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Crews Race To Contain L.A. County Fires Ahead Of More High Winds; Police Arrest 29 So Far In L.A. County As Wildfires Rage; Cal Fire Eaton Wildfire Now 27% Contained, Palisades 11% Containment; Confirmation Hearings For Incoming Cabinet Picks Start This Week. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 12, 2025 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:00]

JEFF LEWIS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER: A very powerful social media platform. The circumstances do warrant this very unique action.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Constitutional law attorney, Jeff Lewis, thank you so much. Great to see you again.

LEWIS: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tonight, a special hour of the deadly fires in Los Angeles and the residents facing unthinkable tragedy. Join Anderson Cooper for "THE WHOLE STORY." That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta alongside my colleague Bill Weir in Pacific Palisades, California.

We'll get right to you, Bill, in a moment.

This is the breaking news that we're covering. Firefighters racing to gain ground as massive wildfires tear through the Los Angeles County area. Wind gusts are picking up, making an already dangerous situation even more treacherous. Red flag warnings are in effect as Santa Ana Winds are expected to strengthen later on today, continuing all the way until Wednesday.

The exhaustive firefight to save homes and communities is now in day six. Overnight, favorable weather conditions gave fire crews a bit of a leg-up. Officials say the Eaton Fire is now 27 percent contained, but the largest of the fires, the Palisades, remains just 11 percent contained.

The fires are ripping across landscapes and neighborhoods, as you see right there, scorching tens of thousands of acres, killing at least 16. We understand 16 other people remain missing. 105,000 people are under evacuation orders right now.

All right, let's get to the Palisades area where Bill Weir is.

So that's also like a command post, right, where you are. It is where firefighters are there. They regroup. Is it also where some residents come to ask questions and try to figure out how they can go see their properties?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Not here in particular. We're sort of sealed off at both ends on Pacific Coast Highway and up on Sunset Boulevard, where residents really can't get to where we are. We're at Will Rogers State Beach, which we're seeing Humvees from the National Guard and fire crews from eight different states there, from here from Canada and Mexico. This is now an international firefight that's going underway here.

Officials today saying both those death and missing tolls of 16 and 16 are expected to go up, as they're now able to search with cadaver dogs home by home. And as other people have come forward and say somebody is missing.

The big one is the Palisades Fire, of course. 37 square miles have burned, only 11 percent contained despite a real fierce fight last night up in Mandeville Canyon. We have two colleagues with me on fire duty this Sunday afternoon.

Natasha Chen, Julia Vargas Jones watching the fires as they're moving. But let's start with Natasha there up in Brentwood. She's just up the hill here on the edge of the Palisades Fire with the latest -- Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bill, in the last few minutes, we've actually seen quite a bit of activity because down here in the Mandeville Canyon, they are doing water drops here. We're seeing that aircraft come through one after another r and then down to our lower left once our camera gets down there, you can see that there are some hotspots, smoke rising from the canyon below.

There are a lot of homes there. They've dropped retardant there. And so the hope is that the winds will play in favor right now to keep that in check. But as we've all been discussing, the winds are expected to pick back up. And so these few hours right now may be their only reprieve. They are bracing themselves for a lot more difficulty to come. So, again, we're seeing a lot of aircraft come through dropping water on these hotspots that are popping up in the Mandeville Canyon.

But for the most part this morning through right now, we've been getting the wind gusts sort of blowing back in the direction of what's already been burned. You see those hills in the distance are all darkened because they burned yesterday. But the difficulty is to come, and we're sensing a lot of anxiety about that as we enter the higher winds this evening through this coming week. And that means, at the very least, that there will be a lot of people dealing with preemptive power shutoffs throughout the area.

There may be a lot of people in the metro area without power this coming week, as people try to prevent more fires from happening. And of course, the fire crews are already so exhausted and they're just working right now to try to contain this before more difficult conditions come around -- Bill. WEIR: Absolutely, Natasha. And it's so interesting. You know, much the

way there are surgeons and general practitioners, doctors who try to keep you alive. The wildlife wildland hotshot firefighters versus the urban firefighters who put out house fires, two different skill sets.

