if you went down the pacific coast highway here about a half a mile that's santa monica. right behind us in these mountains is wear the palisades fire is burning. that is pacific palisades. we are talking about 11,000 acres that i burned right now. the associated press now reporting that it is the most single destructive fire in the history of los angeles. you talk about in this area some 50,000 people who have evacuated. you look over here, this was the topanga ranch motel. it is now gone. on the other side of the pacific coast highway is the ocean and the homes on the other side, most of them up and down are gone and then you have the eden fire which is in pasadena. it's also above 10,000 acres now they got at least hundreds of homes there, 1000 homes in the palisades destroyed and other structures. about 35 minutes ago we took a drive up the road here and got deeper into malibu to give you an idea of exactly how fast this fire is moving. watch this. i want to give you an idea of how fast this was moving in the early hours. you see the hillside how it was burned all the

so pacific coast highway is now.re's no way to go south in that direction because of the flames we see. but there are some people who perhaps have to hunker there. so there have been explosions that we've heard. we've seen the building behind us with the flame there and palm trees on fire. and so there is just so much for them to tackle right now. and of course, residents wondering what they have to come home to. >> yeah, i mean, we just saw in that one of those last shots, people waving, those were i think it looked like homeowners washing, you know, trying to keep their lawns, trying to keep things wet with hoses as much as they can. but again, i mean, imagine it's watching this on television, seeing your house go up in flames. nothing you can do.

we take flight with cal fire up over the pacific coast highway, headed toward the pacific palisades. and the first images we see here, the coastline. the homes of malibu that once lined the ocean are gone. it's just stunning to look at this stretch along the pacific coast highway in malibu. you can see it, home after home completely gone. they are taking to us where they say there is a firefight right now from the air. they are now dropping water. but before we even get there, over this ridge, the pacific palisades, entire communities wiped away, homes burned to the ground. this is just a devastating view as we fly over pacific palisades. you can see down the row just how quickly these fires spread. cal fire deputy incident commander justin mccomb. when you look at the scope of the devastation here, what kind of winds were you dealing with in those first 24 hours? >> the winds we saw were 70, 80, 90 miles an hour along the pacific coast highway. and that was what the environment, the firefighters were dealing with. there was embers just flying across laterally. very difficult to even

where i am sitting right now at pacific coast highway, which is where the ocean is, the wind and the e pushed all the way to pacific coast highway. in fact, turned around and then pushed back up the canyon. that is not something that happens on a regular basis during santa ana wind events. it adds an extra layer of complexity when you have hurricane force winds up to 100 mile-per-hour gusts pushing from the ocean up the canyon after it had already burned. annita: we heard that is stopping these firefighting planes from taking off and dumping the water strategically. on a ground level, how is the wind affecting your ability to do the job? >> first off, we are fortunate that around 7:00 this morning, we were able to get our air assets back up in the air. annita: that is a new line for us. we had heard the planes had not been able to get up. but they are getting up now in the air? >> yes, the wind came down to a level where we could get our fixed wing aircraft, our large planes, heavy retardant droppers, get ahead of the fire and begin preparing to drop, dropping large volumes of retarda

along pacific coast highway, every single home is gone. really?far as the eye can see. >> wiping out the homesteads of generations. >> we have been in the palisades since the 1930s. i mean, my great grandma named helped name the streets how you can help the the streets how you can help the relief efforts. what's up, you seem kinda sluggish today. things aren't really movin'. you could use some metamucil. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com —sounds like you need to vaporize that cold. dayquil vapocool? it's dayquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪vapocooooool♪ woah. dayquil vapocool. the vaporizing daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, power through your day, medicine. been saved. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm stephanie ramos. it was the attack that captivated the nation more than a decade ago. a 12 year old girl stabbed 19 times, barely surviving. shockingly, her own friends were to

above the highway on the high with a magnificent pacific view, a view now obscured by brown smoke choking out the setting, bringing an early night of california riviera for old pacific coast highway. mr. height at this very moment is up on the roof with a hose wetting down his for directly across the street. these flames are roaring down topside with a tremendous rip behind them. and the firemen are on top of two apartments while the others fight fire house by house and below, parked on the road the householders in their cars watching the smoke and fire blot out their home. still gaily up like christmas lights and then pass on leaving their homes a life in tact as it was on insatiable to the west toward the first fire that zuma fire contained. but not controlled. all of us. southern california thoughts and sympathies of men of goodwill stretch toward the threatened people of a stricken area and the thoughts, the sympathy and the prayers sent not to have gone unheard that night. when i stopped a roaring red monster of flame flickered to a faltering standstill, approximately one and a half miles northeast. lake sherwood sweeping southwest from that terrible abode on a three

