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Cal Fire: "Significant Concern" L.A. Wildfires Will Grow; Special Counsel JACK Smith Resigns From Justice Department; Ukraine Says It Captured Two North Korean Soldiers. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 12, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:34]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We're following breaking news in Los Angeles, where the death toll from raging wildfires has risen to 16. That comes as officials are warning there is a very significant concern the fires will grow in the hours ahead. These are some of the most destructive wildfires California has ever seen.

The sheriff is urging residents to wait to go back to their homes until it's safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two doors down, the house is gone. One door up, the house is gone. The house above me is gone. The houses across the street were burning all day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Powerful winds are picking up. After a brief lull on Friday allowed firefighters to start making progress. But that work could be lost, with the largest fire inching towards Brentwood, Bel-Air and other communities near UCLA.

Now, the Palisades Fire is at least 11 percent contained right now, and the second largest Eaton Fire is 15 percent contained. But officials say they're waiting to see how these winds will impact firefighting efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEPUTY CHIEF BRICE BARNETT, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION: California is the best in the world at this, at moving resources and preparing for these types of disasters. However, we don't know what Mother Nature is going to bring us, and she's in charge. So, we'll do everything we can with what we have, but all in all, in the end, it's how -- how strong are the winds? How dry are they? Where they come from? And if -- and when they blow the fire a different direction?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead in determining the origin and cause of the Palisades Fire.

Sources tell CNN the same national response team that investigated the Maui wildfire is expected to join the investigation.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is following the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Winds are picking up here in Pacific Palisades. It's a race against the clock for first responders who are trying to get a greater level of containment for the fires that are currently burning here in L.A. County. But we heard from the Cal Fire chief who said there is a significant concern that with those winds picking back up, that the wildfires could grow.

(voice-over): The firestorm in southern California stretching east Saturday. And now, new concern over the wind speeds increasing, posing a further threat. The multiple blazes combined singeing nearly 40,000 acres in southern California, decimating communities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's okay, Vanessa.

VANESSA PELLEGRINI, OWNER OF RESTAURANT THAT BURNED DOWN: It's like your hearts been ripped out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have everything. We have our lives.

PELLEGRINI: And stomped on and thrown away, and you're just trying to find a piece to put it back together.

WALDMAN: The Pellegrini family lost their restaurant of 40 years. Like so many others, they've lost so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two doors down, the house is gone. One door up, the house is gone. The house above me is gone. The houses across the street were burning all day.

WALDMAN: Dan O'Connor is one of the few residents whose home is still standing in Malibu. But around him is nothing but mangled metal and charred debris. This home, only the staircase is left standing.

The largest of the wildfires, the Palisades Fire, devouring the Malibu area.

GINGER BLACK, HOME DESTROYED BY L.A. FIRES: It's devastating and heartbreaking for all. But it's great to see the, you know, the community come together.

WALDMAN: The winds calming down Saturday morning, allowing crews to make progress fighting the flames by air and reducing the risk for firefighters.

CHIEF JASON KEELING, PECHANGA FIRE DEPARTMENT: You're not having those, you know, strong, strong winds that are providing ember casting and starting spot fires in front of the head of fires.

WALDMAN: But the dry conditions still leaving much of southern California under a critical level for fire danger. The Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up Sunday, which could worsen fire risk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALDMAN (on camera): California Governor Gavin Newsom doubled the amount of national guardsmen who are here helping to respond to these fires. We also are getting help from Mexico firefighters and also firefighters coming from Texas, all with the same goal in mind, trying to protect the people and communities in the path of these blazes.

In Pacific Palisades, I'm Leigh Waldman, CNN.

BRUNHUBER: Marissa Hermer's restaurant has been destroyed, but she's been helping feed others affected by the fires. And she tells us what she saw and felt as she realized just how much was destroyed.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARISSA HERMER, RESTAURANT OWNER: I'm on a neighborhood chat, and they needed food. Some of my neighbors have stayed to put out the fires. I live on the fire line. My house is still standing, but the other side of the road is not, and the fire trucks have been moved to Mandeville.

So our neighbors are putting out fires and hot spots and they were hungry. So I came up to bring them food.

