen. >> their kids, their schools burned down. little league burned down. altadena musical theater burned down. my business creativity. rex used to do all my festivals and altadena because that's where i live. and that's where we raised our children. it's all gone. it's all gone. >> how does it feel to not be able to be in your house and be standing here? >> it's a really. it's bizarre, actually, because it's a sort of it's a survivor's

cnn's julia vargas jones is in the palisades tonight. julia. the national weather service is issuing its most severe fire warning for parts of l.a. as now the winds, we're learning are picking back up. what can you tell us? >> yeah, laura, we are starting to feel this wind picking up. look, today we heard from we heard from authorities saying that we are still under a red flag warning all the way up to wednesday. they are at a crucial stage of fighting this fire. as you mentioned, almost a week long ongoing. but these next few hours are going to be really important. we heard from authorities also this afternoon that if the next 36 hours are as good as the past 36 hours, that we will be in really good shape, that doesn't mean out of the woods quite yet. this fire is only at about 14% containment, but it's burned more than 23,000 acres. the the fire on the east side of town, the eaton fire 33% contained 14,000 acres. now combined, all of the fires that we've seen in the l.a. area over the past week or so, more than 60. 60mi÷, 60mi÷, an area large

cnn's julia vargas jones is near the palisades fire. julia, what's happening? >> well, fred, we're seeing the expansion of this fire eastward first hand. step out of the shot here so you can see we are very close to the 405 freeway. this artery that links north and south los angeles, the hills that you see now ablaze are just west of the palisades. that's the direction of action that you've seen. the wiping of entire neighborhoods. that is what is beyond these hills on this side where we are. this is where those neighborhoods that you're mentioning, brentwood, the getty villa, being evacuated. sorry, the getty center being evacuated. one of the most iconic cultural institutions, museums with $6 billion worth of artworks now being protected with first responders around there, around me here, lots of aircraft going up and down these hills. what they're doing now is that they're dumping water in the spots that need the most. so we're right between like close to the 405 just north of here, the san fernando valley, that is a very densely populated residential area.

cnn's julia vargas jones spent time with the california national guard in altadena, california. and, julia, how are they helping the community kind of lower their risks, if you can, you know, against these potential mudslides? >> well. >> fred, more than 250,000 sandbags distributed across both here and the palisades area for these residents to place around their homes to prevent any further damage. but but the national guard is focusing on is the biggest threat here is the water runoff from the san gabriel. >> mountains. >> we're in altadena, california, and we're entering the sierra madre villa debris basin. >> the national guard deployed to assist first responders just hours after the deadly fires in pacific palisades and altadena began in the first week of january. this unit, part of the guard's task force 49, is charged with digging trenches at the base of the san gabriel mountains in southern california. a race against the rain to protect neighborhoods in and around the burn. >> zone. >> the fire basically causes it to be a lot more susceptible to erosion. >> oh, wow. oh, i

joining us now is cnn's julia vargas jones from one of the hardest hit areas in altadena. julia, what are officials saying about the potential for rain well, it's such a paradox, boris, because l.a. >> is the driest that it's been in for years. and yet this rain has a lot of people here in los angeles county on edge. officials are saying, prepare for this and they are preparing in so many ways, 250,000 bags of sand being distributed and placed around the city to brace for all of this water coming. you know, altadena and the palisades as well are very hilly areas behind me. the san gabriel mountains. we've seen this morning so much heavy equipment, machinery heading up this way as the los angeles, california department of water resources are building these debris dams as well to kind of try to contain everything that might be coming down this mountain and into these communities. boris, remember, we're still in the cleanup effort. time. there's so much toxic debris here. that is something that authorities are fearing. they're saying if you are in these flood areas, do not be

