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Firefighters in a Rush to Contain Fire Ahead of the Forecast of High Winds; Death Toll is now at 24; Malibu Homes Destroyed Wildfires; Fire Crews from the U.S. and Abroad Help to Fight the L.A. Wildfires; At Least 24 Killed As Wildfires Burn In Los Angeles County; Washington Braces For Senate Confirmation Showdowns; Netanyahu, Biden Discuss Gaza Ceasefire-Hostage Deal. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 13, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. The latest now on the breaking news out of Southern California where at this hour firefighters are racing to make more progress containing the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area before powerful winds pick up again.

The death toll has now climbed to 24 and there's fear that more gusty winds expected to last through Wednesday will only further complicate the firefighting efforts and could possibly spread embers to dry areas once again sparking new fires. Right now, the smallest of the three fires currently burning, the Hurst Fire, is mostly contained at 89 percent. The Eaton Fire which has devastated the Altadena area is at 27 percent. But the largest one, the Palisades Fire, is only 13 percent contained with more than 23,000 acres burned. And here's one fire official describing what crews there need the most.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRICE BENNETT, DEPUTY CHIEF, CAL FIRE: We need Mother Nature to give us a break. We have the firefighters, we have the water, we need the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The widespread devastation seen from high above Los Angeles County. California Governor Gavin Newsom says dozens of teams are trying to inspect all buildings damaged by the fires within two weeks. He spoke with CNN's Kyung Lah about the issues facing residents when it comes to insurance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: What about insurance? I mean we know; I mean, we live here. Your house is insured, my house is insured. GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: Yeah, mine and the one I have.

My dad's house is under the fair plan, the state's plan.

LAH: And it's very expensive. NEWSOM: Very expensive and it's not great coverage.

LAH: Right, so what do you tell people?

NESOM: We tell them that we are not only assessing all of that in real time and a higher independent group to look, to stress test not just the insurance market, but the utility market in California as well. We've been making a lot of reforms in our insurance market and we'll need to make subsequent reforms.

LAH: Something that's particularly pressing for this community you're standing in, is lack of insurance.

NEWSOM: Yeah.

LAH: A lot of people inherited homes or were working class.

NEWSOM: Yeah.

LAH: What about people who didn't have insurance?

NEWSOM: And that's, I mean, and that's going to be the most difficult and challenging thing. And that's where FEMA comes in. That's where the SBA comes in. That's where the state of California comes in. That's where the federal government comes in. That's where philanthropy comes in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The governor there discussing the challenges that still lie ahead even as the firefighting efforts continue. CNN's Natasha Chen is following developments from Los Angeles.

NATSHA CHEN, U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Relatively favorable wind conditions on Sunday have helped fire crews make progress at the Palisades fire behind us. These areas on the hillside have already burned on Saturday and on Sunday we've been seeing non-stop aircraft coming through dropping water in this area into the canyon below where there are more homes and they were able to actually keep the fire from encroaching upon those homes and coming up this ridge to where we're standing. So that's very positive progress for the Palisades Fire, but of course this is all about to change.

In the coming days we're expecting very high winds, red flag warnings through Wednesday with low humidity and that means a very high fire danger. Authorities are telling people in the entire metro area to be prepared for these wind conditions and potential new fires and potential flare-ups, possible preemptive power shutoffs to prevent disasters from happening. And at the same time, that means that until Wednesday, until actually Thursday when the red flag warnings are over, they cannot have conversations with evacuees about repopulation. For example, the people who left the Palisades area, who may have

their homes still standing there, cannot try to come back in or discuss that with an escort of police until these immediate conditions have passed and so that makes things very difficult, very stressful for a lot of people here. In the meantime, we are learning that authorities are going undercover to make sure there are no looters in these evacuation zones taking advantage of the situation. They're also scanning the skies to make sure people are not illegally flying drones because we've already heard from authorities that someone flying a drone had that drone collide into a super scooper.

[02:05:02]

So that happened on Thursday, causing that aircraft to be grounded. Very serious consequences here. So as they prepare for harsher conditions, fire crews, authorities say they have the resources now that have come in from other places and the L.A. water system is prepared. Back to you.

CHURCH: Winds will of course be a challenge for firefighters as they battle these blazes in Southern California. But wind isn't the only environmental factor that could jeopardize their efforts. CNN's Allison Chinchar has more.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Winds have already started to increase across portions of Southern California. They will continue to do so on Monday. The concern is there's not really going to be much of a break. So those high wind gusts are still expected to remain in this area at least until Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. So you have the red flag warnings in effect indicating those high winds are expected to stay in place through the day Monday at least, but also that the humidity levels are going to stay very low.