chief klinger set up his command post a fire station on the pacific coast highway. his command now comprised 430 men, including navy marine personnel, moved them by truck. from the base. they what, one inmate and some little island in, the firehouse with a gleaming engine that usually gray. ladies of the red have coffee and sandwiches, smoke blackened firefighters in the dormitory. men of the line were treated for rape and smoke poisoning and the kitchen. bob singleton set up a press center to accommodate the reporters radio, commentators, tv newsreel battalion five the the prison system chief battalion five the assistant chief this is chief burton. go ahead. i think we've received all canyon area fires, jumped the highway in broad beach and taken to big houses. chief anderson says on the station. go ahead, harvey. and i can't get too hot. oh, god, i have ten patrols working around the houses right away. okay. if if you hear that. yeah, america. owes us condado canyon will be next. no doubt about it. ask the sheriff's office to evacuate esposito canyon, by the way,

rows of homes and restaurants along the pacific coast highway were consumed by the flames. this is what it looked and sounded like. almost haunting. the pacific palisades fire growing to nearly 16,000 acres. 40 miles away the eaton fire turned deadly and has exploded to over 10,000 acres. tonight, thousands in the region are under evacuation orders, filling shelters. schools are closed, while power is out for 1.5 million southern californians. gadi schwartz is in the fire zone to start our coverage. >> reporter: this area of altadena has become an absolute wasteland. you've got rows and ws of homes that have burned. you've got some homes that are still standing. but it's just a matter of time. this was the moment the sun rose over the fire raging above pasadena. but you'd never know it because the dawn disappeared in the smoke. again, you hear those explosions. so many of these homes, there is no hope. but against the odds and mother nature some stayed, doing everything they could to fight back. >> there are people still here trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. ther

now we are getting a better look at the damage here along pacific coast highway. now, normally this area is lined with homes, right. you can see the water right off there to the left. when we arrived here this morning, some were still standing now. more than a dozen have been destroyed. now we get a lot of wildfires in southern california. but in many ways, the fire that tore through the palisades was an urban fire, right? 30,000 evacuated some very dense neighborhoods, $10 million homes mixed in with apartments, condos and businesses. again, many of those now destroyed. they had to ground some helicopters last night around 8 p.m. because of the high winds. in fact, they had actually had a difficult time putting down retardant because the wind simply dissipated the water and the phos-chek. also, they lost water pressure. dwp has three large tanks of 1 million gallons each. those ran dry. firefighters had no water after 11 p.m. last night. now no fatalities in the fire. some injuries, however, from those who chose not to evacuate. >> the congestion point, which loo

we're on the pacific coast highway. we turn into one of the neighborhoods in pacific palisades. this small school burning. >> you can hear the bangs going off. >> david: yeah, yeah, the fire ripping through that school right there. you can see the cars here charred. and then we see it. home after home burning. >> it's just jumping from home to home right now, with this wind -- there's nothing to stop it. >> repor >> david: as we drive up into the hills, the charred cars. where families simply stopped, got out, and escaped. these people that were coming down from the hills here decided to give up, because the fire was encroaching? >> right, right. the traffic was so bad, they figured, their chances were better getting out on foot and running the rest of the way out of here. >> david: i mean, it's an apocalyptic scene here. >> it is. it is. you see where the bulldozer came through and pushed the cars aside so we could get up here. >> david: the bulldozers moving the cars so that fire trucks could get through. so, we're now 24 hours into this disaster, and we've got another multipl

along the pacific coast highway as the exclusive la suburb of malibu.ifornian dream. some of the most expensive real estate in america. now, ashes. at least ten people have now died and it is warned the death toll is expected to increase. despite days of hard work, it's up here in the hills where the fires are still raging and with the winds picking up once again there's real fears about its spread. and they're facing an uphill battle to try to contain it. with a red flag warning for strong winds at the weekend, it's now a race to try to limit the danger. most of the fires have been burning for days. have a look at this one street in altadena, where the eaton fire is burning. this is fair oaks avenue. this is what it looks like now, after those flames tore through the neighbourhood. that's what fair oaks avenue looked like before. house after house, street after street, it is all gone — almost nothing left of these homes. early estimates suggest the total damage caused could amount to as much as £122 billion. well, our correspondent, john sudworth, join

this is the pacific coast highway.fic palisades that was devastated. we will let the fire vehicles go across and we will walk across the road. the fire came down this hill and then it crossed over pacific coast highway. you can see some of the power lines here. this poll was burned in half. as you walk over here you can see the oceanfront homes. this one is clearly still on fire. there's not a lot of water in this area so as you go down the line there's not really a lot that fire crews can do to protect the rest of these homes. but if you come over here you can see the ocean and the oceanfront homes. multimillion dollar oceanfront homes. and as far as the eye can see down here, it is home after home destroyed, burned to the ground. and this is malibu, where the crux of the fire has not even gotten to yet. >> trace: those are the homes that celebrities lived in forever, they are right there. you can see them as they drive up the pch, the homes are right on the side and the front of the house, if you've ever been in them