[16:05:01]

And those guys and men and women who are up there with chainsaws and hose trying to cut fire lines, just doing brutal work, and you would think they would get a reprieve because they're not actively flaring and the winds are relatively calm, but the more they can contain now, the better it will be as the hours continue, as the red flag kicks up.

Julia is in the foothills of the Palisades with another perspective.

Julia, what's your situation?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, what we're hearing here is from the residents of this area -- the entire area affected by the Palisades Fire who are now trying to return home, not to stay. They're trying to go and check on their homes. They're trying to get medicine. They're trying to go and check in on their pets. You know, we saw lines of people first. We heard about the lines in cars, then in bikes and on foot.

People saying, look, I don't care if I can't bring my car up there. I will hike up 10 miles to just go and check on my home. You talked about that despair, pleading with authorities, just saying, please let me through just for a little bit. All this because this morning, the chief of police here in Los Angeles, Jim McDonnell, said that they simply can no longer escort people to their homes, that they were overwhelmed with the requests. And those requests were taking so many resources.

And now the winds coming back up and they're trying to get some cadaver dogs up into these areas, so they might be might become active crime scenes on top of that. So all of that just being shut down.

We spoke to some of the residents that are dealing with that frustration. I want to play for you a little bit of what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOSE FAYNOSD, FAMILY LOST HOMES IN FIRES: I have to go wait in line in my car where I can ride my bike up really quickly and check my properties.

VARGAS JONES: Well, they're saying that they're not allowing you to do that anymore.

FAYNOSD: They're not allowed to anybody. I tried yesterday, I've tried a couple of days ago. Nothing.

VARGAS JONES: Their argument is that it's still -- the fire is still burning. The gas lines are still on in some parts and that it's just too dangerous. What do you think? Do you think it's too dangerous? FAYNOSD: I agree. I agree. You know, save lives before anything else.

I understand.

VARGAS JONES: Yes, but you're frustrated.

FAYNOSD: Of course. Wouldn't you be?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: That is, Bill, just another challenge that this community is going to have to overcome.

WEIR: Absolutely. Julia and Natasha, thank you both.

So you've got the sheriff, deputies and LAPD, they're dealing with the human toll of this storm. Even as firefighters are out there on the frontlines dealing with the physics of that wildfire, there are all these people who are so stressed, want to know, want to get proof of their lives are still somewhat intact. So your heart goes out to all the first responders at every level of this.

But joining me now, David Acuna, battalion chief with Cal Fire. That's the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. They fight all over the state.

You join us from Sacramento so you have a wider aperture on how things are going.

Chief, can you tell us now what's the best case scenario in the next 24 hours and what is the worst case to worry about?

DAVID ACUNA, BATTALION CHIEF, CAL FIRE: Hi, Bill. Thank you for having me on. Before I get to that, I really want to comment on that person who was frustrated. I totally understand. I can't even imagine. I can only empathize with how much it must hurt to not know what's going on with your house. However, part of the reason that the sheriff's office is keeping people out is because not only because of the active fire, but also because there are exposed gas lines.

There are exposed electrical lines, which we do not know if they are de-energized. There are building collapses. And then on top of all of that, every little bit of that ash that's out there is toxic ash because it's made from houses.

Now, as far as what we're looking forward, we are concerned about this wind event. And every time that we have this wind come in on Tuesday at 60 to 100 miles per hour, and it slows down now, well, that just means that the wind from the ocean is coming in and pushing the fire to the other direction.

As we rotate back to an east wind here later this week or early this week, it's going to cause more problems, which is why containment is going so slow.

WEIR: Understood. Is there hope, though, that if the Palisades Fire goes back the other way with those northerly winds, that it will go back into area that's already burned and there won't be the fuel load there? And do you take comfort in the idea that there are now agencies here from all over the West and Canada and Mexico that weren't here five days ago?

ACUNA: Well, you know, the addition of all of those personnel from various states, you know, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, all the other states, and Canada and Mexico is definitely a help. To a degree having a burn back into the area that's already burned is kind of positive, except that the line that is on the western edge affected by the east winds is really the hazard.

[16:10:11]

Not to mention the biggest hazard is a new fire start, which is why we need the public to be very cautious. This wind event is taking place from Santa Barbara all the way to San Diego. So it's every member's responsibility to cause one less spark.

