it will rise from the ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: morgan chesky, nbc news, los angeles. >> so true, what makesr the latest on the wildfires. our team brings you the latest on the ground including powerful acts of kindness as the community comes together to help one another amidst the devastating damage, all this as craig melvin makes his debut as co-anchor alongside savannah guthrie. hope you have a great monday and see you right back here tomorrow morning. for now your news continues on nbc and our nbc stations.

morgan chesky reports on his military special ops background and some serious unanswered questions. >reporter: tonight authorities idtifying the suspected driver of the bomb-laden tesla cybertruck that exploded outside the trump international hotel. saying evidence points to master sergeant matthew livelsberger, who was behind the wheel. now investigators piecing together the 37-year-old's i.d. and final few days. >> first and foremost is a military identification. we also found a passport. >> reporter: authorities say the body was burned beyond recognition but the coroner found a gunshot wound to the head prior to the explosion. >> there are two tattoos that has given us a lot of confidence that this is in fact the same person. >> reporter: inside the truck investigators found fuel canisters and firework mortars plus two semi-automatic handguns they say livelsberger bought legally on monday. sergeant matthew livelsberger was on active duty, served as a green beret assigned to army special operations command. he was based in germany but on approved leave according to army officials. h

. >>> the task of fighting such a massive area of fire is immense, and as morgan chesky reports, thee for water is complicating the fight on the front lines. >> reporter: tonight, a relentless firefight far from over. front line crews facing challenges that only start with the flames. >> what do we got going? >> what we have is the fire has already burned through here. >> what we're looking at right now could have been caused by a single ember? >> one ember could have caused this. >> reporter: we join los angeles fire captain in the pacific palisades. >> this hydrant has no water. >> reporter: where lack of water, critical to battling a still active wildfire, frustrated crews. this one from san francisco. >> what should the water pressure be right now, ideally? >> you want 50 to 80 is your ideal hydrant pressure. >> what have you got? >> i'm bouncing between zero, 50. it's not a consistent pressure. >> reporter: as nearby hydrants failed and water pressure fell, firefighters above switching from offense to defense. when you run out of water in that engine -- >> not much we can do the

it will rise from the ashes once again. ♪♪ >> reporter: morgan chesky, nbc news, los angeles. >>> and.com or you can scan the qr code on your screen right now. >>> that's nbc "nightly news" for this sunday. i'm tom llamas. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. and stay right here on nbc. the nfl playoff game is coming up. ♪♪

>> morgan chesky, thank you. and the view from space shows the magnitude of the fire in altadena. just part of the fire zone. and for so many returning home today there was little left. gadi schwartz joins us. and gadi, you spent the day in altadena. what did you find? >> reporter: lester, heartbreak. we found so mu heartbreak. people coming back to nothing left at all. in fact, this building right here, this is the outlier because this building still has walls up. so many of the homes that we visited today were down to the foundations. bunch of melted metal and piles of ash. in altadena today desolation and eerie silence punctured by gas lines still spewing fire. in the destruction there was a search for anything with meaning. >> this is everything you own. >> everything. and then you know, now we're just trying to find something. i mean, i don't care like my kid found a teacup, half a teacup. broke. she was thrilled. you know? i mean, what else can we get, man? it's gone, bro. >> reporter: as the flames descended at 4:00 in the morning, rupert garcia tried to fight back. >> this

morgan chesky has this story. >> anybody need wawater? >> reporter: tonight, a massive relief effort racing to keep up with the flames, with tens of thousands pushed from their homes by fire, with many starting from scratch. >> literally the basics. underwear, a pair of running shoes, socks. >> reporter: the red cross opening shelters citywide. this one near the palisades fire completely full. >> as a lifelong californian, we know wildfires. this, this isn't uncommon. but to see devastation at this scale, it's just heartbreaking. >> reporter: inside, families, some multiple generations, facing the reality of what these fires took away. for -- and her three children, it's a shelter turn home. >> i never thought of this. it seems like i'm in a movie. >> reporter: their home in the pacific palisades lost when the failings exploded late tuesday. the single mom now wondering 160 onyx and five-year-old fifi will be able to go back to dance class. >> walked meme through what happened. >> yeah, we were in, actually, in rehearsal, and i got the ca

