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Cal Fire Says, Significant Concern L.A. Wildfires Will Grow; Fire Crews Make Progress on Containing Palisades Fire Edge; Death Toll Rises To 16 As Wildfires Rage In Los Angeles. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 12, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Ivan Watson.

As we head into day six of the devastating wildfires in Southern California, firefighters are racing against the clock. Officials are warning there's a very significant concern that the fires will grow in the hours ahead as the Santa Ana winds regain strength. That comes as the death toll climbs to 16. California's governor is doubling the number of National Guardsmen deployed, seven other U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, are sending in firefighters to help.

The powerful winds are picking up as crews make progress on the largest blaze burning in Los Angeles, the Palisades fire. The operations chief says there's minimal activity in some parts as they stop the spread of the fire's boundary. But that work could be lost with flames inching closer to Brentwood, Bel Air, and other communities near UCLA. Officials say they're waiting to see how these winds will impact firefighting efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEPUTY CHIEF BRICE BENNETT, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION: What the wind conditions predicted and what we were hearing from the National Weather Service, when it can carry an ember miles away due to 40, 50, 60-mile-an-hour winds, it doesn't really how big -- I mean, there's no line you can cut that can stop that.

So, what we need to do is we need to have everyone ready to be able to evacuate if necessary, depending on where the winds blow the fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: CNN's Stephanie Elam is on the ground near Brentwood and shows us what fire crews are doing to prepare for this new round of strong winds.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I want to draw your attention to this ridge line up here behind us. Up there, where you see a vehicle parked up on top of that sandy colored area. They have been bulldozing, making that broader, making that wider. And the reason why they're doing that is because they want to have a defensible space, a place where they can battle against the flames were the fire to come this direction.

And we have gotten information that the winds will change direction and start to blow this way. Right now, the fire is burning out in this canyon here in Brentwood, California. But what they want to make sure is that it stays away from these homes that you see right here. All day Saturday, we've seen firefighters stage there behind these houses that are up against this ridge.

And obviously a lot of people like to live here where they've got this lovely, beautiful nature backdrop behind them. But this is also the downside of that, is just how close they are to this fire burning here, the Palisades fire.

And you can see, as they have been doing all day, they've been fighting this fire from the sky. They've been dropping fire retardant. They've been dropping water to stop that forward movement. But as the winds change, the smoke starts to change. And so they have to change how they're fighting these blazes.

But this is what they're continuing to do here to protect the houses along this ridge here, because, obviously, the first concern is to make sure that they keep people alive. And as I've been told, most of the people here did evacuate. The next thing that they're working on is keeping homes safe.

And so they have extra firefighters coming from all around the country, in fact, from several states and as well as Canada and Mexico here to help battle these blazes as we prepare for these higher winds over the next few days.

Back to you.

WATSON: CNN's Stephanie Elam reporting from the fire line near Brentwood.

The Santa Ana winds this month have been exceptionally strong. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers looks at why they pose so much danger in the days ahead.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Santa Ana winds happen all the time, but the one that we had on Monday was extraordinary, 85 to 100 miles per hour, unheard of. But what we're seeing now is even a 45 mile-per- hour Santa Ana wind will do certainly some damage because we have so many sparks that are already out there. By morning hours here, I mean, we have winds at 43, 45 mile-per-hour gusts.

Now this is a transverse range. This is a mountain range up here. You're always going to see color here because it's on top of the mountain. That's kind of how the model is going to run this. But we kind of die off a little bit, have a lighter day on Monday, but then, again, Tuesday and Wednesday.

[03:05:03] And look at the colors as we bring them back all the way through Wednesday and even into Thursday. These deep reds are not what we're looking for when we already have embers on the ground.

So, for today, critical, for tomorrow, critical, Tuesday, Wednesday, the same story. Now, that's a level two of three. When we had the firestorm, we were of three of three. And it's not going to be unheard of if some of these days, either Tuesday or Wednesday, could get upgraded to three of three. We'll have to see.

Obviously, part of the problem is the drought. Everywhere that we see orange here, that is severe drought. And that just happened since March when the rain simply stopped, a lot of growth over winter, lots of rain, lots of snow, but then all of a sudden it just stopped precipitating. There was just no more rainfall to come.