and i guess what, we hadn't quite surmised was exactly how bad it had gotten south of us on pacific coast highway. and that's the way we came in to get to our spot to cover the fire. and we knew that we had heard reports that the flames jumped the highway, but i guess we had not seen with our own eyes just exactly what that meant and what that looked like for us getting out of there. so at the end of the night, you know, we're i, we pulled up to a fire truck and kind of waved at a firefighter and said, hey, where do you think is the best way for us to leave to get out of here? he kind of shook his head at us and said, well, i guess you go south. and so that's what we did. um, pretty quickly realizing that there were flames on both sides of the highway, there were embers flying over the lanes of the highway. i spotted an emergency vehicle and decided our best bet is to just follow that car, to follow right behind him as closely as possible. if he's driving, then he's probably knowing the best way out. so as we're driving behind this emergency vehicle, i'm hearing an explosion on my right. there ar

you also, when you drive out on the on the pacific coast highway, you see airplanes scooping up water from the sea to come. so there are a lot of aerial assets now in play. but what firefighters are doing here is the dirty, dull, incredibly hard, but incredibly important work of essentially building a line, building a defensive line all around the palisades fire. so right now in this area, there are bulldozers. you can maybe hear them a little bit in the distance. there's bulldozers all over this area. this they've already cleared this little road that we're on. this is something that bulldozers have cleared just to get any debris out of the way. so they're essentially trying to build roads like this, or even connect a new dirt road that they make with the bulldozer to an existing road and build a line around the fire to prevent it from, from jumping over, to prevent it from moving forward, to protect that community. the question is, do the winds change? do the winds pick up a slight change of winds? it can obviously, as you know, jump the line and ember can go, you know, miles and st

let us take you to a live camera to the home which is located on pacific coast highway standing thereither side it is owned by waste management ceo dave steiner who joins us live now. thank you for being here, you were not there thankfully but you have to tell us what were your thoughts when you got the first clip of fox news and trace gallagher and the contractor said yours is probably next. >> it was an emotional roller coaster i got the clip as you mentioned a former ceo at waste management there's one thing that waste management does better than anyone and that's respond to emergency i checked with them they had a water truck that they could get their and by the time they could get the truck there the fire was out for the day and then it came back with a vengeance and created the scene that you see there. >> house after house. suddenly there is yours. let us discuss the material of the house. it's really become emblematic of the future if people will rebuild in fire prone los angeles county, tell us about the construction of the house that you feel kept his deity. >> the house was

right now the pacific coast highway is closed between malibu and santa monica. the fire burned nearly 3,000 acres and has no containment. as paul mentioned there is now a second fire burning nearby. we will be keeping an eye on the fires all evening and bring you the latest updates. thanks for watching, the news continues at ah, behold ! a glorious round table pepperoni pizza.... hgh ? behold, the pepperoni, grilled chicken and bacon pizza from round table. three magnificent toppings. try it at round table pizza. are you 50 or older? well, this news is for you. the cdc now recommends you get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia. why? if you're 50 or older even if you're healthy... you're 6 times more likely to be hospitalized. so, schedule at vaxassist.com. announcer: it's time to play "family feud"! give it up for steve harvey! [cheering and applause]

we're on pacific coast highway in malibu, a very famous.y people have driven through here and they see it. much of the homes that are along on the beach side, i would say 75 to 85% are gone. i mean, flat just burned up. some are standing there, severely damaged. i don't think any of them are untouched whatsoever. that's just on the highway. and remember, this is right next to the ocean. and most of those homes were destroyed. not by the fire, per se, but the embers that came down and lit them on fire and the high winds that then not only lit them on fire, but then blow torched them into a major flame. so that's just here. when you come down sunset boulevard, what you see is so many homes, not all of them, but so many homes that are destroyed. and then you have to consider the value of these homes. now in paradise, there were 19,000 structures that were destroyed, and that was a big number. but imagine this. only 1100 destroyed so far. but many of those 1100 are multi-million dollar properties, both private and business properties, not to me