morgan chesky, nbc news. with the evidence you've seen so far, are you comfortable now calling this a suicide mission? the question is, am i comfortable calling it a suicide mission? i'm comfortable calling it a suicide. the bombing that occurred immediately thereafter, i'm not giving it any other labels. and with the friends and family you've spoken to so far, have they shared any prior red flags? the question is, did we have any of the family members share any particular red flags? again, i'll go back to what i know is circulating on social media, but none of that has been verified at this point. the final question real quickly, are all the components you found inside the cybertruck? were they all purchased in colorado? the question is, did we were all the components found inside of the cybertruck purchased in colorado? and i don't know the answer to that. that's part of why we're doing the extensive part of the investigation. oholone associated press, can you talk a little bit about the security measures y

nbc's morgan chesky, thank you very much for your coverage of this. i really appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> and when we come back, we'll have more on the fire coverage in los angeles. president biden ordered new resources, massive military planes to join in the fire suppression effort. planes capable of dropping more fire suppressant and water onto these flames. those planes are on the way. when we come back, we will be discussing what i am doing first thing tomorrow morning at a manhattan courtroom. at 9:30 a.m. watching donald trump face sentencing as a criminal defendant. that's next. s a criminal defendant. that's next. with a beautiful new design— and the most in-depth info— all we need now is a new name. (marci) do we? (luke) so, we're gonna lock the doors and stay late until we find that name that's synonymous with shopping for homes. (marci) here's a wild idea: homes-dot-com? (luke) we're gonna go with homes-dot-com. we're gonna keep it. i love it. fresh. innovative. this has been fun. (vo) homes-dot-com. we've done your home work. prime's e

morgan chesky. a series of threatening and explicit online messages. they say he also took a recent trip to indiana to be in close proximity to her. nbc's stephanie gosk is here with the details. hi, stephanie. >> hi, savannah. caitlin clark told police she was concerned for her safety, especially when she learned that michael lewis, her alleged stalker, left his home in texas and traveled to indianapolis where show plays for the indiana fever. when police questioned him at a downtown hotel, he said he was on vacation. now lewis is in jail. >> going up for three, will dip inside. >> reporter: this morning wnba star caitlin clalark breatng a bit easier. 55-year-old michael lewis from texas is behind bars, charged with stalking after prosecutors say he sent clark a series of sexually violent messages. >> you not only have someone who is in a place of prominence but also just the nature and the aggressiveness of what was being tweeted. >> reporter: according to court documents charging lewis, there wer

nbc's morgan chesky filed this report. >> reporter: that's right.ee law enforcement briefed on this matter say it is now being investigated as a potential act of terrorism. all of this happening amid growing evidence that this deadly fire was not an accident. growing questions tonight into the tesla cyber truck turned inferno just feet away from the trump international hotel. the stunning scene on the vegas strip now the focus of a federal investigation. law enforcement officials confirming the cyber truck was rented from the same company as the vehicle used in the new orleans attack. >> we are looking for secondary devices. we're taking it slow and we will make sure we remain safe in our community. >> reporter: the blaze called in at 8:40 this morning appeared to erupt in seconds. witnesses describe a loud noise followed by a smokey scene. >> we saw a lot of smoke. >> reporter: inside the vehicle, fire crews discovered an unidentified body. the burst of flames wounding several bystanders before fully contained. tesla founder elon musk saying the te

morgan chesky, nbc news, los angeles. we have another story for you about ordinary people stepping up in a big way to help. first responders and fire victims.he owner of the food truck, tacos to ten, went up and down the evacuation line in altadena today, offering firefighters, police and residents free food. he said the communities of altadena and pasadena have helped his livelihood so much. he's just doing what he can in this time of need. this is what we're doing right now. are you just giving? giving? yeah. yeah yeah yeah. you know what? your community has given me so much to me. so it's time for me to give back to. you know, my name is omar. everybody knows me. i know a lot of people in altadena, you know, in pasadena. for what? how many years? like, my whole life, basically. props to omar. he and his crew passed out burrito after burrito. they said they will be back out tomorrow doing the same thing. all right. rob mayeda here. now. here in the bay area. let's talk about our weather. we have windy conditions coming