When we look at these wind gusts early Monday morning, you'll start to see them taking up 20, 30, even 40 miles per hour. By Tuesday, you could be looking at wind gusts in excess of 50 to 60 miles per hour. And some of these places. That is going to make it incredibly difficult for these firefighters to really make more advancements in those containment numbers, especially through Wednesday. One of the things that has been really working against these areas in the fires is this dark orange color you see here.

That indicates that they are under a severe drought where all of the fires are located and I cannot emphasize enough how dry this area really has been. When you go back to since October 1st and that is the start of what we refer to as the water year. It does not begin January 1st like the calendar year. It follows more of the natural water cycle. So it begins on October 1st. And since that date, this area around Los Angeles has only had three one hundredths of an inch of rain. Normally they would have at least four and a half inches of rain by this point.

And the other thing to note too is usually we don't have fires this large spreading this quickly in January. And the reason for that is because January is actually the second wettest month of the year for this area. When you go back to this same time last year, January 9th of 2024, none of California was in drought. Fast forward one year now, you not only have areas in moderate drought, but also severe and even higher categories of drought just simply because of how little rain this area has had.

When we look forward to the forecast, there is no rain in the forecast for at least the next five days. By day six and seven, we do start to see humidity levels begin to tick back up with a very low-end possibility for rain in some extreme Southern California areas. But again, you're still talking six or seven days out and a lot can change. The only one thing we can hope is that at least it will bring the winds back down and we can get those humidity levels back up to at least help a little bit for the firefighters.

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Washington is Rick Crawford, a former battalion chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Thank you so much for joining us.

RICK CRAWFORD, FORMER LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT BATTALION CHIEF: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So can you walk us through the process of containing multiple wildfires in the midst of high winds? How do firefighters do that and what's the biggest challenge?

CRAWFORD: Well, if you really take what's going on right now with this potential -- well, this weather forecast that we have with another wind event right in the middle of the firefight, firefighters take advantage of, you know, the lull, the lull in the wind as we they're doing right now. They are, you know, using an aerial assault of an array of aircraft to actually, you know, tighten those containment lines and the red Phos-check, which is the retardant to slow the fire down.

That allows those crews to get in face to face with the fire known as direct attack. And that allows -- and that will start to now allow the firefighters to gain some control. It is critical, very critical, what's happening today in the last 24 and the next 24 hours to really try and get this fire containment numbers up and try and make their suppression efforts very aggressively.

So when the wind shifts do come up, if you do have a spot fire that happens to pop outside of the containment lines, they will use what they call the 90-10 rule. Cal Fire has -- the State Fire Department has a 90-10 rule, 90 percent of the fires to 10 acres or less when you have multiple fires burning like this. They will peel aircraft off of the main fire that's burning and aggressively hit small fires to not -- to ensure it doesn't become one that's going to be a larger something -- a larger fire to deal with. So, very aggressive attack you'll see in the next 24 hours.

CHURCH: And of course, as you've been speaking, we've been looking at those percentages of containment. The Palisades, only 13 percent, but the Hurst Fire thankfully, 89 percent, but that could change of course depending on the weather conditions.

[02:10:01] But how do you utilize various types of aircraft to fight these multiple fires? What is the process with that?

CRAWFORD: So, in Southern California, very unique. There's -- you know, fire departments such as Los Angeles City has one of the largest helicopter fleets in the nation. So six to seven aircraft is what they have. Usually, they're aggressively launching three helicopters at the start of an emitting brush fire. There's another thing called the Quick Reaction Force, known as the QRF. It's a conglomerate of resources between Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Ventura County fire departments, along with the power company Southern California Edison.

It's an array of aircraft with rotary aircraft, the super scoopers, which is one of the heavier aircrafts that can dump up to 1,500 gallons per minute. And the smaller helicopters are used for more pinpoint precisions, really close in to the mountain range. The super scoopers are more of your heavier doses of water that's going to be spread over a long period of time. You will also add the aircraft from CAL FIRE, which dumping Phos-check and you can dump up to one mile long strip of your fire retardant.

So you use a combination of aircraft from pinpoint precisions, long range dropping and also the Phos-check to spread the containment line. So it's a big challenge and a very big coordination effort from the aerial firefighting fleet.