cnn's julia vargas jones is live in altadena, near that fire. the eaton fire. julia, give us an update on what you're seeing. >> well, brianna, what we're seeing is these flames engulfing house after house, jumping over streets. it's jumped over highways. altadena. pasadena. we're at the foothills of the angeles national forest. but we're pretty far down at this point. 20 blocks at least from that wooded area. this is where people live. these are residents i want to i'm going to step out of the shot here so that you can see where that american flag is. that used to be a house. in my last live shot that was going up, engulfed by these raging, raging flames, we're seeing car after car being engulfed by flames as well that is spreading and that is in part in great part because of those 100 miles an hour winds. that is what's helping fueling this fire. also is a very, very dry summer that we've had here in california. as the fire spreads, spreading through the structures, touches the brush, touches these trees, it will it just explodes. and we've seen that time and

cnn's julia vargas jones is joining us now. she's over at the scene at the palisades fire for us. julia, what did this man tell you? >> well, wolf, for this man, it wasn't just a home that was lost. it was years of a carefully curated collection and history. and we met up with him in the very first moments as he was looking at the charred skeleton of his house and his art collection, which included works by greats like andy warhol and keith haring, completely reduced to ashes. >> i left around, i think, 530 when the fires, when i could see the fire on the hill over there. >> my family left without me. i was stubborn and my daughter called me crying. >> that was 48 hours ago. not even. >> yes, but we got out safe. >> and that, i think, is more important. >> but i'm an art collector and all my prized art pieces were in here um, i had about 30 warhols and about 15 keith haring's and. baldessari's and, um, damien hirst's. and we had a our house was a museum, and we built the house. we built the house around the art, not the other way around. >> i make my own art. >> so my studio was ov

cnn's julia vargas jones is at dodger stadium with more on how the city is really coming together on this. julia. >> yeah, brianna. it's the city is really coming together around this issue, and people are just happy to be here today. i spoke with families who brought their kids, who have, you know, little league aspirations, who are just so happy to get a day where they can come out. this is an event that's being put on by not just the dodgers, but also other l.a. sports teams. and they're bringing people who were in either shelters or in evacuation areas. they brought about 800 people from these places into here today. and also they opened to the public. there's folks from both altadena all the way to the palisades who are here today to get behind this one thing that l.a. has, which is this being united behind the sports, this is going to be an event where there will be activities for children who have been out of school, whose schools have perhaps burned out in these fires, and they will get a little bit of a reprieve. this, of course, as residents are just starting to to want some

cnn's julia vargas jones is with us now from hard-hit malibu, which is just across pch from there. lia, tell us what you're seeing. >> well, we're seeing utter destruction, brianna. >> that's what we've been seeing all day. and we're also seeing, you know, residents trying to come back to their homes. but a lot of it still looks like this. we're seeing spots over here that are still smoldering. and it's frankly, it's shocking to see that so close to the ocean. but going up and down, we're talking to folks who are incredulous and trying to go and convince pleading with authorities to allow them and escort them back safely to their homes so that they can actually get their belongings so that they can try and see what's left of their homes. i, you know, we've had so many of these emotional encounters with folks as they're seeing their homes for the first time, and a lot of it, like i said, just looks like this. some of it of course, still standing. and folks then grappling with that guilt, this as this community is going under today. a curfew starting at 6 p.m., going until 6 a.m. this

i want to go straight to cnn's julia vargas jones. she is live on the scene for us. a huge fires in altadena, california, just northeast of downtown los angeles. julia, give us the latest on the conditions where you are. >> yeah, wolf, just moments ago, we just felt wind starting to pick up back again. we've had a lull throughout the day that's allowed some helicopters to fly and help with the fighting. you might be able to hear some of them now help with the fighting, with dumping water from the sky. so far it's only been firefighters going into every single one of these streets, but this is the main drag. this is lake avenue in altadena. all of these businesses completely destroyed. it's been like this up and down the street. i just spoke to one resident. he said he's lived in this neighborhood for 30 years. he just came back now to see if his house was maybe had a little chance of having survived this up this block. there's absolutely no chance. he said. he took one look at it and it was completely gone. completely destroyed. across the street, it's the same pictur