as always, i want to go to nbc news national correspondent morgan chesky. he joins us from altadena, california, which is facing the eaton wildfire. morgan, what's the latest there? >> chris, we are here in altadena and i'd say good evening but there's been absolutely nothing good about what we've witnessed today and what this eaton fire has done that's created really 24 hours of hell for anyone who lives in this community that's been made completely unrecognizable by what's become a generational disaster for a combination of reasons. we are on one of the main thoroughfares this town, chris, that tonight is filled with smoke, to the fact you can't even see either end of it go fire trucks that are countless but never enough to contain the fires that keep breaking out. as you can see over my shoulder, this just one of the buildings adding to a growing toll. and what's been more frustrating to hear, as we've reported in and around this area, chris, is hearing from the fire crews that have tried to save homes and other structures and have connected those hoses t

morgan chesky, thank you so much for your coverage and staying on it for us. appreciate it. >>> and when we come back we will have more on the fire coverage in los angeles, exactly what's happening there. president biden ordered new resources, massive military planes to join in the fire suppression effort. planes capable of dropping more fire suppressant and water on to these flames. those planes are on the way. when we come back though, we are going to be discussing what i will be doing first thing tomorrow morning in a manhattan courtroom at 9:30 a.m. watching donald trump face sentencing as a criminal defendant. that's next with andrew weissmann. smann. a mystery! jessie loves playing detective. but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so, we switched to tide free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free and gentle liquid is epa safer choice certified. it's gotta be tide. let's get started. bill, where's your mask? tide free and gentle liquid is epa safer choice certified. i really

nbc's morgan chesky is in altadena. m people about the level of containment? and then there was another fire that broke out last night. >> yeah, andrea, you're right. that level of containment, at least for the eaton fire, remains at 0%. a frustrating number as we see containment grow on the palisades. fire on some of these other fires that have broken out over the last 72 hours or so. we're standing in front of what was an elementary school, just one of the thousands of buildings that have been reported burned as a result of the eaton fire, which exploded tuesday night to an absolute inferno. and really, what we've seen in the days since then has been an evolving firefight here, thanks in large part to the wind dying down somewhat. but any sort of push one way or the other can still carry an ember. and that's why spot fires are really a main concern today. we did have a chance to travel with a fire crew, not here at the eaton fire, but at the palisades fire yesterday. and yet we ran into a similar issue that firefighter

nbc news national correspondent morgan chesky is in mandeville canyon for us. morgan, i know that you've been there for some time. what is the latest where you are and the ongoing fight there? yeah, amy, this firefight is changing by the day. we know evacuation orders went into effect late last night for all of the residents here in mandeville canyon. after that, palisades fire continued to grow. fortunately, everyone was able to get out safely. but what happened today is the winds that were expected to die down have stayed somewhat unpredictable, and that is why you are seeing the continued burn behind me. we have seen water drops in this area all day long, but firefighters tell us that it is still a frustrating firefight for several different reasons. and what makes this area so important is that mandeville canyon is essentially a conduit of sorts, from where the palisades fire has been burning to the heavily populated san fernando valley. should the fire move through here, it could open up an entirely new front. and that is why firefighters tell me they ident

nbc's morgan chesky is joining us from altadena, california. rgan, bring us the light in this very dark moment. how are you seeing people coming together during this crisis? >> yeah, anna, we could all use a little light in these dark times, right? and it has been encouraging, especially when you consider the devastation. and the destruction behind me stretches from here at the eaton fire, of course, all the way to the palisades. and that is why it's been so heartening to see thousands of volunteers turn out and essentially say it is all hands on deck to get these thousands of displaced families back on their feet this morning. as a wildfire disaster deepens, the city of angels living up to its name, acts of kindness and generosity pouring into fire stricken areas. >> we got so many volunteers, guys. thank you guys for coming out. >> donation centers like this one at the santa anita racetrack flooded with much needed supplies and volunteers eager to help. even adam's pets showing up to lend a hand. even after losing their own home to the eaton f

weren't able to fill tanks fast enough, which would have helped with the water pressure, something morgan chesky saw first hand. out of every fire hydrant you've seen what have you found? >> most of them are down or low pressure. >> reporter: if you had a hydrant for this building. >> if we had a hydrant for this building, we may have been able to save the back half. >> reporter: the apartment complex is untouched for now. but you can see how close those flames are. firefighters are making their way up. again, they're having to ignore massive structures like this huge apartment complex that looks like it's going to go up imminently, because they are just overwhelmed. there isn't enough water up here. the winds also grounding that critical support from the sky for most of the day. when firefighters were able to make a stand and save a home. there was no victory. just a brief reprieve from the helplessness of fighting fire against the wind. >> our thanks to gadi schwartz. aids for the president are optimistic for a cease-fire in gaza. the goal is to have a cease-fire in place before donald trump t