and pacific coast highway was shut down at last check. this fire has grown to more than 1200 acres. >> now we have team coverage on this emergency in southern california. let's begin with greg lee, who is monitoring the situation from our newsroom. greg, what's the latest? >> alex, good afternoon to you, the governor, just now in the last couple of minutes, telling reporters that fire has now exploded to 1300 acres. the fire started just before noon with a large plume of smoke rising over the santa monica mountains. fire officials again holding a news conference as we speak, talking about the resources helping on this fire, as well as saying more than 13,000 structures are threatened right now. officials say at least 30,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes, and confirmed multiple structures have already burned. as you said, the pacific coast highway is shut down at this hour. that fire exploded quickly this afternoon, fueled by intense wind gusts and those dry hillsides. southern california has seen very little rain this year

we are reporting tonight from a staging area along the pacific coast highway in the pacific palisades, where we have spent the day. i want to show you some images from malibu, from the pacific palisades and from the topanga canyon area, where my team and i were. much of today, you just get a sense of all the activity that has been going on in this area. and of course, this is just one of the fires. the palisades fire is one of the fires. zero containment at this point. the other, the eaton fire zero containment at this point, 1500 firefighters are focused on the eaton fire. that's the area that that hit altadena where i was yesterday. and that is still very active as well. there is so much to tell you about over the course of the next hour, the national guard have been called in, according to authorities, there have been some looters who have been arrested. that is obviously a concern. another concern, there are so many things that firefighters have to deal with. now i want to we as i told you, we spent the day up in topanga, the topanga canyon area. it is a very different terrain, ob

>> the winds we saw were 70, 80, 90 miles per hour along the pacific coast highway.ow with the environment the firefighters were dealing with, embers were flying laterally. difficult to do anything as far as patrol. putting the edges of the fire out, mainly was going house to house to protect as many as you could. priority was life safety, get people out of the fire. >> reporter: three days into the historic disaster, they're still fighting fires here. bulldozers here trapping the fi fire. this is three days in, almost impossible to get to it. then we see it, choppers crossing the canyon, dropping water and trying to protect the homes with flames moving in. this is topanga canyon, trying to save homes from fernwood. 3 days here. a tool now at their disposal is water in the air. so many fires are still burning 72 hours after the first began. palisades, eaton, hurst, lydia, kenneth and archer fire still burning. back on the ground, families returning home to see what if anything is left. the father who told me his wife and two boys are safe but they lost another family

reporting tonight from a staging area along the pacific coast highway in the pacific palisades, where we have spent the day. i want to show you some images from malibu, from the pacific palisades and from the topanga canyon area, where my team and i were much of today. you just get a sense of all the activity that has been going on in this area. and of course, this is just one of the fires. the palisades fire is one of the fires. zero containment at this point. the other, the eaton fire zero containment at this point, 1500 firefighters are focused on the eden fire. that's the area that that hit altadena where i was yesterday. and that is still very active as well. there is so much to tell you about over the course of the next hour. the national guard have been called in, according to authorities, there have been some looters who have been arrested. that is obviously a concern. another concern. there are so many things that firefighters have to deal with now. i want to we as i told you, we spent the day up in topanga, the topanga canyon area. it is a very different terrain, obviously,

rows of homes and restaurants, along the pacific coast highway, were consumed by the flames. this is what it looked and sounded like. >> almost haunting, the pacific palisades fire, growing to nearly 16,000 acres. 40 miles away, the eaton fire turned deadly and has exploded to over 10,000 acres. tonight, thousands in the region are under evacuation orders, filling shelters, schools are closed, while power is out for 1.5 million southern californians. gadi schwartz is in the fire zone to start our coverage. >> this area of altadena has become an absolute wasteland. you've got rows and rows of home that have burned some are still standing. but it's just a matter of time. >> thfersz the moments the sun rose over the fire, above pasadena, but you'd never know it. >> again, you hear the explosions. so many, there is no hope. >> some doing everythinghey could to fight back. there are people still here, trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. there is still water in the area. but with this much destruction, it almost seems futeile. >> you have been here since 4:00 a.m. should. >

now, the command center for the fire departments, that was the other side of the pacific coast highway, that highway that snakes along the pacific ocean there, no one thought that the fire was going to jump the highway. the fire did jump the highway. so the fire departments now have had to move their command center elsewhere. they've been forced to by these flames. now, how far this is going to go? that is the big question. they are now issuing evacuation orders in santa monica, which is about five miles away. the evacuation orders now, the next block from my house. so, you know, everybody over there packing up, getting ready because they've seen what happened here. listen, you know, last night we were getting warnings. everybody knew that this wind was going to kick up today. but it's very different now. we have seen we can see the destruction that is being wrought here by these flames. and who knows how much worse it's going to get if it gets down to santa monica. that is a much more densely populated area. that will be horrific. it is already, i would say the word apocalyptic is bei