We are going to see some of that smoke blow away from L.A. We've been talking about how bad the air quality is, at least by Monday, when the winds all blowing from the same direction, we will be blowing that smoke away offshore. For the next few days, kind of swirling around here in the valley, be very careful with that unhealthy air. That's still out there.

WATSON: Joining us is Ross Greenberg, who lost his home in the Palisades fire. Ross, I'm so sorry about this devastating setback. Can I ask you, how is your family right now? Where are you guys staying right now?

ROSS GREENBERG, LOST HOME L.A. FIRES: Thank you so much for having me tonight. My family is okay. We're currently at a hotel where we've been trying to kind of piece our life back together. I have a, you know, five-year-old and a seven-year-old. Actually, her birthday is this week. She's turning eight. So, we have to kind of explain to them that they don't have a house anymore and they don't have their things anymore and we have to find a new place to live and it's been devastating.

I think they're holding up well And we're doing our best. And, you know, seeing what the community is going through is really tough. You know, they lost their dance studio that's been there for 30 years, and their musical theater studio that's been there that my wife actually went to as a kid. It's just -- it's hard seeing what's going on.

WATSON: Yes, I really can't imagine. And, by the way, our viewers right now are looking at footage and images, I believe, of the ruins of your home in the aftermath of this fire. And I know you just said you guys are just trying to come to grips with this. Your seven-year- old is about to have a birthday. Can you tell me what kind of calculations are you making kind of for the near and medium future for your family as you kind of try to come to grips with this loss?

GREENBERG: So, we live in an area called The Alphabets, and it's grids of houses next to each other. And my entire street was wiped out except for one house. And so the immediate thought is, we have to find a place to go and we have, you know, thousands upon thousands of people in the Palisades that have been evacuated and they're looking for places to go in their homes are probably most likely lost.

And then secondly, the rebuild, we're thinking about rebuilding. So, I'm calling contractors and architects and thinking, how quickly can we get this done. And I've been doing that all week and because, you know, I know my neighbor is going to have to rebuild and I know my neighbor down the street is going to have to rebuild. And what is that going to look like and how can that be expedited is kind of really top of my mind because we love our home. We, you know, bought it a couple years ago. It was a fixer. We fix it up. We finally moved in. We've been there about two years and then we lost it. So, we're just going to go and rebuild it back to what it was. You know, it was very special to us.

So, we're just hoping that everyone kind of figure out this expedited process and, you know, everybody loves their home and if they can get back into their communities well. So, it's just tough, you know?

WATSON: It's incredible to think that just days later, you're already thinking about plans to build a new home. Can I ask the home that did get burned down? Was it insured? Are you moving forward with the process of dealing with the insurance company or reaching out to other resources to compensate for the loss?

GREENBERG: So, yes, I'm fortunate my policy was not canceled. I was one of the people that still had my insurance carrier. I know that other people have various things, like that piecemeal, but I hear, like the fair plan and wraparound coverage. My carrier is still with me. They've actually been wonderful. I'm not going to lie. I knew Wednesday morning, I lost my house. I was on the phone with them an hour later.

[03:10:01]

I was in an office with them on Thursday. They've called me every day. They're helping me kind of outline what it's going to take.

And, you know, I'm wanting to just get things done. So, you know, my coping is, let's get our house back. Let's get my family out of a hotel and into an apartment or a home nearby so they can -- my kids can have some type of semblance of a life and try to get things back to normal kind of plan that we can, you know, hopefully be back in our home in two to three years, maybe. That would be ideal. And hopefully that process can be expedited.

WATSON: Ross Greenberg, thank you very much for sharing your story with us and good luck moving forward.

GREENBERG: Thanks so much.

WATSON: Okay, I'm going to speak now with someone who's trying to help people in those devastated communities.

I'm joined now by Maribel Marin. She's the executive director of 211LA, and she joins us from Los Angeles. Thank you for joining us so late at night there. We're in the early morning, actually.

First and foremost, Maribel, are you and your family and your home, are you all safe and out of harm's way right now?

MARIBEL MARIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 211LA: We are safe right now. Thank you for asking, Ivan. Yes.