. >>> the task of fighting such a massive area of fire is immense, and, as morgan chesky reports, the struggle for water is complicating the fight on the ont lines. >> reporter: a relentless firefight far from over. frontline crews facing challenges that only start with the flames. what have we got going? >> all we have, the fire's already burned through here. >> reporter: what we're looking at right now could have been caused by a single ember. >> one ember could have caused this. >> reporter: we join the los where lack of water, critical to battling a still-active wildfire frustrating crews. this one from san francisco. what should the water pressure be right now? ideally? >> i mean, you want 50 to 80 is your ideal hydrant pressure. >> reporter: what have you got? >> i'm bouncing between 0-15. it's not a consistent pressure. >> reporter: as nearby hydrants failed, firefighters switching from offense to defense. when you run out of water in the engine? >> not much you can do then. >> this is our first job for the day. >> reporter: flames burning for precious minutes before reenforcem

next, let's bring in nbc's morgan chesky in the westwood neighborhood of los angeles. understand, morgan, you are near a red cross shelter. so talk to me about where residents are, how they're feeling, what they're telling you, and how are recovery efforts looking? >> yeah, very much ongoing. >> alex. this is a rec center turned into one of the largest shelters that the red cross has opened up, one of nine in the los angeles metropolitan area. >> this one behind me opened up on tuesday, the same day we watched these flames explode in the palisades at the eaton fire near altadena. and i had a chance to speak to one of the representatives helping run this shelter. and she says, when you walk inside the building, there is absolutely just a sense of heaviness of what these fires have done to multiple communities around this area. they have cots inside. people have been here in some cases, alex, since the night these fires began. and i should add that they still don't know if their homes still stand or not, because some of those evacuation orders still remain in place five

something nbc's morgan chesky saw first hand. >> out of every hydrant you've seen, what are you seen? >> most of them are down or low pressure. >> reporter: if you had a hydrant for this building? >> if we had a hydrant for this building, we might have been able to save the back half. >> reporter: this apartment complex is untouched for now. but you can sigh how high those flames are. they're having to ignore massive structures like this huge apartment complex that looks like it's going to go up imminently, because they are overwhelmed. there isn't enough water up here. the winds also grounding that critical support from the sky for most of the day when firefighters were able to make a stand and save a home. it was no victory. just a brief reprieve from the helplessness of fighting fire against the wind. sadly, that's a familiar scene for so many communities. our thanks to gadi schwartz for that. >>> as president-elect prepares to return to the white house, his lawyers are asking the supreme court to step in and stop sentencing proceedings. we should get an answer very soon. >> report

something nbc's morgan chesky saw firsthand. >> out of every fire hydrant you've seen what have you found? >> right now we're finding most of them are down or low pressure. >> if you had a hydrant for this building -- >> if we had a hydrant for this building, we might have been able to save the back half. >> reporter: the apartment complex is untouched for now, but you can see how close those flames are. >> firefighters are making their way up. again, they're having to ignore massive structures like this huge apartment complex. it looks like it's going to go up imminently. because they are just overwhelmed. there isn't enough water up here. >> reporter: the winds also grounding that critical support from the sky for most of the day. when firefighters were able to make a stand and save a home, there was no victory. just a brief reprieve from the helplessness of fighting fire against the wind. >> gadi, i feel like you really took us into wt it is like there. this devastation goes well beyond the homes destroyed in pacific palisades. >> reporter: yeah. well beyond the homes. the scope of thi