WEIR: That's right. There are some 80,000 people that are in potential evacuation zones in addition to the more than 100,000 that are in mandatory zones. So those folks have to be ready, even though we're now in day six, seven of this siege. It's a long psychological process.

Let me ask you this, Chief. Edison Electrical was saying today or California Edison was saying that possible electrical equipment contributed to the Hurst Fire. That's put out to a news release. Do you have any updates on the investigations of the sources of the other fires?

ACUNA: I don't, and the reason for that is the investigations are just barely starting because every member, law enforcement, firefighter, everyone we could find was focused on life safety for the first 48, 72 hours. And now that we've been able to begin the investigation, they are diligently working towards that. But it's going to take some time.

WEIR: And to your point earlier about having patience for the residents, these are all crime scenes potentially depending on the source of these fires.

Before I let you go, let me just ask about the men and women who are out there doing this 12 hours on, 12 hours off, I'm not sure how the shifting works, but fatigue must be a factor as this stretches into the second week.

ACUNA: So our crews work 24 hours on and 24 hours off. But you're absolutely right. It is, it's hard, dirty work. And then they are out there breathing the ash, the toxic smoke. And they have some respiratory protection. But, you know, this is such a dangerous place to be that we are working diligently to make sure that they have the best protection possible, while also attempting to put out as many potential smoldering and active flaming events as we can.

WEIR: Absolutely. Well, when they do get a break, I hope they're hearing how much they're appreciated risking their lives to save more here. David Acuna, thank you, sir. We appreciate your time.

ACUNA: Thank you, Bill.

WEIR: And when we come back, crews are scrambling to contain these fires, as we've been talking about now for the sixth day. Many residents trying to return to their homes survey the damage but really not getting anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just pure devastation. I've never seen anything like this before. This is the second time we've had to evacuate since I moved here 10 years ago, but this just blows everything out of the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:55]

WHITFIELD: The FBI is asking for the public's help in identifying the operator of a civilian drone that collided with a Canadian Super Scooper aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire on Thursday. The collision forced the aircraft to be grounded.

You can see the damage in these pictures right here. Taking away a key resource in the firefight. It is a federal violation to fly drones in areas where the FAA placed a temporary flight restriction and like the one that was put in effect in Southern California because of the wildfires.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is joining me right now.

Good to see you, Rob. So is there an update on this investigation? What kinds of charges might that person or persons face?

ROB BONTA, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA: You know, right now we're doing everything in our power, working with our sheriffs and local law enforcement partners to make sure the rule of law prevails, to make sure that any violations of the law at this time are strictly addressed and folks are held accountable, including flying of the drone and anything else that interferes with the healing process, the rebuilding process, the recovery process, the firefighting process that includes looting, that includes price gouging and scams.

So we are hard at work working with all of our law enforcement partners, all tools in the toolbox, and all hands on deck to make sure that the rule of law prevails.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Mr. Attorney General, apologies. I don't know why I called you Rob. Sorry about that. So in a press conference earlier today, we learned that about 29 arrests have been made during these wildfires. And I want to play a clip from Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna about what he says they are facing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF ROBERT LUNA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter, and I asked him if he was OK because he was sitting down. I didn't realize we had him in handcuffs. We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman and he was not. He just got caught burglarizing a home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I mean, extraordinary, people posing as firefighters, you know, trying to take advantage of folks right now. So how might the state prosecute people who were arrested, who are alleged to be taking advantage of, you know, fire victims?

BONTA: First, you can call me Rob any time you want. Second, this is terrible conduct. These are folks who have been evacuated. Their lives have been turned upside down. They have been displaced. They have lost their homes, all of their belongings, the most valuable things in their lives. Some have lost loved ones and -- or are looking for and searching for loved ones. And they deserve support and services and resources and compassion, and good neighbors helping them and lifting them up and helping them recover.

Not folks looking with dollar signs in their eyes to exploit them, to go and steal their things when they've been evacuated, to take advantage of the situation, when they're vulnerable.

[16:20:05]

That is wrong. We are coming down very strictly on this and cracking down on this. I was with Sheriff Luna on the ground yesterday. We were surveying the neighborhood where the Eaton Fire have been so impactful and harmed so many. And to just -- it's unimaginable that folks would consider taking advantage of these other Californians, their fellow Californians who are suffering perhaps the worst tragedy they will ever suffer in their lives.