my colleague julia vargas jones is in the foothills of the palisades, just above us here, who saw a lot of those residents and their struggle earlier. julia. >> yeah, bill, look what we're hearing from these residents is a frustration. we saw dozens of people waiting and still not sure of it. didn't know. perhaps they hadn't been informed until that moment that they were not going to be able to go up and check on their homes or pick up medication, or check on their pets. you know, we heard so many different kinds of stories of why people wanted to go up into their neighborhoods. we spoke to one man who was trying to get medication for his father, for his 95 year old father. take a listen. >> a lot of people want to see if their home is intact or not. um, i'm on a whatsapp chat and there's hundreds of people wanting to know how their home is, how their neighbor's home is, um, and everybody seems to be reaching out in the community and tragic situation. this is the worst of the worst is what it is. >> and and, bill, look, it's difficult to even think about what the next steps are for thes

cnn's julia vargas jones is in los angeles with how things are looking right now. so, juliette, tell us the latest. >> yeah, manu, we are here in the ernie villa canyon area of los angeles, just to situate our viewers. we're looking to the west here. this is where the front of the palisades fire has been expanding. we were here yesterday. we watched this entire hill burn down, but firefighters were able to keep this neighborhood behind me safe. and we're still hearing even now that still in the middle of the night here in los angeles, we're hearing those aerial operations that have been so critical to keep this fire from expanding even further. they're dropping water, they're dropping fire retardant in these communities, in the canyons in mandeville canyon. this is not too far from the 405 freeway that cuts los angeles north to south. as you said, still, evacuation orders, 100,000 people under those evacuation orders, even though some of those areas have already been lifted, there was a snafu. part of what you mentioned with the mayor and part of the issues with th

cnn's julia vargas jones joins us now live. and, julie, it looks like there are live flames behind you. take us there. what are you seeing well, it's been the case really all morning, boris. >> we are seeing these live flames because they're moving fast between one side and another, just jumping over streets, going to the next house. these winds, 100 miles an hour. that's just up this hill. the the angeles national forest is just up here, you know, altadena, pasadena. there are towns at the foothills of these mountains, and we're pretty far from them at this point, about almost 20 blocks from that. but it's still you can feel the winds. and when they pick up, this is what happens. we just heard we're hearing tires popping. we hear a gas tank explosion and people coming at the very edge of the street. i'll show you a little bit. these are residents who are who are trying to figure out what to do. they've called for fire help. you know, they're waiting. one of them has told me they're waiting to see if they can get their dog out

cnn's julia vargas jones is in altadena with much more on this. what is the very latest that you're hearing about the fires and now this new threat? >> good morning kate. yeah. look, the hughes fire. >> which has burned more than 10,000 acres just in the 48 hours since it began, it triggered the evacuation of 16,000 residents. another almost 40,000 put under evacuation warnings. look, there is also these two new fires you mentioned in san diego. there is good news. there is some rain coming this weekend. and the fires are largely under control. the red flags, red flag warnings are about to expire this morning around 10 a.m. local time, but the rain is bringing new concerns. it could bring yet another type of devastation to this area, and local officials are preparing, but they're warning that there could be another catastrophe. take a listen. >> this fire burned two feet into. >> the root. >> system on these foothills. >> there's nothing. >> left holding. >> the soil in place. so even one drop of rain will come down seven times faster than it typi

all right julia vargas jones thanks so much. we'll be right back. >> kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> it's one of the most remarkable stories in sports history. i don't want to be remembered as just a basketball player. a special encore presentation of kobe tonight at ten on cnn. >> for the times when cooking just isn't in the cards, try brand new ready made meals from hellofresh. no prepping, no cooking. just heat up and dig in to delicious new from hellofresh the beard that doesn't itch. >> are you using. >> king c gillette on that thing? >> king c gillette. >> look. >> this beard trimmer. >> pros got 40. length settings. and this beard oil, one of gq's best beard conditioners for soft, no itch facial hair. >> the best man can. >> get. >> is king gillette. >> and here we go. >> consumer cellular uses the same towers as big wireless, but then passes the savings on. >> to you. >> so i get the same fast nationwide coverage if i switch. yep. >> for unlimited talk and text with reliable coverage and your se