morgan chesky reports on his special ops background and serious unanswered questions. >> reporter: tonight authorities identifying the suspected driver of the cyber truck that exploded outside of the trump international hotel saying evidence points to the master sergeant matthew -- matthew livelsberger and now they are piecing together the final few days. >> first and foremost is a military identification and we also found a passport. >> reporter: authorities say the body was burned beyond recognition, but they found a gunshot wound to the head prior to the explosion. >> the two tattoos has given us a lot of confidence and that is the same person. >> reporter: they found fuel canisters in the truck plus mortars +2 semiautomatic handguns they say he got legally on monday. sergeant matthew livelsberger was on active duty and was a green beret based in germany but on approved leave according to army officials. he was deployed multiple times and was the recipient of the bronze star with valor. his motive tonight is not known. >> i am comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurre

morgan chesky. >> we're going to find something, i promise.romise. >> reporter: a promise for a new home that they're fighting to keep amid a disaster that's ignited a city-wide housing crisis. the family of five, six including their pup apollo, one of dozens, after watching the flames approach and then engulf their beloved palisades home. >> we saw the footage our entire neighborhood burned down. >> reporter: more than 12,000 structures destroyed and potentially more to come. the demand for the rental market is exploding overnight. >> call one, no, it's rented. call another one, no, it's rented. >> reporter: she's looked into 50 properties the last several days. people driving hours to find a home. >> yes. >> reporter: l.a. realtor says it's leading to price gouging. >> greedy landlords are spiking up prices, all to have a bidding war as well. >> reporter: a check on zillow for a property near the palisades three days after the fires began shows rent jumping $10,000. it's been removed but officials warn the price surges are growing. the gover

let's turn now to morgan chesky, who starts off our coverage. >> reporter: while crews say they have made significant process, uh, progress rather, in certain aspects of the firefight, there is no one that is out of the woods at this point in time. for a couple reasons. number one, the sheer scope of these multiple fires burning simultaneously. number two, that is what led to all of this. the wind, that incredible wind that we saw play out tuesday night into wednesday morning, gusts approaching 100 miles per hour, fortunately, they have subsided somewhat, but that red flag warning, so telling. that lasts until friday evening at 6:00 p.m. and i had a crew tell me today that, until that expires, until those winds die down for an extended period of time, this is an incredibly active firefight that should keep everyone on guard, because a single ember can travel upwards of two miles before landing on a home, starting an entirely new fire, an entirely new blaze. and that is why there is such incredible concern tonight from fire crews that are now being reenforced from arizona, from washin

nbc's morgan chesky joins us with this part of the story. morgan, what's the latest? >> reporter: laura, good morning. overnight, authorities have reopened the road in front of trump international, but just in the last few minutes, two senior law enforcement officials tell nbc news that a man named matthew allen lizelburger has been identified as the individual who rented that tesla cybertruck in the state of colorado. however, at this hour, it's still unknown if he was the man inside that car when it pulled in front of this hotel and exploded. this morning new details on that stunning cyber truck explosion that happened outside trump international hotel on the vegas strip new year's day. three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the case telling nbc news it's being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, and with questions arising over possible ties to the attack in new orleans. >> we're absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in new orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world. we're not ruling anything

here is morgan chesky. >> we're going to find a house, i promise. i omise we'll find a house. >> reporter: a promise for a new home. ashley and tim palmatier are now fighting to keep amid the disaster that's ignited a citywide housing crisis. >> fire truck coming! >> reporter: the family of five, six including their pup apollo one of dozens packing an open house after watching homes approach, then engulf their beloved palisades home. >> wednesday afternoon we saw footage that our entire neighborhood had burned down. >> reporter: with more than 12,000 structures destroyed and potentially more to come, the demand for l.a.'s rental market exploding overnight. >> you call and hey, can i come see it? nope, it's rented. you call another one. hey, can i come see it today? nope, it's rented already. >> reporter: ashley says she's looked into 50 properties over the last several days. >> reporter: in some cases people driving hours just to find a home? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: l.a. retailer to tanya stawski says fewer options are already leading to price gou

i want to begin with nbc news correspondent morgan chesky who joins us from pacific palisades. >> reporter: we are in pacific palisades. hard to believe it's been 72 hoursee since this historic firefight began. tonight, fire alarms still going off in the distance. this palisades fire, 0% contained. the eaton fire 30 miles from where we are standing, zero content -- 0% container while crews say they have made significant progress in certain aspects of the firefight, there was no one that is out of the woods at this point in time. for a couple of reasons. number 1, the sheer scope of these multiple fires burning simultaneously. number 2, that's what led to all of this, the wind. of that incredible wind we saw play out tuesday night into wednesday morning. gusts approaching 100 miles per hour. they have subsided somewhat but that red flag warning, so telling, that lasts until friday evening at 6:00 p.m. i had a crew tell me today that until that expires, until those winds die down for an extended period of time, this is an incredibly active firefight that you keep everyone on guard because a