So the rule of law is in full effect. We are cracking down on those who violate the law whether you are an impostor for a firefighter to get into a disaster area, to get access to steal things, if you're otherwise looting, if you're involved in scams, if you're price gouging and raising housing prices higher than they should be, which is only 10 percent more than it was before the state -- the declaration of emergency, whatever it may be, or, you know, flying a drone.

Follow the law, be helpful, be part of one California where we're going to lock arms and help one another and lift each other up, and don't look for opportunities to be predatory, to victimize and exploit people who are suffering.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is quite remarkable, but unfortunately, right, we see it all the time in a lot of natural disasters. There are so many forms in which people try to scam others. So clearly, you know, it's difficult to identify sometimes, too. But I know you and your office are also trying to offer tools to people so that they can identify what's the real thing and what's not, how not to get scammed. And I know they greatly appreciate that. Probably go to your Web site?

BONTA: Yes. OAG.CA.gov/report is where you can report any complaints of scams or frauds or price gouging. We also have resources there and best practices for how to avoid being scammed during this this challenging time. And we've had a press conference yesterday. We sent out a consumer alert about the different types of scams that we're seeing. Make sure that you verify charitable organizations that you're trying to give to.

Always use official Web sites and official lines. Don't use intermediaries. Be careful of anyone who asks for an upfront significant downpayment for any service they're trying to provide you. They might just take that payment and walk away and never give you the service. It's terrible that people have to protect themselves again after they've already been victimized once by a natural disaster. But knowledge is power, and knowing the types of scams that might come is an important level of protection.

WHITFIELD: Right. Really important that you're helping people to navigate all of this.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, thank you so much. All the best.

BONTA: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. When we come back, L.A. officials say fire conditions remain extremely dangerous and are asking those who evacuated not to return just yet. Those who have been able to see their homes are grappling with the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody will ever know unless you've lost something that you've been here for decades. You'll never really understand it. And I hope nobody understands this. This is awful. This is awful. It's just carnage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:26]

WEIR: Well, the brief reprieve firefighters have been getting from those brutally high winds in Southern California appears to be coming to an end. Just in the last couple of hours since we set up here on Pacific Coast Highway, the gusts have intensified. The keyboard is full of ash once again, and CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is keeping her eye on the satellites on the weather data, as so many people are out here.

Allison, what's happening? ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. Right. The real question

is everybody is focusing on the anemometers. We're trying to keep an eye on these winds. And yes, we've started to notice them ticking back up.

Now, some of these spots, it's going from just calm or two or three miles per hour, up to nine or 10. But the point is more the trend that you're starting to see those numbers go up and they're going up more frequently. The gusts are also starting to go up a little bit as well. So that's why you have that critical and elevated fire threat, not just for today, but notice Monday. And it's in a lot of the same areas here. And that's because once those winds start to pick up today, we will not really see them recede back to normal until at least Wednesday.

And even then, it's all relative. You know, they're coming down, but not all by much. So here's a look at the forecast as we go through the evening hours tonight you're going to start to see more and more of them getting into the teens, the 20s and the 30-mile-per-hour range going into Monday as well as Tuesday. Now we're starting to see them 40, 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts, even some as high as 60 miles per hour is not out of the question as we go through the day on Wednesday.

Here's a look at the remaining fires. Again, those containment numbers are going up. That is what we like to see. But the one thing that a lot of these areas have in common is this dark yellow color. This is the map of the drought monitor. And you will notice all of these fires that are still here are under that severe drought category. Again, just showing you that when these fires are going into these areas, everything beneath them is just completely dry vegetation, which is fuel for these fires.

And that's allowing them to spread very, very quickly. Also, when we talk about how dry it is, we're referencing the area not just for January, but also we go back a few months. If you go since October 1st, which is when the water year starts, it runs from October 1st to September 30th, the Los Angeles area has only had 3/100 of an inch to let you know how far below that is. We would normally have at least four and half inches of rain by now, especially in January.

That is the second wettest month of the year for this area, and we had nothing. So again, it's incredibly dry. That's making it very difficult for these firefighters, too. Even just year over year to show you what it would normally look like in January. This is January of last year. None of California was in any level of drought. Now fast forward to this year, we have not only severe drought, but even some areas, at least one category higher than that. And that's what's contributing to a lot of this, are the very dry conditions.