julia vargas jones cnn pacific palisades people in the area, victims of mother nature, really joining us now from southern california is todd hall, a senior meteorologist with the national weather service. >> you can look ahead to what to expect this week. thank you so much for joining us. we are seeing the winds whip up again and the direction of those winds is really vital here for the firefighters. what do you expect to happen? >> yeah, we are going to see another round of santa ana winds developing on monday. later today into tuesday. and we are looking at a at an extended period of critical fire weather conditions through at least wednesday or thursday, depending upon the areas in southern california. you're you're you're living in. but in general, we're wish we had better news at this point. but we're still in this. and the good news is this this has the potential to be less strong than last week's event. so we're so there is some good news there. but we're we're you know, this one's a little this this particular round of santa ana winds is a little bit more challenging because

. >> all right, let's get right to cnn's julia vargas jones, who is in those fires that have been raging near pasadena. give us a sense of what you're seeing this morning. >> well, john, that desperation that we just heard from residents. look, this is the reality that they're facing. so many people are coming home to check on their homes. and this is what we find. this is what they will find their homes engulfed by flames. this fire still burning here in altadena, across here, this neighbor, there's a gas line that's just been fueling this fire. and around all of this, the brush that has fueled it with these winds of 100 mile an hour, winds that have just burned through all of this, bringing this hurricane of fire through these residential neighborhoods, street after street. we'll be seeing on both sides fire jumping over streets, jumping over highways and, you know, catching on these palm trees on this brush that about two years ago with our record water we got in california has raised this to the point that now is just the perfect fuel for these kinds of fires. at this point here in a

cnn's julia vargas jones has more on what lies ahead for these devastated communities. >> on the sixthay of the palisades fire, residents are starting to want to go home to pick up the medication to pick up their pets, to look for items that they left behind. but this morning, chief of police of los angeles jim mcdonald said that will no longer be allowed. he said the resources are just not there and he understands that people might not be happy with this decision, but that's just what they need to do. they said they will start bringing in cadaver dogs to look for potential people that were left behind in the fires as well, that could create active crime scenes and really make it difficult for officers to bring folks into their neighborhoods. we spoke to some of those people. listen to what they have to say. >> i have to go wait in line in my car where i can ride my bike up really quickly and check my properties. >> well, they're saying that they're not allowing people to do that anymore. >> anybody? i tried yesterday. i tried a couple days ago. nothing. >> their argument is that it's

julia vargas jones, thank you so much for that.'s bring in meteorologist tyler mauldin in the cnn weather center. so, tyler, what is the rain outlook for southern california today? >> so, jessica, it's been raining since yesterday afternoon and it's not going to let up until later in the day tomorrow. you see, we've got this system right offshore of california, and it's bringing the rainfall on shore into southern california. the first rain of 2025, the first rain of many months. this rain is doing a few things for us. number one, it's falling over the active wildfires helping the the the firefighters get better containment on those fires. number two, it's raining over the burn scars in southern california. that leads to the potential for debris flows and mud mudslides. and then third, it's falling over an extremely dry southern california. many of these areas in extreme drought, because we absolutely have not seen any rainfall for many, many months. when you have rain falling over drought stricken areas, the ground is essentially

julia vargas jones cnn pacific palisades. >> people in altadena, california. they are getting much needed support from someone who knows exactly what they're going through right now. steve crowder, the mayor of paradise, california, has firsthand experience leading a community through devastating wildfires. you see, in 2018, the camp fire killed more than 80 people and destroyed about 95% of paradise, including his own home. the day after the eaton fire began its devastating sweep through altadena, crowder reached out to the town council chairperson to offer his experience, guidance and support as well. mayor steve crowder joining me live tonight. mayor, thank you so much for for spending some time with me. you've referenced the ongoing fires in southern california as a carbon copy of what you and your town experienced in 2018, mayor. in addition, your own daughter's home lost in the fires last week. we take it she is safe tonight. >> she she is safe. >> she's devastated. which is understandable. >> yeah. and mayor, we're thankful for that now with so many in