morgan chesky is in pacific palisades with the latest for us. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, craig. right now there are fire crews and millions across southern california hoping and praying these red flag warnings do not turn into yet another fire. here we are, more than a week since this inferno began. the damage totals, frankly, stunning. early estimates suggest these fires may have cost upwards of $275 billion in damages. and right now, the cause is still unknown, and this fire fight far from over. overnight, winds again kicking up in the los angeles area as crews work to remove brush along the fire-ravaged pacific coast highway. 37 people still remain unaccounted for, and at least 25 have lost their lives. more than 60 square miles of l.a. county scorched. from above, the scope of devastation clear. >> you can turn around and then another structure will start burning. >> reporter: air teams attacking hot spots with the help of crucial line crews. we joined one high in the topanga canyon. in this team, firefighters from mexico and co

morgan chesky joins us from las vegas with more.t more are we learning about this driver and what kinds of questions are investigators still trying to answer? >> reporter: for as much as we have learned over the last 48 hours here in this very wide- ranging investigation there are still many questions here but that gentleman you mentioned that has been identified as 37- year-old matthew levels berger. he was a decorated special forces soldier that was on leave from germany and that only raises more questions as to a potential motive here. authorities are stopping short of saying he was definitely the one inside the tesla cyber truck when it exploded behind me on new year's day because they are waiting dna conversation because there was so little left behind that has in turn caused a global investigation. authorities are working to fully i.d. the driver of the cyber truck that exploded on new year's day. outside of trump hotel on the vegas strip. >> you feel we have this identified and at this time there's no information about additi

. >>> we go now to nbc news correspondent morgan chesky who is live. what can you tell me about the status of the fire there? >> reporter: alex, the status is heartbreaking. we are here in altadena. this time yesterday, it was 4,000 acres. it is hard to fathom how this time tonight, we are looking at a blaze that is now 10,000 acres and responsible for claiming five lives and what is important to say is that it is still very much actively burning in and around the hills of this area. we have had a chance to report on some of the fire fight. when we saw an apartment building engulfed in flames, i saw the fire engine pull up this afternoon, a fire captain had one of his firefighters attach a hose to a hydrant and that hose didn't fill up. out of every ten hydrants you attached to, how much water did you get? >> little to none. >> reporter: and they realized there was nothing they could do except spray what little water they had on an opposing building to keep the fire from spreading. that will certainly be one of the aspects of this fire fight that we wi

nbc's morgan chesky joins me now. he is live from altadena, california where that fire is burning. an, this fire has been devastating and deadly. you have covered natural disasters across this country years. tell us about what this is like and put it into perspective for us. because what we see seems apocalyptic. >> i think that word is quite fitting right now. in all, unfortunately, the right ways. having covered disasters, as you mentioned, the thing that is most striking is the combination of factors that have exacerbated this disaster to become one that will be remembered for generations to come. we've been in altadena all day long, and what is wild wrap our heads around his this time yesterday this was the fire that had burned about 400 acres. you look at the acreage today, we are talking 10,000+ acres, hundreds of homes, and at least five lives lost as a result of this wind driven the fire that proved an incredible battle overnight and over day for fire crews that was compounded by the fact that they did not have the necessary resources to take on this fire. we will talk about

we go now to morgan chesky who is live in altadena, california. what can you tell me about the status of the fire there? >> reporter: the status is heartbreaking in every direction you look. one of the main thoroughfares. i see nothing but fire trucks. we have another passing me right now. i'm standing across the street from a junior high that will likely be hia total loss as a result of this eaton fire. this time yesterday, i remember yeseeing the notification it wa 400 acres. it's hard to fathom how this time tonight we are looking at a g blaze that's 10,000 acres and responsible for claiming at sileast five lives. i think what's most important to say whis that it's still very mh actively burning in and around the hills of this area. we have had a chance to report on some of the fire fight. you mentioned it, but i want to reinforce this fact for everyone listening and watching tonight. that is, when we saw an apartment building engulfed in flames, i saw the engine pull up this afternoon, a fire captain have one of his firefighters attach a hose