[16:30:12]

WEIR: That's what's so crazy. Last year at this time, this place is underwater. It was too much water at once, and that is life amid weather whiplash, amid climate change, isn't it?

CHINCHAR: Yes.

WEIR: It is. Allison Chinchar, thank you. We'll check back with you, and our coverage of these devastating wildfires continues right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WEIR: When it comes to urban wildfire, this whole disaster is a vivid lesson that nothing in the path is immune from destructive power. Not the homes of the rich and famous. Not the shop owners who've invested their lives into their businesses. Not even firefighters who've devoted their lives to saving others from fire.

[16:35:03]

Los Angeles City Fire Department Captain Al Hugo and his wife Carmen lost their home of 20 years in the Eaton Fire and all he could do is watch it burn.

They join us now. I'm so glad to meet you and so sad it happens in these conditions. I'm glad you're OK. But Al, after a career on the department, take me through it. What was it like seeing this come home literally for you?

AL HUGO, FIREFIGHTER LOST HIS HOME IN EASTON FIRE: It was kind of surreal. I mean, it's something that really hits home. You know, you do this for a living. But, you know, you invest your life to try to, you know, protect life and property. But when it's your own, it's just a different feeling. It's almost like I'm in a dream or something but.

WEIR: A horrible bad dream. Were you there watching your home burn or did you evacuate?

A. HUGO: We evacuated just when the fire got to the point where we had to. But throughout the night, we were vigilant trying to keep an eye on it. We had lost power, electrical power, for the whole area since 4 p.m. that afternoon. And our eldest son, who's a federal agent here, he kept us informed. And we kept one of our cars turned down and kept charging the phone. So we had communication just in case.

WEIR: And, Carmen, what was it like for you realizing that this place held so many memories? It's gone.

CARMEN HUGO, LOST HER HOME IN EATON FIRE: It was really hard. I didn't know what to do. I just said, it smells like the smoke is right here in the house. And then we got the alarm to evacuate. Then that's when we left. Didn't have time to get anything from the house because we never thought it was going to burn. It was just very far away.

WEIR: You do have four big dogs, I understand. You managed to get them all out?

C. HUGO: Yes, I have four, two big dogs. One's a senior, 13 years old, can hardly walk. And then the other dogs and the two rescues. And I didn't see myself trying to get them all in the car. A. HUGO: I was supposed to report to duty that night -- I'm sorry to interrupt. I was supposed to report to duty that following morning. And, you know, her concerns, I made the decision to call in and not report to duty and inform my chief so I can stay back just in case it got bad. But with my experience and history of firefighting, even here in Altadena, I wasn't as concerned. But, you know, my wife doesn't have that experience and knowledge. So I stayed home to help. But I've never in my wildest dreams that I think it was going to hit as close as it did to my house.

WEIR: I know there's other of your colleagues who were out there on the fire lines who lost their homes as well. What's next now? What do you need? How can people support you? And have you thought about your futures, both on the force, on the fire department and as members of that community?

A. HUGO: Well, first and foremost, I want to put a shout out to all my brothers and sisters in the fire service, the law enforcement, the military, first responders, all the citizens in Altadena and all the surrounding areas, because there's a lot of fires that are happening at this moment, none of which have been contained. So I want to put that out there. You know, everybody needs help.

So it's not about me. It's about putting the word out for everybody so everybody can reach out and help, you know, one another. So that's my main concern of being on this interview, is to let everybody be aware of that, because there's members that lost their homes, damaged homes or infrastructure where they're not allowed to come back.

My understanding is 16 in my department that are either active or retired, not including all law enforcement in the same aspect. This community, it's a bedroom community. It's really tight knit. And, you know, there's a lot of concerns and people that need help.

WEIR: Absolutely. I was speaking to some residents up in Topanga Canyon who said, you guys are heroes. Save the politics for when the fire is out. Right now, this is about pulling together and supporting each other. And you said it very well, Al. Carmen, thank you so much for sharing that message. We'll spread it. And I hope you find some peace in these really trying times.