emma with the very latest on the pacific coast highway.nse of the scale of the damage from these photographs. before... ..and after the fires. well, the emergency crews have been working round the clock to calm the blazes, and the danger still hasn't passed. los angeles, the city of angels, is still threatened by fiery demons. in the hills above, a taste of what might come. and in the thick of it, fire officer erin alexander. the wind and the... i mean, that the kind of stuff we were dealing with. wow. is that you? that was me. there's certain weather factors that we can't control. obviously, the winds were some like i've never seen. and we put one fire out and another one right down the down the way is starting again. you have these houses that catch fire, that send off embers, that catch other houses on fire. and we didn't have enough water to put the fires out. and it was, you know, there's only so much you can do. here is erin with colleagues on the day she became a firefighter, saving lives in people's homes her calling. but the scale

a thick black smoke crossing over the pacific coast highway into the ocean, it's hard to really wrapour mind around the disaster that's unfolding here right now. and sadly, we're being told that the weather is going to intensify into the evening, laura? >> matt, the people of california have been through so much in recent years with these fires. i remember seeing the malibu fires years ago. a friend of mine lost her home there this is just a heart break. please stay safe, matt, and we will check back with you as needed. thank you. coming up the biden nightmare. yeah, it's almost over. not without his last act ofur sabotage b. ♪ eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva. narrator: ontario, canada, your third-largest trading partner and number one export destination for 17 states. our economic partnership keeps millions of americans working. we're here, right by your side. [title: ontario, canada] [title: ontario.ca/partner] [title: paid for by the government of ontario]

15,000 acres, still growing in the neighborhood of the pacific palisades and west along the pacific coast highway to malibu, destroying more than a thousand buildings including homes and some local landmarks. just frightening for those caught in all the fire, this is from malibu resident as you can see the home is surrounded by smoke. and they managed to get in the car and drive to safety. no containment on any of these fires. thousands of homes are still at risk. cbs correspondent elise preston has the very latest from malibu. >> reporter: block after block, the devastation is overwhelming in pacific palisades. >> the whole house just collapsed. >> reporter: where the most destructive fire in los angeles history is still burning out of control. >> we are absolutely not out of danger yet. >> reporter: ferocious winds are fueling blow torch conditions, burning embers are flying for miles, sparking new fires. >> it has been something we have not seen before. >> reporter: wary firefighters working for more than 24 hours are trying to get with the upper hand. >> we are trying to do the best that we c

that same la costa beach on both sides of the pacific coast highway. gone. we're going to need some really to reimagine our housing now statewide. this isn't just about money and insurance. it's about how we're going to live here in california and how we recover. a bay area based group is stepping up to help. the nonprofit is called after the fire usa. it offers assistance to communities after a major wildfire. everything from navigating insurance claims to providing emotional support after the fire usa formed after the north bay fires here in 2017, after the ceo watched her community burn down, the nonprofit has helped communities impacted by nearly every major fire in the western u.s. since that point. joining us now is jennifer gray thompson, the ceo of after the fire usa. jennifer, nice to have you on the program. just in a nutshell, what exactly do you do in terms of tangible here? how do you help these fire victims? so first, you know, because we've lived it, we actually lead it. we are the leading nonprofit in the nation dealing solely with mega fire

william losh and s pacific coast highway in malibu were in the past we have seen mostly back up in theut coming right down to the pacific ocean. and wiping out row upon row of homes there that some of them $10 million and those are not the big malibu mansions the movie stars and the producers and tech billionaires are living in. those are modest houses and melody accounted in the the tens of millions of dollars. to put those houses all gone now. as william la jeunesse was saying for situation in california for a lot of sheriff insurance companies no longer underwriting because of the fire danger. if they don't have insurance through the state, which is limited, they will be in for a larger rebuild. >> sandra: john, getting an update from the ap here as we have been seeing and reporting on currently just to reiterate the aircraft now able to return the dropping water on these los angeles wildfires after being grounded because of the winds. we note that wind gusts strong at this hour and likely to continue, but they are a backup in the air at the aircraft's on the l.a. fires as absolute

but this this was the iconic moon shadows restaurant along pacific coast highway. the rest are on a celebrity hangout, a special occasion spot for so many people here in the la area perched out over the pacific. but now we saw it. has been destroyed. the entire structure went up in flames and then it just fell into the ocean down pch. the real in that funky seafood, roadside restaurant and then the thai restaurant next door also destroyed and the houses beachside cottages, multi-million dollar mansions. >> burned to the ground. really one after another for about 3 miles. several homes in the 20,800 block of pch in malibu destroyed. >> as fire responders did structure protection on one of those homes along pch. a firefighter was injured. it appeared to be a minor injury to his arm, but he was transported from the scene. much of the damage in the carbon canyon area. trees down, power lines down and dozens of utility poles up in flames and just lying across the road. >> so a lot of people wondering just how many homes have been lost in malibu. we do not have an officia