WATSON: Okay, that's great to hear. Now, you run this nonprofit, which kind of tries to help hundreds of thousands of families with information and access to health and human services. And I understand you're partnering with Airbnb.org to provide housing to people who have been evacuated. Can you tell me more about that initiative?

MARIN: Sure. So, I mean, first of all, 211LA is a nonprofit organization. We've been serving the communities of Los Angeles County since 1981 and we've had many opportunities to assist during disasters. And so this is something that we are set up to do.

So, we immediately began staffing up on the 8th when we were activated by the county. And soon after Airbnb contacted us and we began working to set up a way for people to be able to sign up for assistance with credits for at least seven days. And we have over 29,000 people currently on that list.

We do have about 5,000 households that are receiving or will be receiving credits from Airbnb. That includes about 29,000 people and nearly 8,000 pets that will be obtaining that support.

Now, that sign up form continues to be on our website. So, people should continue to sign up because we have been getting a lot of other organizations with resources, including housing resources, transportation resources getting lined up. So, there's more help coming. And Airbnb has generously continued to increase the allocation of credits.

Now, that is all based on availability and we are getting fairly saturated here in L.A. County and now looking beyond L.A. County for placements and for transportation to help people get there.

So, there's a lot more to come out of our partnership with Airbnb, and we are also expanding our partnership with other organizations who are coming to help.

WATSON: And, Maribel, I assume when you say that you're giving credits, that's basically a shelter, or a place for somebody to stay for at least a night. If someone is watching this right now and they need help, what should they do to reach out to your organization?

MARIN: So, first of all, 211 is a three-digit dialing code. It's a free, 24/7 hotline that people can call. And we have not only an ability to sign you up for the Airbnb credits, but we can also connect you to a lot of other resources that are available throughout the county. If you go to our website, 211.org, you will see that we are maintaining a list of all kinds of resources, including shelters where people can get material supplies. Fairly soon, there's going to be local assistance centers opening up. The libraries are helping people get signed up for FEMA. So, there's all kinds of assistance being mobilized and through our website. You can find that information. We have a team of people dedicated solely to finding that information. We are also collaborating with partners all across the country. 211 is a national network and we're getting a lot of support for call handling and getting through the list of over 29,000 people who are signed up on the Airbnb credits form so that we can get people verified and issued credits.

[03:15:12]

And the credits are for seven days, Ivan, not just tonight. So, this is a very valuable resource for people.

Again, I encourage people to continue signing up on that format on 211.org -- I'm sorry, 211la.org.

WATSON: And, anecdotally, you know, I'm hearing from friends in L.A. about volunteerism right now, you know, food drives, clothing drives, and things like that. Are you seeing much volunteerism from within the communities? And what advice do you have to give to anybody who wants to help people, victims of the fires?

MARIN: That's a great question. You know, there is a lot of information out there, lots of GoFundMe accounts. And I think that for people who want to volunteer, there's a couple of opportunities that are listed on our website. It's important to know that many of the evacuation shelters are not necessarily equipped to take donations. So, before someone brings donations to a shelter, they really should contact them first.

But if you go to our website, you'll see a list of places where you can take material donations, where you can donate monetarily, if you have that desire to do that, and also if you have time to volunteer, who is taking volunteers right now. That list will continue to be updated as the situation evolves. There will continue to be more opportunities to volunteer and to donate. But our website, 211LA, is the place to go to find verified information.

WATSON: All right. Maribel Marin from 211LA, thank you very much for that important update, and good luck moving forward with this.

We're going to take a break now, but frustration among residents is growing as evacuation orders remain in place. Our breaking news coverage continues after this break. Stay with CNN.

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[03:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO ASSANTE, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: I see the frame in my mind, I know what was there, my memory, you know. I had my electric bike parked right behind it. I had my pool table and my ping pong table. And, you know, we left the -- my wife's -- you know, we just thought we were going to be back in two days.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WATSON: You're listening to a Los Angeles resident there describing his losses in the wildfires. The mayor of Malibu further explains his town has lost one third of its eastern edge to the Palisades fire. It's the latest blow to a city still reeling from two other fires in the past three months. Fire crews are struggling but report some progress fighting the Palisades fire. Officials say there's a risk in the next few days that the hot, dry Santa Ana winds could return and jeopardize the advances crews have made.