While I was able to get to my house, today, I had a police escort take me there. I stood in the queue and was able to get in, and then my car actually had to leave on the side of the mountain and run down. Was it Tuesday? And the officer kindly drove me to my car to get there. I had to go through the Palisades.

It's not good. It's really bad. It's really bad. It's hard to grasp the reality of it. It's -- it's out of a horror movie, but I just saw. I mean, I don't know how to move forward. You know? We have to. We have to dig deeper than this will have to galvanize us. But it's -- it's mass, mass destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So many people impacted by this.

We go now to Todd Hall, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and he's in Oxnard, California.

Thanks so much for being here with us. Obviously, the biggest worry now is the winds. So talk to us about

that, that critical fire level. In terms of the winds, where do things stand and where are things projected to go?

TODD HALL, SENIOR METEOROLOGIST, NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: So, currently right now, we're seeing those winds starting to pick up again. They typically peak overnight and in around sunrise. That's typically what we will see with those winds. So currently were seeing winds between 25 and 45 miles per hour, a few sites up around 50 miles per hour.

So those -- those winds are already starting. We're expecting critical fire danger across much of southern California, much of Los Angeles County tonight. And we're looking at -- at a still another potential for another Santa Ana wind event somewhere between Monday night and Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday.

BRUNHUBER: Gosh. Okay, so the wind speeds that you're quoting there, I mean, that's -- that's far lower than what we were seeing, those 100 mile an hour winds, those sort of hurricane force winds. So is that danger sort of clear, we're going to see sort of high winds, but relatively moderate. Is that right?

HALL: Both these Santa Ana wind events are expected to be much less significant than what we saw Tuesday and Wednesday of earlier this week, so -- or last week. So, so in general, yeah, we're -- we're expecting the, the -- Tuesday, the Monday night into Tuesday event has potential to be a fairly strong event. And that could as a tendency when we get gusts above 70 miles per hour, that has a tendency to push embers much farther, ahead of the fire.

So, but we have world class firefighters here. They -- they -- they're well-trained. They know what they do. Ive seen them with even the smallest amount of window of weather conditions, they get ahead of that fire.

So I have very, very high faith in what they're able to do, with these fires. I will say that the Monday night Tuesday event could end up could impacting the county to the north significantly. Ventura County as this event on Monday night to Tuesday looks more easterly. Has a more easterly component to it, which tends to affect Ventura County more.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. So, those winds could push the fires sort of more, more inland is that towards more populated areas.

HALL: So the Palisades Fire would be pushed more back towards the coastal areas, towards the Southwest. But we -- there -- we are watching for potentially new fires could develop. And that's what our concern is for the counties to the north. So far, Ventura County has escaped a lot of this, but and the winds were much weaker with this event in Ventura county. But we're concerned that those -- those winds could develop as we get into Monday night and Tuesday.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So looking at this sort of, you know, pulling the lens back a little bit, this is being termed a once in a generation event. I mean, talk to me about how -- how we got here. Obviously, the first ingredient is drought, right?

HALL: Yes. And we've -- we haven't in downtown Los Angeles had a quarter inch of rain, since May. So we've had a very dry eight month, normally downtown Los Angeles receives about 14 inches on average per year. It doesn't seem like a lot if you live in other parts of the world or other parts of the country.

[00:10:04]

But we normally should have five inches of rain by -- by this time, and that allows the native chaparral and sage plants to absorb some of that moisture. Well, that really hasn't happened because we haven't had that rain. So it tends to -- it tends to -- to really make the fire weather conditions much more critical as we get into this, when we get into these, these times of year, when -- when we have Santa Ana winds between October and December and even January.

So that's -- that's what tends to be -- that's what tends to happen is when we start getting into these and we don't have this rain, it becomes a -- it becomes a very critical situation for fire weather.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And you talked about the Santa Ana winds. I mean, that's something that happens regularly. Is there is there something different that happened this time around?

HALL: The event this time was -- was a little more northerly. And so, that -- that it was a very. So, we ended up getting very strong winds across much of Los Angeles County and even the San Gabriel Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday got damaging winds that that occurred. That's what helped start the Eaton Fire, or help fuel the Eaton Fire, I should say, as you know, these winds were -- were very strong.