cnn national correspondent julia vargas jones is there. julia, we see behind you what is going on? what else is happening that we cannot see? >> well, you can't see. dana is the wind and the smoke. i mean, we're wearing masks, and i still. you can smell the chemicals, the construction materials. these are houses that are burning. and it's quite clear, you know, right behind me here, this one house in the past five minutes has gone from having walls up and windows to almost nothing except for the chimney. from their fireplace right next door. this house still okay? and i'll tell you, you know, this is the way the fires go. some volunteers we've seen going street after street trying to douse these houses with the hoses from these properties, trying to help save them. one of the residents that we spoke to here said. i have no idea who these people are. i'm just so thankful that they're helping me. she had left last night and she said the regret from not staying and packing up her house. she thought she would come home today and instead she's just here trying to see what is left from h

julia vargas is on the other side of it. julia vargas jones and julia, as we have been talking throughout this day, what are you seeing? because you've been seeing really active flames. and i know you had said behind you i can see all that smoke, but you had seen the fire go down that ravine and canyon and then come up. and last time, with the big black billowing smoke, it was unclear, you know, what had caused what structure caused that to ignite? what are you seeing now, as you've seen that advance? >> so, erin, we actually we took a look at that quickly. my team and i just went down to take a look. that's actually a road that we tried to go up into earlier to set up for this live report for you. i'll let him go ahead and show you that we drove up that. so we assume that this is this is homes that whatever is it that went up in flames is homes. there are definitely some kinds of structures that were down there. we're just looking at the map. we realize that this is this is a road that would dead end at the canyon. again, we're at the very ea

cnn's julia vargas jones starts our coverage this morning. what are you seeing there? i think you're in altadena. after another night of fires. >> we are. sarah. this is altadena. >> every street that we've been on has been like this just total destruction. this house. yesterday, i was here as it was catching fire. sarah, i actually, i stopped on my tracks. we were going somewhere else and i was like, oh, my god, look at this. i wanted to come back here today because i wanted to see what had happened. this is it's not just the one street that we were on. and every street and you can see in the background here, there's still some hot spots. this is what. please be careful here. we're still seeing hotspots burning in the distance. and look, firefighters are doing what they can and making really tough choices on when to leave a scene and move on to the next thing, to the next hot spot that needs their attention. you know, they've been working 36, 48 hour shifts trying to fight this. but another thing that's been going on, sarah, is that we're seeing residents helping each

. >> cnn's julia vargas jones following that fire now in los angeles. >> julia, what are you seeing from where you are this morning? >> good morning. >> michael. look, what's really scary is driving up here. >> we're just west of the 405 freeway, which cuts los angeles north south. and you can see the fire just behind me. that glow of the fire near. >> we're close to the iconic getty center. >> not too far from here. >> as you mentioned. >> this fire continuing to to burn and firefighters only at about 8%. >> they are expecting to get to double digits. still today while they can while these conditions still hold before those santa ana winds come back. but more and more people under these evacuation orders, more than 100,000 people. and now getting close to focuses of urban activity in los angeles, like the ucla campus, the veterans hospital, the veterans center not far from here in west l.a. already evacuated. meanwhile, in altadena still that fire only at about 3% containment. we're hearing from city officials that there is an agreement here of this confusion from the evacuation alerts.

my colleague julia vargas jones is up the hill in the palisades with some of these frustrated folks. at are you seeing there, julia? >> well, bill, you nailed it. it's frustration. people have been waiting. now we're on day six of this tragedy. they're saying it's time for them to be able to go home and see if their homes have made it or not. look, we have been allowed in these areas, you know, to do our jobs and to understand the situation so we can report it. and so obviously, we have been approached by so many families asking, can you please go to this address? can you please go check? can i come with you? i want you to hear the story of one of the people that we spoke with today. >> i have to go wait in line in my car, where i can ride my bike up really quickly and check my properties. >> they're saying that they're not allowed to do that. >> they're not allowed to anybody. i tried yesterday, i've tried a couple of days ago. nothing. >> their argument is that it's still the fire is still burning. the gas lines are still on in some parts and that it's just too dangerous. what do yo