[16:40:07]

C. HUGO: Thank you.

A. HUGO: Thank you.

WEIR: All right. Our continuing coverage of the L.A. fires continues right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, Senate confirmation hearings begin this week for President-elect Trump's high-profile Cabinet picks. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary nominee and former Fox News Host Pete Hegseth will likely face tough questions over his lack of experience and allegations of sexual assault, in which he denies any wrongdoing.

Joining me right now is Claudia Grisales, an NPR Congressional Correspondent, and Axios Reporter Stephen Neukam. Good to see both of you. Claudia, you first. What do you think we can expect to see from these Senate confirmation hearings getting underway this week?

[16:45:04]

CLAUDIA GRISALES, NPR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, more than a dozen will go before Senate members this week. One of the more controversial nominees is going to be Pete Hegseth to head up the Department of Defense. And so that is really a message to the incoming President-elect Donald Trump, that Senate Republicans want to play ball with Trump, even if a nominee is causing concerns. So that will be the first test for Hegseth to answer some questions about whether he is fit to perform this job.

Now, when you look at the rest of the nominees, a lot more will have an easier time getting through, such as Marco Rubio of Florida for Secretary of State. And along the way, we're going to get a sense how Republicans are going to approach these nominees, how maybe some may be ready to challenge Trump on some of these nominees. And we'll see Senate Democrats in a new role as opposition.

WHITFIELD: And so, Stephen, say, for instance, Hegseth, I mean, he comes from the world of television with more experience in communications rather than in actually governing. So how important will his performance during these televised hearings be in order to stay in Trump's favor?

STEPHEN NEUKAM, AXIOS REPORTER: Well, look, the reality for Senate Republicans is that they do have a little bit of a buffer with the 52 seats that they currently hold without West Virginia soon-to-be Senator Jim Justice sworn in. So they can afford to lose a couple, but there are a few that are on the fence. We look at folks like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Todd Young, Tom Tillis.

I mean, these are folks who are relatively moderate, who have shown in the past that they're willing to buck the President-elect. And I think we know that Senate Democrats want to be incredibly aggressive when they go into these hearings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had a number of private meetings with Senate Democrats this past week telling them to be aggressive, telling them that Republicans spent the last four years throwing dirt on the Democratic brand and telling them that it's time for Democrats to return that favor in the next two weeks.

WHITFIELD: And Claudia, these Senate confirmation hearings will also serve as that loyalty test, as you were just touching on, between Senate Republicans and Trump's White House. Is there a feeling among the GOP that perhaps there is some wiggle room of maybe one or maybe two of the nominees that they wouldn't necessarily want to confirm without, I guess, losing space with the incoming president?

GRISALES: Right. Senate Republicans have to pick their battles. And we saw that play out with Hegseth, when we saw some senators like Joni Ernst of Iowa and John Cornyn of Texas mention some light reservations, if you will. And since then, they have softened those concerns that they spoke about publicly. That's the key, publicly. What are they willing to do in a public fight with Trump?

So they do have to pick their battles. And if you notice, some of the nominees this week aren't on the list, because they're more controversial, such as Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary for health and human services. So those are giving Republicans a chance to figure out how they're going to approach. Those two names are at the top of the list when I hear about concerns from some Republicans. And, as Stephen mentioned, some of those could actually speak out against some of these nominees. And with that tight margin in the Senate, they could derail plans in some of these cases.

WHITFIELD: It will be an interesting week, to say the least. All right, Stephen Neukam, Claudia Grisales, thank you so much.

NEUKAM: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, the deadly Southern California wildfire is expected to be one of the costliest disasters in that state's history. The question on many residents' minds, can insurance help them rebuild?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:23]

WHITFIELD: FEMA, the federal agency providing emergency assistance, says it has received more than 16,000 applications for individual assistance after the wildfires. On Friday, the state's insurance commissioner issued a moratorium preventing companies from canceling fire insurance for one year.

Between 2020 and 2022 alone, insurance companies declined to renew 2.8 million homeowner policies in the state, according to data from the California Department of Insurance.

Joining us now is Carmen Balber. She is the Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group that focuses on the insurance market in California.

Great to see you.

CARMEN BALBER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONSUMER WATCHDOG: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: All right. What's your recommendation to people? What's the first thing that they need to do to start the process of getting assistance?