They also prevented air resources from they hampered some of the air resource efforts as far as providing that for suppression of the wildfires. So we had a lot of -- we had very, very strong winds, going back to the 1940s, Burbank (AUDIO GAP) gust to 83 miles an hour, we could not find a record of that going back to the -- to when that weather station first started. Just after -- just around the end of World War Two.

So, it's now significantly what they will say about that is, is Burbank is one -- is just one area. There of other areas that have seen much stronger than winds than that more frequently.

So, it -- I can go back to the October 2007 wildfires, where we had a large amount of fire across southern California. So, as far as once in a lifetime -- yeah, it could be once in a lifetime for -- for some people, depending upon where you are.

BRUNHUBER: Sounds like a just a confluence of basically worst case scenarios there. Todd Hall, really appreciate having you on. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

HALL: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: L.A. County has extended its smoke advisory through Sunday due to what it calls the area's unhealthy air quality. The county's chief deputy director of health spoke with CNN about the problem, and he says he's very worried about the long term health risks associated with exposure to this level of smoke and ash. He cautioned residents to stay indoors if possible and to wear filtration masks outside.

He's also worried about the country's -- about the county's water. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANISH MAHAJAN, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, UCLA: There's an even greater problem of these toxins that you're describing with the burnt out areas of the houses and all the chemicals that we live with that are now burned to ash. They also can find their way into the water. So we have several water districts here in L.A. indicating that residents do not use the water.

And that means you should not only not drink it, but you should also not use it for things like bathing, brushing your teeth or other -- other activities. And instead you should be using an alternative source.

And so, these are steps that we are asking folks to take here in Los Angeles to avoid the health risks of this -- of this wildfire smoke and ash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: He says the fires are throwing toxins into the air, which especially affect vulnerable people from the young to the elderly and can cause long term health problems.

California officials are promising speedy help for fire victims, eliminating red tape for faster assistance. So, we'll look at how FEMA is responding just ahead.

Plus, from historic flooding to devastating firestorms, how southern California is turning into a dangerous proving ground for climate change.

Stay with us.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL SMITH, MOTHER OF FIRE VICTIM RANDALL MIOD: He was a people person and you know, he had -- I think he had over a thousand friends on Facebook and you know, there was always a party wherever he went, there was a party. And people just loved him. And he loved people. And he was a very -- yeah, kind and kind person.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: That was Carol Smith remembering her beloved son, Randy, who was among the 16 killed so far in the devastating southern California fires.

In Los Angeles County, the winds are picking back up, and there is significant concern the wildfires will grow. The Palisades Fire is now threatening communities west of the 405 Freeway. And looking ahead, the National Weather Service says dangerous conditions are expected to extend into next week, which could lead to new fires.

More than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders, but some orders have been lifted in certain cities. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will lead the investigation into the cause of the Palisades Fire. They'll be joined by a national response team that investigated the devastating 2023 Maui wildfire.

U.S. President Joe Biden says he's using the full power of the federal government to help people in California. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to make sure California has every possible resource to fight these fires and help survivors. This is not going to be over even when all the fires are out. It's just going to be beginning. And the change in insurance policy in California for these modest homes, as well as these very expensive homes and businesses. So we're going to be around a long while to go to help the federal government and the mayor as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Mexican firefighters arrived yesterday at Los Angeles International Airport to help battle California's wildfires, and they'll be joined by more than 14,000 personnel already fighting the Palisades Fire. The state of Texas is also entering the fight. Its governor announced it would send more than 135 firefighters and emergency management and medical personnel, and will also provide 45 fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and equipment.

[20:20:04]

California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked those helping his state and announced on Saturday that he would double the number of National Guard members deployed to the fires. That will bring the total on site to more than 1,600.

Well, extreme weather is common in California, but the state has now become ground zero for some of the worst effects of climate change. A new study finds that fossil fuel pollution is causing more frequent and more extreme swings between dry and wet conditions in California. Climate experts call it weather whiplash, and the Los Angeles area fires are the result of this whiplash.

The region had one of its hottest summers on record, and that caused vegetation that grew after last year's torrential rain to become tinder, paired with the conditions, with a massive windstorm. And climate experts say the fires were disasters just waiting to happen.

Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist who lived in Altadena, California, for 14 years before moving to North Carolina in 2020, 2022. Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, two years ago, I understand you decided to leave Altadena. I mean, anyone who studies climate knows, you know more than anyone else. The area is a fire risk. Was there -- was there something that convinced you it's time to leave now?

PETER KALMUS, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Yeah. So my colleagues and I have been sounding the alarm for a very, very long time. It feels like we've been being ignored for a very long time. In my case, it was just getting hotter, drier, more fiery, a lot of big smoke events over the last 14 years.

And, in 2020, there was a heat wave that got up to about 115 degrees in Altadena, which set off a series, a series of fires. One of the fires was very close to my house, and it was weeks of smoke, and I just said, this isn't sustainable. I can't stay here anymore.

It doesn't feel -- it's just too hot and fiery. So, yeah, and I -- I used to imagine this happening. I didn't think it would happen this quickly.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, it must just be such a tough decision to uproot and somewhere that you. I know you loved so much. And looking at the pictures now of this devastation, I mean, so much of what you know and loved is now gone. I mean, even knowing the dangers -- I mean, did you think something, you know, this extreme would happen?

KALMUS: Unfortunately, yes. So one of the things I want the world to know is that this is still just the beginning. We can see bigger heat waves coming, worse, fires coming, worse, floods coming. There's going to be impacts to the global food system.

This is not a drill. This is a climate emergency. I don't know why the federal government won't declare a climate emergency. And the last thing I really want the world to know is that the fossil fuel industry has been anti-science, has been spreading disinformation systematically for about half a century. And, of course, lobbying and essentially bribing politicians to block action.

And the world needs to know that these are not natural disasters. They are caused by a dishonest industry that has recently pledged in 2021, there was a hearing in front of Congress, and they essentially refused to stop funding their disinformation campaign. It's ethically -- it's beyond words. There's no words for how humans can put their own profits, already very, very wealthy humans put adding additional profit to their bank accounts above life on earth and a habitable planet. And our cities like Los Angeles, it's just reprehensible.

BRUNHUBER: Well, putting corporate interests aside, when we look at sort of how our governments can deal with this. I mean, you look at the last election, it doesn't seem to have been a motivating issue for folks at the polls. I'm talking about climate change. And as a result, there's an incoming administration that's promised to undo what, you know, incoming President Trump calls the green new scam on day one.

KALMUS: He couldn't be more incorrect.

There's a second problem, which is that the media, the -- I would say that the global media has not been connecting the dots on this issue. The public doesn't know that essentially everything is at stake. They don't know.

They have a sense maybe, that this is a new normal, but it's a ramp towards a hotter planet. And a hotter planet means all of these impacts are getting worse. There's essentially no upper limit to how bad things could get if we keep burning fossil fuel.

So, so, yes, I think every time there's a disaster like this, anytime there's a flood, anytime there's any climate impact and a newspaper or a magazine reports on that, they should say three things.

[00:25:08]

This will keep getting worse. This is caused by fossil fuels. And the fossil fuel industry has been and continues to spread disinformation. That's part of the story.

Without that information, the public doesn't really know what to make of this. They -- they feel, you know, afraid. They feel like things are out of control. But I -- you know, talk to people just, you know, at the grocery store. A lot of people still think that recycling will fix this.

A lot of people still think this is caused by plastics. People think that carbon offsets might work. All of that is false. This is caused by fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel industry has been systematically blocking climate action. And that needs to stop. And people need to know that so that it can stop.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, you chose to leave a fire prone area is not necessarily an option for many people. Live in affected areas. And when you widen it out to not just fire but other, you know, climate disasters that were going to be more and more exposed to. Certainly, all of us are on one level going to be affected by this. So important to sound the warning, and we should certainly heed your words.

Peter Kalmus, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.

KALMUS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The Federal Emergency Management Agency says its received more than 16,000 applications for assistance because of the wildfires. A FEMA spokesperson says people who apply will receive a one time payment to help with things like water and food. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County supervisor promises to eliminate unnecessary red tape that could slow down recovery efforts.