But the winds could also change the direction of the fire, pushing it back upon itself. Because the land there has already been scorched, there would be no fuel to burn, which could help crews get things contained.

An international effort is underway to get help to Los Angeles. On Saturday, firefighters from Mexico joined more than 14,000 personnel already on the ground.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes has more.

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 when we saw at the beginning of the week when the fires started, but still, it is another reason to be concerned for this fire departments that have come from across the state and other 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 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-storey burned down house, and she said that she couldn't believe it. Her room used to be on the second floor. So, for her to see nothing but a stairway up to nothing was really shocking, 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 or Altadena, the condition of the buildings are such that it's very likely that nothing survived.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Pacific Palisades, California. WATSON: Right now, a curfew is in place for many of the areas under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County. It's a move to aid police in cracking down on looters looking to burglarize homes. Law enforcement say they've already made several arrests in the fire aftermath, and they warn jail time and hefty fines await those thinking about burglarizing those empty homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LORENZ, CAPTAIN LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: We've made seven arrests just in the last two days, and we even made arrests of two individuals that were actually posing as firefighters coming in and out of houses. So, we're paying very, very close attention to everybody that's coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:25:01]

WATSON: People posing as firemen.

Well, a congressman from California tells CNN how concerned he is with people not following the directions of authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): We are in the middle of a serious emergency. And one thing I just heard from law enforcement was, please, folks need to listen, to evacuate, and the folks that are choosing to not take these direct orders, that are choosing to stay in their homes, are not just endangering themselves, they're endangering our firefighters.

And I was talking to a group of firefighters earlier, and they just need our help. They need the public's help. So, please listen to these evacuation orders.

Law enforcement agencies, sheriff of the L. A. Department, Long Beach, all these agencies, have been crystal clear that you will be arrested if you are outside. It's curfew hour in one of these impacted zones. Unfortunately, there are some folks out there that are that this is some kind of joke or a game. And those folks are going to be arrested and the full extent of a law is going to be implemented in those cases. So, please stay home if you can, do what you can from home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: All right. The death toll rises as wildfires rage in Los Angeles. Our breaking news coverage continues after the break.

And we'll take a closer look at the essential work of aerial firefighters when we return,

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[03:30:00] WATSON: Welcome back to CNN's breaking news coverage of the L.A. wildfires. Firefighters are making progress on the Palisades fire. That's one of the four major blazes burning across Los Angeles County. At least 16 people are confirmed dead, and the dry winds that fuel the flames are expected to regain strength.

One official says, the stronger winds could actually be a blessing if they change the fire's direction. But another says the problem is not knowing what's to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENNETT: California is the best in the world at this, 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 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)

WATSON: Now, aerial firefighters are saving lives and protecting homes in Southern California. Fighting the wildfires from the sky is extremely difficult and critical work.

Earlier, retired Air Force Colonel and CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton, he gave us some insight into those efforts. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: When you see all these aircraft flying the different fixed-wing aircraft, as well as the rotary wing aircraft, the helicopters, all of that has to be controlled basically in a centralized way. Here, for example, you can see a DC-10, which is being used. It has a huge capacity, almost, you know, 10,000 gallons that can be dumped on fires, you know, that are raging in the California area. And these kinds of aircraft are really essential to fighting these fires. C-130s, Cal Fire has C-130s, but the US Air Force is also C-130 that they've brought in to help with the firefight.

What these efforts are basically is based on being able to use as much power as you possibly can bring to bear against a specific area. So, just like you would run a bombing campaign in combat, you would be actually using these aircraft to target specific areas of the fire. And if you get those areas under control, then you can move ground teams in and use those ground teams to dampen, tamp down the flames in that specific areas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: The FBI is asking for help identifying a civilian drone operator they say is responsible for grounding one of these firefighting planes. Agents say the operator's drone hit a Canadian super scooper on Thursday while the plane was fighting the Palisades fire. The collision created a hole in one of the plane's wings.

The FBI says the drone operator broke the law by disregarding a temporary flight restriction over the area. And they're asking anyone with information to contact them.

Damage, defense, and a wall of smoke, CNN's Erin Burnett surveyed the wildfire and firefighting from the air, a view that puts the enormity of the disaster firmly in context.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH ZALDA, PHOTOJOURNALIST: So, right now, we're south of the Palisades and the fire. Looking up, you can see this is PCH right here.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Pacific Coast Highway running right along the Pacific Ocean, yes.