and we saw some flames along both sides of the road closer to the pacific coast highway. e it to the pacific coast highway, but some of the destruction we've been seeing through videos and live reports right here on abc seven, and we have been speaking to locals. we've been talking to people that fear for what's to come tonight. they've already seen the devastation rip through their town. the beloved palisades high school, where several hollywood films, including freaky friday was filmed at. several notable celebrities attended that high school. we've talked to people that grew up here. they have memories, some of their workplaces completely destroyed by the flames that charred through the area that burned last night into the early hours this morning. currently still burning right now here in brentwood, you see the plume of smoke. we were in santa monica this morning. you could see the plume of smoke from miles and miles away. we are right at the edge of that evacuation warning the evacuation zone, and we are just to the west of ucla. the getty center is not too far from h

cars burned out, entire neighborhoods leveled, flames ripping through other homes along pacific coast highway. the los angeles county firestorm showing no signs of letting up as crews scramble to respond to four deadly wind whipped fires. >> we're prepared to do anything and everything as long as it takes to contain these fires and help reconstruct and make sure that we get back to normal. >> it's going to be a #### of a long way. president biden and governor newsom received a briefing at a santa monica fire station as the fires exploded in size. the president promising federal resources, including firefighting aircraft. >> we got a be prepared to evacuate at 8:00, and about five minutes later it was, get the #### out! do not wait. do not pass go. do not collect $200. so we just got every animal we could in the car and left. >> combined, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and thousands of structures remain threatened. >> last night was one of the most devastating and terrifying nights that we've seen in any part of our city, at any part of our history. >> it began with the palisa

sections of the pacific coast highway and i-10 are closed to aid in those evacuation efforts, and some evacuating residents even abandoned their vehicles and wanted to be picked up. now, we want to give you a look at where this fire is located. this is a map from cal fire, and it shows this is malibu right here. and this is santa monica right here. and so this is where the fire zone is right in between. now these colors are the evacuation zones. so yellow means that these folks need to be ready to flee at a moment's notice. and red that means mandatory evacuations. so those are underway right now with no immediate threat to life. the fire zone here is outlined in this red area. it is now at about 1300 acres. let's show you some time lapse, really, of how this all went down. this is video of the massive plume of smoke. it could be seen from miles away, rising over the santa monica mountains. firefighters have been scrambling to corral this fast moving flames and this fast moving fire in the hillside. they just held a press conference within the last hour, and the l.a. fire chief talked

and then once they are downhill, you only have the pacific coast highway to get either north or south. and if there is a fire leaping across it, then you're pretty stuck. and that's kind of, um, where we found ourselves after we finished our last live shot, not knowing exactly where the area was and how bad it was, where the flames had jumped. and so, um, that's we had to figure something out. >> and thankfully, natasha, you did. we appreciate it. and the fact that you and your crew, of course, are now safely back in your homes. natasha chen, thank you for talking with us and walking us through these terrifying moments for you and the crew. >> thank you. >> and do stay with us here on cnn. our breaking news coverage of the explosive wildfires in southern california continues right after a short break. >> kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> people who may never even know what a basketball looks like felt his presence. >> he wants the opportunity to make his own mistakes. he's going to end up making them. that's when the black mamba was born. >> it's one of the mos

. >> yeah, brianna, we are along the pacific coast highway.now that the sun is up, you can actually see more of the devastation. this is a wine bar that really popular live music they would have here. and and people would come out here and enjoy being next to the ocean. and i was walking up behind it and i didn't even recognize it because it is so demolished until i got to the front and i saw these blue chairs and this big yellow chair. look at these former barrels. all that's left are the metal casings around the barrels just completely burned out. and this is up and down this stretch of the pacific coast highway, where you can see the devastation of these smaller businesses here, as well as some homes up in the hills. think about how hard those flames had to be burning, how high they had to be burning for this kind of destruction here. and if you look through palisades, if you look through altadena, it's the same story where you see businesses that are lost, big corporations lost, where you also see homes and infrastructure like post offices

those are being very tightly congested. >> yeah, they're almost hemmed in actually, by the pacific coast highway, which is part of the problem, i guess, for the teams as well, trying to get in to help with those evacuations. the, the authorities. >> um, now, a passenger on a flight captured the flames, devastating that area of southern california. here's what it looks like as they flew from salt lake city into l.a. international airport. it shows not only the grim conditions, but also how far the flames have actually spread. >> well, clearly, firefighters are in for a long night with those already extreme wind conditions expected to get much worse. a captain with the l.a. county fire department calls it the perfect storm for a once in a decade wind event. our meteorologist, chad myers, has more and we've already had hurricane force wind gusts in places here in southern california, especially on the mountain tops. >> but here's what happens in the desert. unlike everywhere else in america, when the sun goes down, the winds die off here because of the cold air that's going to sink down into the de