California officials are also warning people about scam artists in the aftermath of the fire, including those involving fake charities. Now, some scams have targeted elderly people and immigrants who may not speak English as a first language. And California's attorney general is raising the alarm about price gouging, targeting the states vulnerable fire victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BUNTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are talking about people who have lost loved ones, whose homes have perished in the fires, who have lost treasured belongings, whose lives have been turned upside down, who are struggling and suffering. And they're looking for housing. They're looking for essential goods to keep their lives moving. The last thing they need is for someone to victimize them again, exploit them and take advantage of them and harm them through price gouging.

They need the opposite. They need some people who are giving them care and support and looking after them and valuing them and helping them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Weather isn't expected to stay on the firefighters' side. Still ahead, a worrisome forecast while fire crews struggle to contain the blazes that are already burning. Plus, how one family is processing the trauma of losing their home and everything they own. That's coming up. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get to the latest on the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles. Weather isn't expected to Cooperate with firefighters in the coming days. Forecasters are predicting low humidity and wind gusts of up to 40 miles an hour. Those conditions could feed the ongoing flames and potentially start new ones.

The largest active blaze, the Palisades Fire, is encroaching on more neighborhoods. The death toll from the fires has reached at least 16 people. One city official is urging President-elect Donald Trump to see the impact of the disaster firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHRYN BARGER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Today, I wrote a letter to President-elect Trump inviting him to engage in wildfire recovery efforts and to visit the county to see the impact firsthand that it has on every socioeconomic individual in this county. Engaging the White House makes the way for the rapid deployment of federal resources, including emergency personnel and financial assistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Four major blazes continue to rage with the Palisades Fire being 11 percent contained. The second largest one, the Eaton Fire, is 15 percent contained.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes has the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California is getting a little help from our neighbors north and south of the border with both Canada and Mexico, sending firefighters to assist local efforts to control the fires in the Metropolitan Los Angeles area. And it's going to be needed help because Saturday, the Palisades Fire began to extend close to another neighborhood. Thankfully, the winds were not strong enough and firefighters were able to get a handle on them.

However, fire officials warned that the situation could worsen in the next few days as the winds are expected to pick up again. Not as strong as what we saw at the beginning of the week when the fires started. But still, it is another reason to be concerned for these fire departments that have come from across the state and other the places in the United States to try to help these firefighters are certainly doing their best to keep the flames under control.

Now, for the residents who are trying to come back to the neighborhoods affected has been frustrating. The order of evacuations are -- remain in place, which means they cannot come to see what happened to their properties. This is also creating a little anxiety for those who don't know if their houses survived or not.

Saturday, I spoke with a lady in the Altadena area and she had not been able to get back to her house. I showed her, she gave me her address. I showed her over the phone images of her two-story burned down house.

And she said that she couldn't believe it. She -- her room used to be on the second floor, so for her to see nothing but a stairway up to nothing was really shocking.

[00:35:09]

And they don't know when they're going to come back to be able to see if anything survived. But given what we've seen, not only here in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, the condition of the buildings are such that it is very likely that nothing survived.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Pacific Palisades, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Tens of thousands of California residents have been forced to flee this week in a haze of uncertainty, and many have been left to agonize over when to leave and what to take with them.

Here's how one family is processing the trauma of losing their entire home. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ALINA KIESSLNG, LOST HOME IN LOS ANGELES FIRES: The emotions, they are really ebbing and flowing. You know, we have moments where we are working really hard to just get our lives back in order. So we're very task oriented and going through lists and calling people and checking with insurance. And so you can just sort of work. And then the moments where we have conversations with our three year old and she -- she asks if shell see her lovies again. It's hard.

DR. JASON RHODES, LOST HOME IN LOS ANGELES FIRES: But my phone buzzed and said, oh, my, the burglar alarm in my house had gone off and at first, I thought it was somebody taking advantage of the evacuation to burgle my house, and, then it dawned on me, that's probably the best case scenario of why alarms are going off. And then all successive sensors in our house tripped within four minutes. And that was the house going up in four minutes is, I think, how long it took for our house to burn down.

KIESSLING: Really, our top priority at the moment is finding somewhere to live. So were in temporary accommodation at the moment. And it's really important to us like its obviously its going to take probably two years to rebuild our house. And so that's such a long time, and there are thousands of people who are currently looking for accommodation and are in a similar situation to us.