we go now to nbc news correspondent morgan chesky who is live in altadena, california. what can you tell me about the status of the fire? >> reporter: the status is heart breaking in every direction you look. we're here in altadena. i see nothing but fire trucks. we have another one passing me. i'm standing across the street from a junior high that will likely be a total loss as a result of this eaton fire. this time yesterday i remember seeing the notification it was about 400 acres. it is hard to fathom how this time tonight we are looking at a blaze that's now 10,000 acres and responsible for claiming at least five lives. and i think what's most important to say is that it is still very much actively burning and around the hills of this area. we've had a chance to report on some of the fire fight andget / http/1.0 host: 127.0.0.1 user- agent: mozilla/5.0 (linux; u; android 4.0.3; ko-kr; lg-l160l build/iml74k) applewebkit/534.30 (khtml, like gecko) version/4.0 mobile safari/534.30 connection: close alex, you mentioned it. i want to reinforce this fact for everyone lis

. >> joining me now nbc's morgan chesky. her hometown of pacific palisades. okay, morgan, tell us more about what we know today, about what you heard from firefighters. this lack of water in hydrants around los angeles. i just had a woman in business, owner from pacific palisades on, and she said that's exactly what happened in her neighborhood, on her street. >> now, chris, a frustrating reality for countless numbers of people as a result of this generational disaster. we heard firefighters not having enough water on the fire two days ago. we heard the same thing from firefighters on the pacific palisades fire yesterday when we embedded with a crew there. i think before i say anything else, it's important to say that multiple things can be true at the same time here. and i say that because this issue is becoming a bit politicized. officials are saying right now, chris, that there is arguably no system that could have been created, that could have provided enough water to enough crews as they fought these fires simultaneously

morgan chesky, nbc news. with the evidence you've seen so far, are you comfortable now calling this a suicide mission? >> the question is, am i comfortable calling it a suicide mission? i'm comfortable calling it a suicide. with the bombing that occurred immediately thereafter, i'm not giving it any other labels. >> and with the friends and family you've spoken to so far, have they shared any prior red flags? >> the question is, did we have any of the family members share any particular red flags? again, i'll go back to what i know is circulating on social media, but none of that has been verified at this point. >> the final question real quickly, are all the components you found inside the cybertruck? were they all purchased in colorado? >> the question is, did we were all the components found inside of the cybertruck purchased in colorado? and i don't know the answer to that. that's part of why we're doing the extensive part of the investigation. >> associated press. can you talk a little bit about the secu

nbc's morgan chesky has more. >> reporter: the final days of matthew livelsberger coming into focus. >> it appears to be a case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran struggling with ptsd. >> reporter: authorities laying out forensic accounting of the scene explaining how they found his items. notes from the burned phone. the master sergeant did not have dissatisfaction with trump, but with the country. >> time to wake up. we are led by weakless leadership. >> reporter: authorities confirming through dna and matching tattoos the 37-year-old was inside the tesla cybertruck when it exploded which they believe happened at the same time he shot himself. the fbi stressing there is no connection between livelsberger, the new orleans suspect, or any other terrorist organization. meanwhile, the former girlfriend telling nbc news, she received this video from the green beret inside the rented cybertruck days before the explosion. livelsberger texting i rented a cybertruck. followed by i feel like batman or halo. the messaging including the video in the truck continuing until

all over the west coast in this continuous firefighting battle, send it back to you. >> nbc's morgan cheskys the morning goes on. but now let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines right now. first, vaccination rates against once common childhood diseases fell during the pandemic and have continued to drop in the years since. across the nation, roughly 93% of kindergartners received the measles vaccine last year, but that's down from 95%, according to the cdc. vaccination rates against polio, whooping cough and chickenpox also fell. meanwhile, the golden globe awards drew an average of 9.3 million viewers the other night for cbs, that was welcome news for the globes, which is on the verge of life support. just two years ago, critics gave the telecast rave reviews, with the new york times praising the ceremony's host, comedian nikki glaser, for her stellar monologue. and variety said the show regained its chaotic glory and some sad news here. r&b singer sam moore, one half of the soul duo sam and dave, has died at the age of 89. moore saying the tenor on such iconic hits