there are fires burning along the pacific coast highway. for people who have not been out here, it is some of the most beautiful stretch of highway you could ever imagine. it's also treacherous with some turns, and it's right up against this rugged terrain that you find here. pacific palisades and malibu. and that is why this is so concerning. when you look at what we're seeing behind here, this fire, the palisades fire, is still raging. and on top of it, you talked about how fast it's growing. do you see these winds that we are dealing with right now that just blew that fire up that you're looking at right there? just blew it up. it was burning beforehand. but now you can hear i don't know if you guys can hear it, but it's almost like a snap, crackle, pop that is happening back there of everything popping inside of it like popcorn going off inside of that building. as this fire has exploded, the alarms have been going off for hours. we've watched another building burn down here. all of this is why tens of thousands of people are evacuated,

and the fire department actually set up their command center on the other side of the pacific coast highway. so you've got pacific ocean, pacific coast highway. and then where we are, where all the fire is. nobody really thought the fire was going to jump that wide. pacific coast highway. it did. and so the firefighters have had to move their command post because the fire has forced them to do that. so all this wind right now is the issue, but also the fact that for months here in l.a., we just have not had any rain. so up here there is so all this dry vegetation just waiting to burn. that is the danger. that is the enemy. so a couple of hundred firefighters are going to be at this all night to try to contain this fire. we have seen, as i said, people trying to flee. i've also spoken to some people who tried to evacuate, couldn't because the roads were just so jammed. so they've just gone home, sat down, and they're just waiting it out and praying for the best. now other people just outside the evacuation. i mean, i live just outside the evacuation zone right now. so my wife has packed up o

and there was a police presence right at the bottom of the hill, right on pacific coast highway, directing us out. so, uh, it i didn't know about this street. if i wasn't working the neighborhoods. and we got lucky. >> ramis, we are so glad that you did. we're so sorry. for what? your childhood community and your parents community is going through. but they're so lucky to have you and that you got them out safely. thank you so much for sharing your story with us. we really appreciate it. >> thank you, brianna. >> and here's how to help those who have lost so much to the wildfires. you can find groups to contribute to by going to cnn.com/vote slash impact. you can text wildfires to 70, 70, 70 and ahead on cnn news central. new reporting on a conversation between president-elect trump and a supreme court justice. court watchers are asking sharp questions about what the two discussed and about the timing of the call. that, and much more of our coverage of the fires in california next. >> like a relentless weed. moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to brea

so pacific coast highway is now. there's no way to go south in that direction because of the flames we see. but there are some people who perhaps have to hunker there. so there have been explosions that we've heard. we've seen the building behind us with the flame there and palm trees on fire. and so there is just so much for them to tackle right now. and of course, residents wondering what they have to come home to. >> yeah, i mean, we just saw in that one of those last shots, people waving, those were i think it looked like homeowners washing, you know, trying to keep their lawns, trying to keep things wet with hoses as much as they can. but again, i mean, imagine it's watching this on television, seeing your house go up in flames. nothing you can do. evening. i'm kaitlan collins and this is the source breaking right now. wildfires are raging in los angeles tonight. at least 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. so far as a life threatening wind storm is fanning the flames that you are seeing right here, as

that came over the area ripping through homeless ripping through the soil now reaching the pacific coast highwayut the day as we have seen these flames come down the hillside some of these canyons if you're familiar with the mobile home park along the pacific coast highway that's basically where we're standing unfortunately some of those homes went up into flames. 30,000 people under mandatory evacuation order. as we are standing here tonight jesse the windsor ripping up against our cars carrying embers and smoke and authorities warned the winds would be a huge problem today is part of the red flag warning this is basically worst-case scenario of the fire started much earlier this morning a friend down the hills near the pacific palisades between santa monica and malibu today we're watching them continue to expand here in los angeles up against the pc agent. right know if using a need these cars are likely means they're trying to get out of harm's way because it is closed in both directions right now just north of the santa monica is visited worst-case scenario we are told the winds will get str