So our top priority is really just finding somewhere to live, and then writing an inventory of every single thing in our house for insurance purposes. And, and just to sort of start to take stock of, of what we've lost and what we need to replace now, what we need to replace in the future.

So it feels never ending. But, you know, were not the only people in this situation. We have so many friends and colleagues and people throughout Los Angeles who have gone through this same trauma. And really the generosity of strangers and of our friends and community has blown us away. We are so incredibly humbled by the level of support that people have been showing to us as we try to put our lives back together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Saturday acknowledged the public criticism she's faced from the city's fire chief. Both were present at a news conference on Saturday. That's where the mayor said that she and the chief are focused on fighting the wildfires and will handle their differences in private.

On Friday, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city officials failed her department when they slashed its budget by $17 million. And she said that decision is affecting the department's ability to battle the wildfires.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is calling for an independent investigation into what caused some fire hydrants to lose water pressure. He also wants to know why the Santa Ynez reservoir was out of service. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said all Pacific Palisades and west side hydrants were, quote, fully operational before the fire. But they say the system lost water pressure, quote, due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support.

Well, 2024 was the hottest on record. Ahead, we'll see how it fueled natural disasters around the world.

Plus, Ukraine says it can now back up its claim that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russia. Kyiv says two North Koreans have been captured and are reportedly talking.

Stay with us.

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[00:43:11]

BRUNHUBER: At least 16 people are now confirmed dead from Los Angeles wildfires, and there's significant concern the flames will spread in the days ahead. The Palisades Fire is closing in on communities west of the freeway, while a second front is moving toward the San Fernando Valley, and it appears this disaster may be far from over as dangerous conditions are expected to carry into next week. While evacuation orders remain for thousands in southern California, some orders have now been lifted for certain areas.

Three of the world's biggest weather monitoring agencies say 2024 was the hottest year on record, and scientists say fossil fuels are to blame.

Our Ben Hunte shows you how the climate crisis led to natural disasters around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 2024 was not only a scorcher of a year, it was one for the record books. NASA, NOAA, Copernicus, all top global weather monitoring agencies say it was the warmest year on record. Copernicus also warns of another major climate change red flag.

It says 2024 was 1.6 degree Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels. That would make it the first calendar year to breach the 1.5 degree limit set in the Paris climate agreement. Although NASA and NOAA's figures were still below that mark, scientists say the warmer conditions are having far reaching effects beyond those sweltering summer days.

DR. KATHERINE CALVIN, CHIEF SCIENTIST & SENIOR CLIMATE ADVISOR, NASA: The impacts we see depend on where you live. So in coastal regions, there's sea level rise, its affecting storm surge and coastal flooding. We're seeing extreme heat events across the country. We see changes in the water cycle, which means more heavy precipitation events and in some regions, more droughts.

HUNTE: In 2024, there were back to back hurricanes in the U.S.

[00:45:03]

In Spain, a years worth of rain fell in just eight hours, causing catastrophic floods. On the African continent, the normally barren Sahara Desert flooded for the first time in decades.

Amazon Rivers fell to unprecedented lows because of drought, and the Philippines experienced a supercharged typhoon season with six in just 30 days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no 1 to 1 relationship between any of these events, and climate change, but the scenario is conducive to these events becoming more intense and more frequent.

HUNTE: While the winds are a major reason for the spread of the raging wildfires in California, experts say warming temperatures are creating conditions where fires can flourish.

CALVIN: Fires are very complex, and there's multiple factors that contribute, and were still learning about these fires, but in general, we know is that climate change does increase the risk and severity of fires.

HUNTE: Forecasters say 2025 may not be as hot as last year, in part because the La Nina climate pattern has begun, which tends to have a cooling global influence. But scientists say the long term trend still points to hotter times to come, which could mean more record breaking years for all the wrong reasons.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department. The departure comes amid a legal fight to keep Attorney General Merrick Garland from releasing Smith's report of his investigations into Donald Trump. That probe focused on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office. Smith's office has been winding down its efforts for weeks, and his resignation before President Trump takes office was expected.