for that, we'll go over to nbc news morgan chesky with the latest from altadena, california. impse of hope here in this firefight. we've just heard in the last hour officials say the eaton fire is now more than 30% contained. that is significant, and that's really as a result of some of the winds dying down over the weekend. we know palisades fire still sits around 12% to 14% contained, a signature firefight still going on there. this is an ever-evolving firefight. and despite the progress here, the main concern right now is that we do have winds expected to pick back up today, tomorrow, even potentially into wednesday, and that's why officials are stressing that we are not out of the woods just yet. this devastation behind me clear proof of what this fire is capable of. the cause still remains under investigation. we do know that the eaton fire and the palisades fire have had investigative crews go back, try to locate the origin of the flames, also using surveillance video, ring cameras in some instances to try to paint a picture of what exactly happened on that fateful tuesd

morgan chesky is on the ground in las vegas and frank fuglazy is back with us. what is the latest on the investigation on whether the man who rented the truck is the samn musk as the head of tesla? >> reporter: yeah, the connection of what happened in las vegas and new orleans has been one of the biggest questions raised since the two tragedies took place what we recently heard is that federal ages do not believe there is a singular connection between what happened here and on bourbon street. this remains fluid. you mentioned livelsberger who has been identified as the man who rented the cyber truck with the app turo in colorado. we know that know that after the truck was renned, the truck made its way here. according to tesla charging stations, they have been able to pinpoint the path from colorado to here, showing up on the vegas strip around 4:00 a.m. this morning, it was seen driving around and pulling into the valet area at trump international where it detonated at about 6:51. the crews had the flames out and they were able to recover a single body from the

morgan chesky has more. >> reporter: this morning authorities are working to fully i.d. outside the trump hotel on the vegas strip. >> at this time there is no information about additional subjects the fbi is tracking. >> reporter: law enforcement says mounting evidence points to master sergeant matthew livelsberger as the primary suspect. investigators found his passport, credit card, and military i.d. inside the charred vehicle and are awaiting dna testing recovered behind the wheel. >> looking into what the motivation is, that remains our number one priority. >> reporter: authorities say the driver died from a self- inflicted gunshot wound to the head before the explosion leading to more questions than answers. >> he wasn't looking for casualties but to deliver a message in a symbolic event. >> reporter: inside the truck they found fuel canisters, mortars, and handguns livelsberger bought legally on monday. using tesla charging stations authorities have traced his route from denver through new mexico, arizona, and las vegas. he was on active duty and served as a green

nbc's morgan chesky joins us now with the stories on these helpers who have arrived there in californianah, good morning. as heartbreaking as it's been to see, the devastation behind me, the eaton fire to the palisades fire, we are seeing some glimmers of hope, as you mentioned. volunteers across the fire zone, say it's all hands on deck, to get displaced families back on their feet. this morning, as the wildfire disaster deepens, the city of angels, living up to its name. acts of kindness and generosity, pouring into fire-stricken areas. >> we hahave so ma volunteers. thank you, guys, for coming out. >> reporter: donation centers like this one, at the santa anitaflooded with volunteers. this man showing up to lend a hand even after losing their own home. >> we feel isolated like no one cares. but at the end of the day when tragedy happens, all over the town, they come and support. ♪ ally alleluia ♪ >> reporter: this family singing hymnmns over t ashes of the home they lived in for 35 years. nearby, the altadena community church was a fixture in the community for more than 80 years, bef

morgan chesky has more. >> reporter: good morning. authorities believe they do have their man here, after recovering a military id and a passport but they're awaiting dna confirmation simply because there was so little left behind of the truck after the explosion. they're confident this was a 37-year-old train bid the special forces whose one act has launched a global investigation. this morning authorities are working to fully id the driver of the cyber truck that exploded on new year's day outside a trump hotel on the vegas strip. >> we do feel like we have the subject identified. at this time there is no information about additional suspects that the fbi is tracking on. >> reporter: law enforcement says mounting evidence points to master sergeant matthew. livelesberger as the suspect. investigators found his passport, credit cards and military id inside the charred vehicle. authorities adding they're still waiting on dna tests to positively identify the burned body recovered behind the wheel. >> looking into exactly what the motiva