cnn's julia vargas jones is on the border. she's been speaking with migrants over these many last few hours. julia, there are a lot of families who are, frankly, living in fear now because of the mass deportations that have been promised. and it can happen anytime and anywhere. what are you hearing from families as you speak to them about what is happening? >> well, sarah, they. >> are fearful. >> and they're starting to panic because. of all of these changes. they're just not sure what is coming down the horizon. and i'm talking about families who. are in process, going through that immigration process. so they have documents that say they can stay in this country. they just don't know for how long. we spoke to a venezuelan mother of two who was among. >> one of the last. >> batches of people to make it through before the shutdown of the cbp. one app we found her at a shelter here in san diego. take a listen you were one of the fortunate ones that got in before the. end of the cbp. one application. >> how do. >> you feel in th

cnn's julia vargas jones. joining us now from altadena, california, which of course is one of the hardest hit areas. julia. do we know exactly which areas the president will see when he arrives in southern california? >> well, we are expecting that he will do an aerial tour. erica, of parts of los angeles affected. and what he might see is something like this. we've seen a lot of these red tags around the homes saying, do not enter or occupy. this is an old billboard, i believe, that has fallen down. this i think we have to understand the magnitude of this disaster. and what the president might see is something like this. like entire neighborhoods destroyed by this fire. apartment buildings. and of course, you mentioned these potential rains. the mountains just behind us here. that is why this fire came so quickly down the hill. and why there is this concern over the rain bringing down so much of the debris that toxic debris. erica, that could be so harmful for people's health and residents health. of course, n

. >> cnn's julia vargas jones is east of the palisades fire. she's in altadena, california, where the eaton fire is being blamed for all five confirmed deaths so far. and, julia, what are you seeing where you are? >> it's just destruction, boris. we're just getting a sense of how bad this fire really was. >> you know, we're in an urban urban center. >> it's an urban area. the fire came from that direction. >> that's where the angeles national forest is. that's eaton canyon that gives name to this fire. but this is just what we're seeing in street after street here in altadena. just complete destruction of entire neighborhoods, entire strips. and there is still that pattern of fire where you see some structures behind me that haven't really been affected. but it is today, a day where people are just coming to see what is it that happened to their homes to check on them. and it's a gamble, right? like about half of the people that are coming here are seeing that their homes are completely gone. and some people have been lucky. a lot of them, like

cnn national correspondent julia vargas jones is in altadena, california. that's where the eaton fire is burning already. it's claimed two lives. julia. have fire crews been able to mobilize yet and help fight this fire in any meaningful way? >> they have mobilized for sure, jake. 750 of these firefighters fighting the flames here, trying to save people's homes. they say their priority is to preserve life. i'm going to step out of the way so you can see some of the work that they're doing here. look, we're seeing these hoses all over, and we've been following these crews around, but it's tough choices that they have to make deciding what is it that they are going to save. we're seeing house after house going up in flames as these this fire jumps over streets, jumps over highways and ends up going through neighborhoods like this one at the foothills of the angeles national forest. that's how this fire got here in the first place. these engines, they're doing so much work of just following around these flames and trying to pin down. we saw earlier i spoke to

natasha chen julia vargas jones watching the fires as they're moving. but let's start with natasha.they're up in brentwood. she's just up the hill here on the edge of the palisades fire with the latest natasha. >> yeah, bill, in the last few minutes, we've actually seen quite a bit of activity. because down here in the mandeville canyon, they are doing water drops here. we're seeing that aircraft come through one after another. really, and then down to our lower left. once our camera gets down there, you can see that there are some hotspots, smoke rising from the canyon below. there are a lot of homes there. they've dropped retardant there. and so the hope is that the winds will play in favor right now to keep that in check. but as we've all been discussing, the winds are expected to pick back up. and so these few hours right now may be their only reprieve. they are bracing themselves for a lot more difficulty to come. so again, we're seeing a lot of aircraft come through dropping water on these hotspots that are popping up in the mandeville canyon. but for the most part this mornin