Frustration is growing among some Israelis over the lack of progress in hostage and ceasefire talks. Protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday marched with signs calling for an end to the war in Gaza. The protests come as Israel sends its intelligence chief, Mossad director David Barnea, to Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas. An Israeli official tells CNN that sending Barnea is a sign of clear progress in the talks, and of the pressure Israel is feeling to reach a solution.

Ukraine says it's captured two North Korean soldiers who were fighting alongside Russian troops. Ukraine and its allies say some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an incursion last year. Moscow and Pyongyang have never acknowledged deploying those troops. Melissa Bell has more on this new development.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine has released footage that it says shows two North Korean soldiers captured wounded in the Kursk region these last few days. What the video appears to show and CNN can't independently authenticate it, nor indeed confirm the nationalities of the men it shows. What the video shows or not shows is what Ukraine says are those captured soldiers, but also the Russian ID that was found on one of them.

Ukrainian Secret Services saying that the men say they had been brought to Russia on the understanding they were being trained there and found themselves in frontline combat instead.

We don't know much about the circumstances of their capture, bar what President Zelenskyy has said, that it was a difficult thing to achieve given the Russian force's tendency to execute wounded soldiers in order that they cant end up in enemy hands.

What the Ukrainian secret services are saying, though, is that these two men are the first captured North Korean soldiers. And of course, that is important since Ukrainians are trying to figure out exactly how many North Korean soldiers there are currently fighting in Kursk.

Remember also the scene of very fierce fighting, all the more since the latest push by Ukrainian forces to try and make what progress they can there in their attempt to keep that front active, that Russians can't resupply the eastern front, where the fighting, of course, continues as well -- a capture that will be important for the Ukrainians in trying to figure out not just the numbers of North Korean soldiers currently fighting in Kursk, but the nature of their training and readiness for battle.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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BRUNHUBER: An oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet is being towed to Germany. Officials say the Panamanian flagged tanker lost power in the Baltic Sea on Friday. The ships, carrying nearly 100,000 tons of oil thought to be from Russia. So far, none of it has leaked. Russia has been using a fleet of aging and sometimes rusting tankers to circumvent international oil sanctions.

Well, this video shows the chaotic aftermath of a tram collision in Strasbourg, France. French officials say dozens of people were hurt, but none of them critically. The injuries ranged from fractures to scalp wounds.

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Another 100 people were evaluated for shock or stress. People nearby stepped in quickly to help the injured. Emergency officials say more than 100 firefighters and 50 rescue vehicles rushed to the scene. The collision happened in a tunnel near the city's central train station. There is no word yet on the cause.

One California mayor is singing the praises of Prince Harry and Meghan as they pitch in to help victims of the wildfires. We'll have that story and more coming up just ahead. Stay with us.

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NIC ARNZEN, LOST HOME IN FIRES: The best way to explain it is if you look around right now at your neighborhood, and if you think about how waving at your neighbor and walking down your street. Imagine in a 24- hour period, all of that being gone. I'm -- where I used to see homes, I'm seeing acres of debris and rubble.

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BRUNHUBER: The devastating Palisades Fire is pushing inland on two fronts, after ravaging the Pacific Palisades area near Malibu. Firefighters are using aircraft to attack the flames, hoping to keep the fire from spreading into homes in the Brentwood and Encino areas.

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Forecasters say high winds and low humidity will continue to challenge firefighters well into next week, and could lead to the development of new fires.

California's governor has launched a website aimed at fighting the spread of misinformation about the wildfires. Gavin Newsom says there's an astonishing amount of malicious disinformation being spread for political gain, and he hopes California fire facts.com will minimize that.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan made a surprise visit to help victims of the wildfires. The duke and duchess of Sussex popped up at a meal distribution center in Pasadena, California, on Friday. The couple spoke with the first responders, volunteers and victims. Pasadena's mayor described the pair as great people who really buoyed the spirits. It's understood that Harry and Meghan donated clothing, children's items and other essential supplies to fire victims. The couple live about an hour and a half drive from L.A.

It's also believed that they offered their home to friends and loved ones who have been forced to leave their homes.

All right, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber and I will be back in a moment with more news. Stay with us.