ZALDA: And then leading up into Malibu.

And even here, it's almost impossible to see with all the smoke.

BURNETT: Yes, flying into this, it is like you're flying into a complete wall of fog. It almost doesn't even look like that. It just looks like an actual wall, like a white wall --

ZALDA: Yes.

BURNETT: -- that we're flying into.

ZALDA: There's a fire bomber just dropped retardant right there.

BURNETT: All right. So, that red that we're looking at is fire retardant. There we go.

ZALDA: Yep.

BURNETT: And we're zooming in on it. And that plane is dropping that there. So, that is an active area then in the Palisades fire.

ZALDA: Yep. That's their way of setting a defense wall from the fire progressing any further. And when they're referring to containment, this is what they're talking about, is where have they set up their defense. And 100 percent containment pretty much means that they've set up their defense in a circle around the fire and the circle's complete.

BURNETT: And that is really important to understand that containment doesn't mean it's not burning. It means that they've been able to establish a perimeter essentially that they can defend.

[03:35:01]

I mean, it's using words like, again, war zone words, right? But that's exactly what it is. You're setting up a line that you're going to make your frontline. ZALDA: Yes. You're containing the threat. You're not eliminating the threat.

BURNETT: So, this is the plane that just dropped the fire retardant that we saw. And now it's going out. As it was doing that, one thing that you could see being in a helicopter and all of the altitudes are -- is that the right -- is that how I'd say it?

ZALDA: Yes, altitude.

BURNETT: So, when you see that plane flying that dropped the fire retardant, as that was happening, there was a commercial flight that you could see nearby it. And all of this is happening in, you know, an incredibly busy airspace.

There it is, dropping more fire retardant right now. All of this is around the perimeter of the Palisades fire, where they're trying to establish that defensive line.

ZALDA: My in-laws actually lost their house in the Palisades fire. And, you know, it's something that's very hard to comprehend because, you know, we started the week as business as normal. And then, you know, by Tuesday night, they're wondering if their house is even still standing. And then Wednesday, you know, I was able to get up in the air, confirmed that it was gone.

So, that's their house right there in the center of the screen.

BURNETT: That's their house. So, this is your in laws' house right here?

ZALDA: Yes. And, you know, a lot of memories with our three kids there. And so it's just one of those things that you just got to, you know, pick yourself up and rebuild. But you're not alone. You have a whole community that's suffering and try and, you know, bond together one day at a time.

So, there's the entrance into the Getty.

BURNETT: All right, that is the Getty Museum, one of the Getty family and one of the art museums in the country, certainly in L.A. And they had right in the middle of the fire area that had established a perimeter and were able to -- Dave, look right there, right there, next to it, complete devastation, total devastation. And then can we swing back over to the Getty? There you go. Swing right back over to the Getty and you see, right there, they were able to save that.

This is the past Palisades fire in the distance. We saw another giant fire retardant plane flying through that. And then as we pan across, you can see the smoke over all of L.A. here. And coming in here, you're going to see it finally the iconic Hollywood, which you can barely see now because of the smoke. Behind that is the Eaton fire. So, what we're looking at there, just over the hills, just that volume of smoke, that is the Eaton fire.

This image is absolutely incredible. This looks like the aftermath of some sort of a bomb.

ZALDA: Yes.

BURNETT: And that's just the sun shining back through the Palisades.

ZALDA: Yes.

BURNETT: It does, though. It looks as if a bomb had been dropped there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: You heard the photojournalist there that was up in the helicopter with me talking about his family's home here in Palisades that was razed to the ground. One thing that stood out to me, I said, how did you determine -- how could you tell that was exactly your family's home, your in-laws' home? And he said, it's because I know the curve of the streets. I know the streets so well. And the end of that street, there was just a little hook and that's how I was able to tell.

And somehow that really brings it home of just how devastating this is and how much these communities mattered, that he would be able to find a home just because he knew the curve of the streets. He also said, and the pilot was talking about how they felt a little part of every single person in Los Angeles has burned down, that there is just a searing pain for so many across this city, just as they are getting ready to fight every day now what could be another huge disaster in this city.