julia vargas jones is here with me in los angeles and also here with the palisades fire on the other side of the mountain from where we are, which has been spreading to some of those neighborhoods and from where you can stand. julia, i know you can actually see it sort of rolling down. what does that look like? >> it looks really scary, erin. honestly. so we've been here a couple of hours in this location, and we've watched as this hill turned to ash, like all of this behind me when we got in, the fire was at the crest at the ridge of these hills, and it's just made its way down into the canyon. and now we're watching it make its way up. the next one. there is right here in the middle of this canyon that you see a lot of white smoke. and then something in there that's black smoke that's billowing. we've seen also at least that there's at least 4 or 5 different planes making drops of retardant around here. helicopters making water drops. here comes one. whatever it is that's under the beyond that hill. and in that canyon, they do not want it to be on fire. all these additional resourc

. >> boris julia vargas jones, thank you so much for the update from altadena. we want to discuss some dramatic video that was captured as someone was apparently fleeing the palisades fire. it shows. traffic as this person was fleeing the fire. chris reed captured the footage and joins us now live from west hollywood. chris, thank you so much for being with us. i understand you evacuated to a hotel in west hollywood. how are you holding up? >> i'm doing well. was able to check out the place today. i'm lucky that our place is currently still there. and safe. but, you know, only. only time will tell. we just got to keep holding out hope. >> when did you first realize that you had to get out? what was it that that got you moving? >> honestly, i left for work, like 815 that morning. by 1030. my boss came in my office and was like, hey, is your neighborhood okay? and then i looked up and had to rush home because the dog was there and talk to us about that. >> that process when you got there and had to get your dog out. what was that like for you? >> i mean, it was si

and altadena and cnn's julia vargas jones is west of the city in pacific palisades. we will get to them and have much more on all of the fires in just a moment. but first, as we were just saying, breaking news out of a new york city courtroom right now, president elect donald trump is being sentenced in his hush money conviction just ten days before he is set to return to the white house. the unprecedented ruling follows a 5 to 4 decision by the supreme court to deny trump's last minute appeal. last night, cnn's laura coates is outside the new york court. laura, walk us through where things stand right now. a lot of things happening at this very moment. >> well, we may not have been here, but for the supreme court last night, deciding in a 5 to 4 decision a very tight ruling where chief justice john roberts and justice amy coney barrett joined with the so-called liberal justices to say that this could go forward. we knew from the judge it was unlikely that this is going to be a jail imposition or a probation period or a fine. the judge has now had an opportunity to r

julia vargas jones with the latest from altadena. thank you for that, boris. >> these fires have been supercharged by some of the strongest santa ana winds on record, at times gusting up to 100 miles an hour. cal fire battalion chief brent pascua says it was like fighting a fire inside a hurricane. he joins us now live. sir, thank you so much for being with us. i understand that the winds, at least for the last few hours, have died down somewhat. do you have an update on how much of the fires have been contained at this point? >> we don't have any new containment numbers, but this welcomed break in the winds is going to allow us to get that number to come up to at least get some containment on this fire, because the last two days with those strong winds, 80 mile an hour winds, there was just nowhere to anchor in and start putting this fire out. it was just trying to save lives. >> and on that work of trying to save lives, i know one of the difficult tasks that firefighters have in situations like this, as certain areas that have been

cnn's julia vargas jones is in altadena. julia, tell us what it's like there on the ground. >> well, jake, scenes like this one, this house is still on fire. it's street after street and you see, you know, this vegetation, dried out california vegetation that is so ripe to just ignite as the fire makes its way through construction materials and destroying people's homes. their memories, their lives in these homes we see on the other side here, a neighbor has a gas leak that's been going for at least a few hours since we've been here. firefighters working tirelessly to try and contain this. as you mentioned, 0% contained. this is the eaton fire that has come down from the angeles national forest, on the hills that are just behind altadena in pasadena. these cities just east of los angeles, and it's ravaged through these neighborhoods. we've witnessed people here trying to make their way back to their homes, trying to check on their homes and being faced with just rubble skeletons of what it used to be. meanwhile, firefighters