here along with the pacific coast highway and the edge of the palisades, this hill is lined with homesw guided, basically no structure is standing in this area along with the palisades. we were life into this location last night, you watch the flames ripped through and unfortunately daylight shows as these homes are down, parts of the high school on the canyon, a lot of people were asking us about that, we did see parts of that high school burning 30 minutes ago, we also watched a restaurant to catch fire and burn it into the surrounding retail shops burning, flight crews were responding to that. large portions of the palisades have been wiped out, and the palisades are beautiful and charming area of los angeles, there is a lot of high-end homes but there is also everyday americans who live there, i want to show you to the left along the pacific coast highway, fires is still burning to now. you can see this dense suffocating smoke coming down the hillside, what is so remarkable, burning through the landscape, burning through the homes and now it's all dumping own into the pacific ocean

as far as the eye can see, we're down the pacific coast highway and for the firefighters, this is whatwhat we have not seen are these erratic winds, the way that it has spread through this entire communities so our firefighters are tired but this also what we trained to do and we are going to be remaining on scene until we get 100% containment of this fire. figs we get 100% containment of this fire. �* , , ., we get 100% containment of this fire. �* , ,, . we get 10096 containment of this fire. a ., ., ~ fire. as you are talking, we are seeing _ fire. as you are talking, we are seeing pictures - fire. as you are talking, we are seeing pictures of - fire. as you are talking, we i are seeing pictures of pictures of some of the biggest fire is still burning. just tell me, give me more a sense of what the fundamental difficulties of this is. the size and area this is cover and also the speed, presumably, all of that is making it so difficult to bring it under control.— it under control. yes, on the first coume _ it under control. yes, on the first couple days _ it under control. yes, on the

we've got to move our shot record we are overlooking into the pacific ocean over toward the pacific coast highwayalso between santa monica as well as over toward pacific palisades. removing a reliable short real quick for the moment because we have, we are on a fire wrote every now and then we get traffic going through. either way today so call her derek compared to what we have seen it yesterday and the video you've been watching and looking at is out of mandeville canyon we had a significant flareup on friday into saturday morning. but because the efforts are so aggressive to tamp those flames i believe that's why today were look at a much better situation. twenty-four aircraft's covering the fire in terms of acreage we had a jump of 50 acres or so this malt jumps we've had with this fire. you look at the overall support by air and also on the ground we encountered ourselves some of the firefighters clearing some of the brush. they've got incredible work we have to continue to watch it and see how the flames respond to the wind. this is round two of the santa ana winds we are coming out. we're

little houses, wooden houses along the pacific coast highway in malibu, they all burned to the ground>> ainsley: let's go now to william la jeunesse for the latest on the ground in pacific palisades, california. william? >> hey, good morning, ainsley. you know, relatively, this is a small fire. it's 17,000 acres. for context the campfire 2018 that was 150,000-acre causing 150,000 acres causing 18 billion in damage. this one, they estimate will be the most expensive in u.s. history at 50 to $57 billion. when you look at the video, you can see why. you mentioned malibu, basically the entire coast line almost south of know buoy from santa monica destroyed, turned to rubble. beachfront homes 150 homes possibly. these are 10 to $50 million turned to rubble each. then you look at the palisades. here the homes of celebrities as we mentioned. hollywood producers. the rivera as we call it overlooking the pacific on a bluff. the streets like where tom hanks lives, that neighborhood, also destroyed. then you have the business district where i am right now, per square footage basis, this is the m

. >> we are standing along the famous pacific coast highway in this area and we saw homes burned it to the ground earlier before the sunset. we saw the fire right behind me here in a residential area of the pacific palisades a short while ago i did speak with the l.a. fire captain who violated in erratic wind happening all around us right now and how difficult the wind is making yet for fire crews to battle these fires and he described what we witnessed which was the fire moving in all different directions rapidly from one direction to another causing embers to move in the direction of the wind we have seen that move north and south in all different ways and were where in santa monica they've issued a mandatory evacuation proportions a santa monica. for israel and we seen in stores that direction and temperatures from this fire and i've covered hurricanes is coming around the ocean here and it's coming closer to the storm and coupled likely with a historic fire again the palisades area and with it for miles and miles in southern california no matter where you are in and around the l.a.

areas like palisades and mall beautiful claims came down the mountainside and destroying the pacific coast highway and taking out could being straws up and down the pch in the very famous and beautiful malibu area. so many people have lost everything at this point and we'll talk about the other fires in a second. it's important to focus on the human element of this and what people are going through. let's listen to one account. >> we were hoping the house would be there the next day, but it wasn't. it's shocking. shock. you don't have time yet to think about the next steps. reporter: you see this map of all the fires, six of them burning as we speak in los angeles county. palisades being the largest scorching thousands of homes, incinerating them over 10,000 structures destroyed and over 50,000 structures are threatened and the eaton fire to the north, which is only 3% contained right now, over 14,000 acres burned there. six people have lost their lives in the eaton fire. down here in the palisades fire, five people total of 11 deaths and many more injured un-fornatalie. now, there are thousands o