WATSON: Well, that aerial view really gives you a sense the scale of these fires. California officials are urging people to be aware of scam artists looking to take advantage of fire victims. They say some scammers are targeting elderly people and immigrants who may not speak English as a first language. The scammers are also creating fake charities, seeking donations to help with the wildfires. On top of being aware of scam artists, California's attorney general is raising the alarm about price gouging, targeting the state's vulnerable fire victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BONTA, 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.

[03:40:10]

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)

WATSON: California's Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a website to fight wildfire misinformation. The site, California Fire Facts, aims to combat false information spreading online. Newsom says there is an astonishing amount of misinformation being spread by political leaders who seek to divide this country for their own political gain.

Coming up, we're going to look at some other news. The man tasked with investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overthrow the 2020 election is stepping down. Details on Jack Smith's departure from the Justice Department next on CNN.

Plus, the day after a massive winter storm slammed the Southern U.S., hundreds of flights out of one of the busiest airports in the world were still being disrupted. A look at the cancelations, just ahead.

Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

WATSON: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Ivan Watson.

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 Mr. 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. His resignation before President Trump takes office was expected.

Now, Donald Trump, he ran on a campaign that focused largely on his promise to deport people who are in the United States illegally. But his border czar is warning lawmakers the plan could take a while to implement. Sources tell CNN Tom Homan is making it clear to allies that, quote, the largest deportation program in U.S. history will cost some serious money.

Homan is reportedly working with lawmakers to use current funding levels to target between 1 and 2 million undocumented immigrants who are eligible to be deported as soon as possible.

Now, a massive winter storm brought parts of the Southern U.S. to a standstill on Friday, and its impact isn't over yet. Hundreds of flights were canceled in and out of Atlanta on Saturday, one day after the city received the most snow in a single day, get this, since 1953. Wow. A record 2.1 inches, or 5.33 centimeters, blanketed the city, causing travel disruptions and building closures, but also a bit of fun.

For those not stranded at the airport, it was just a rare snow day in the south. Atlanta's Piedmont Park, it was packed with people sledding and building snowmen.

To Russia's war with Ukraine, Ukraine says it has struck one of Russia's largest and most modern oil refineries. This social media video geolocated by CNN appears to show a massive fire at the refinery in the Tatarstan region, with a line of workers walking out. Ukraine says the facility was hit by a drone strike, which would be the second attack on it in less than a year.

For the refinery plays a key role in supplying fuel to the Russian military, according to Ukrainian officials. But Russian officials deny the facility was hit, and they say the images actually show an evacuation exercise.

Ukraine says it has 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.

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 are not just those what Ukraine says are those captured soldiers but also the Russian I.D. 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 would 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 forces' tendency to execute wounded soldiers in order that they can't 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.

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Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

WATSON: We're going to take a pause now, but we'll be right back with more of CNN's breaking news coverage on the fires in Southern California.

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WATSON: The Los Angeles wildfires have now killed at least 16 people and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. The flames are spreading inland on two fronts after fires ravaged the Pacific Palisades area near Malibu for days. Firefighters are using aircraft to attack the flames in hopes of keeping them from spreading into homes in the Brentwood and Encino areas.

But the weather continues to pose a challenge. Forecasters say strong winds and extremely low humidity can be expected well into next week. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, made a surprise visit to assist 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 first responders, volunteers, and victims. Pasadena's mayor described the pair as great people who really buoyed the spirits.

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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's drive from L.A. It's also believed that they offered their home to friends and loved ones who've been forced to leave their homes.

Now, humans aren't the only ones who have needed to be evacuated from wildfire-affected areas. In fact, hundreds of horses, 408 of them to be exact, have been taken to safety at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, which was built for the 1984 Olympics. They came from the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fire zones. And with them came some cows, a few pigs, some sheep and two donkeys.

The stables are full, but there's no shortage of help for the animals. Plenty of volunteers have come to feed, water, walk, and groom the horses. And, I guess, the donkeys. And with stress levels of both being somewhat calmed, it seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship.

You can help those impacted by these devastating wildfires. Visit cnn.com/impact for more information.

Thanks for joining me this hour. I'm Ivan Watson.

CNN Newsroom continues after a short break with my colleague Ben Hunte.

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