BALBER: Well, right off the bat, consumers should try and get a copy of their insurance policy and then start collecting receipts, start recording everything. Many consumers don't know that they have a right to, right now, reimbursement from their insurance company for evacuation costs, and they can get a big portion of their policy limits up front. So if you're in an evacuation area, and especially if you already know you lost your home, contact your insurance company right away. You can get an advance on your policy limits. Then be sure to document every conversation you have with your insurance company, because that's going to be critical to getting your claim paid in full and in a timely manner.

WHITFIELD: Just last hour, California Governor Gavin Newsom told our Kyung Lah that all fire-damaged buildings will be inspected. Perhaps the process begins within the next 15 days or so. How helpful might that be as people try to work with their insurance to rebuild? And in a lot of cases, you know, there are people who might be underinsured or uninsured altogether.

[16:55:23]

BALBER: Absolutely, and I think that's really one of the biggest fears. As far as the inspections go, one important thing for consumers to know is that you should not start clearing debris from your home. And I know none of us are there yet. We're still in the middle of these fires. But you shouldn't start clearing the debris once the smoke is cleared until an inspection takes place, because your insurance company has to see the real damage.

But as far as the financial impact for consumers goes, it's really threefold. The two things that you mentioned, folks who are uninsured because the insurance industry summarily dropped them, people who are underinsured, either because they had to buy a lower benefit policy because they couldn't find another or because they were forced to increase their deductibles, et cetera, because the policy was so expensive. And critically, consumers who are going to have to fight to get every dollar of insurance benefit that they're entitled to. So those are the financial challenges that consumers are facing as we get these fires under control.

WHITFIELD: Right. And for those who are insured, you know, able to get some kind of assistance with the, you know, the damage of their home, the cost of their home to rebuild. There are some obstacles ahead about whether they'd be able to rebuild in that very spot. How do you recommend people navigating that?

BALBER: Well, there's a lot of considerations that go into the conversation about rebuilding. When the neighborhoods in Paradise in California faced a very similar circumstance with whole neighborhoods wiped out because of wildfire, the city got together and put together a plan to rebuild smartly. And they have rebuilt that community in a way that is safer from wildfires than it used to be.

And I think those are the conversations we'll start having very quickly in the Palisades. I'm sure one of the very first things that consumers get concerned about right in the wake of the fire is the basic fact of the toxicity of the property. And all of that needs to be cleared and mitigated before the rebuilding even starts. So it's a long road ahead for people. There are a lot of resources out there to help, but it will be a challenge. Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. A real arduous, tough road ahead. Indeed. Carmen Balber, thank you so much.

BALBER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. So far, these raging fires in Los Angeles County have claimed the lives of at least 16 people. 16 others remain missing. At this hour, search and rescue teams are going neighborhood to neighborhood searching for victims. We're learning more about the victims who have died in this disaster. Among them, 85-year-old Annette Rossilli. It appears that she insisted on staying in her Pacific Palisades home with her pets. Neighbors encouraged her to leave, but she declined.

Victor Shaw, as well, chose to stay. One source says Shaw decided to try and fight the raging Eaton blaze with a garden hose rather than evacuate to his longtime family home. And we also learned the story of Rodney Nickerson, an 82-year-old grandfather who raised an entire family in the house, which is now burned to the ground. He lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years. As the fire approached, his family says he refused to leave. Our affiliate in Los Angeles spoke with his daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMIKO NICKERSON, FATHER DIED IN WILDFIRES: This is where we've been our whole life. And my son tried to get him to leave and my neighbors and myself. And he said he'll be fine. I'll be here when you guys come back. And he said his house would be here. His house is here and he was here too. He was in his bed when I found him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Rory Callum Sykes, an Australian former child star, died when the wildfire ripped through his family's Malibu estate. He appeared on the 1998 British TV series Kitty Capers. His mother, Shelley, describes him as a beautiful and wonderful person.

For more information about how you can help Los Angeles area wildfire victims, go to cnn.com/impact or text wildfires to 707070 to donate.

Tonight, a special hour on the deadly fires in Los Angeles and the residents facing unthinkable tragedy. Join Anderson Cooper for the Whole Story tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me today, along with Bill Weir in California. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN Newsroom continues with Jessica Dean and Erin Burnett right now.