CHURCH: Yeah, it is incredible work and of course, utilizing all the aerial tools available to firefighters is critical. So what happens when it's too windy to use helicopters or planes to help fight and contain these fires?

CRAWFORD: Well, it's like the Palisades Fire began where there was an aircraft flying. One of the things I'd like to actually really emphasize is more than water drops, aerial firefighting aircraft deliver tons of information such as, you know, the initial part of the fire, where the fire is going, what's in its pathway, the embers, where they're floating to. And also, you know, you're looking at the speed and the velocity of the fire.

So they're telling the ground commanders a lot of information. When that is not there, the ground commanders have to now actually really go to some different tactics. And we have what we call field observers or a lookout to try and get to a high point to be able to deliver that same information down to the ground commanders. And those ground commanders now will use their, you know, the fire engines and the firefighters, you know, in a very tactical manner, you know, to try and slow the fire down. Again, aggressive attack, hit it hard, hit it fast concept, using that 90-10 rule.

CHURCH: Incredible work. Rick Crawford, thank you so much for talking with us and explaining how all of this works. Appreciate it.

CRAWFORD: Anytime.

CHURCH: Well, the mayor of Malibu says the coastal city has lost a third of its eastern edge to the Palisades Fire, the third fire to impact Malibu in the last three months. Now here's one resident filming what's left of his property there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E. RANDOL SCHOENBERG, ATTORNEY WHO LOST HOME IN PALISADES FIRE: Okay, I'm here at our old house. Right in front of it, this is the telephone pole and that's the tree, what's left of it. It stood up but it's completely bent. And this I'm facing straight into what was our path. There's the air conditioner unit. That's a bathtub, I guess. I've got a mask on. You can still see some of the embers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Attorney E. Randol Schoenberg lost his family home along Malibu's coast. Despite its proximity to water, the wildfire has moved too quickly and too aggressively to spare anything in its path. His brother, cousin and sister have all lost homes as well. And Mr. Schoenberg joins me now from Brentwood, California, currently just outside the evacuation zone. Thank you so much for talking with us at this difficult time. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful home. How are you holding up?

SCHOENBERG: We're doing okay. It was not my sister, but my uncle, my cousin and my brother also lost their homes in the Palisades and we lost our Malibu home. Fortunately, we have another home here in Brentwood where we're still hanging out, but we're right on the edge of the evacuation zone right now. My parents also have had to evacuate their home to Brentwood, so it's been a very tough week for us.

CHURCH: Yeah. I mean, as you point out, you know, even within your family, not just your own home, destroyed. You documented the destruction of your brother, uncle, and cousin's homes. Tell us how you were able to get out first, and then, of course, document that unbelievable loss.

SCHOENBERG: Yeah, I was at my parents' house actually in Brentwood when the fire broke out. My brother had come over from the Pacific Palisades and I looked outside and saw a plume of smoke coming up. He needed to immediately evacuate his family from his home and I stayed in Brentwood.

[02:15:03]

I was able to get back in to document it on Friday, so that was three days after it had started because a Czech TV crew asked me for an interview and they had a press pass and were able to get me inside. By then, of course, the evacuation area was guarded and people aren't allowed to go in. It's very dangerous, I would say, in the burn zone because there is so much debris. It's not just the houses that burned, but the telephone poles have all fallen down and their wires all over the place. So it's not a very easy thing to get around there.

CHURCH: Yeah, I mean, as we're looking at those pictures, it's hard to believe how you all got out. Of course, this fire moved fast and furiously, didn't it, through this part of L.A. County. And what's particularly hard to fathom is the proximity of these Malibu homes to the water. Could anything have been done differently to save yours and other homes along the coast there, do you think?

SCHOENBERG: There's actually a fire hydrant right in front of our home. No, the amazing thing was the speed. If you've seen the best videos, I've seen are the time-lapse photos that show the fire going and instead of the smoke going up, it was going this way because the winds that came in were the strongest winds that we ever get here in Southern California. It only happens every three, five years that we have these strong winds and when that coincides with someone or something starting a fire, the fire just goes across the hills and wipes out everything in its path.

Just to give you an idea where it started. On Tuesday morning, it was about eight miles as the crow flies from where our Malibu home is and our home was on fire on TV at 9:30 that evening. So that just gives you an idea of how quickly everything was spreading. And when the fire comes that way, it's impossible to stop. Even if there had been fire crews at every house, they wouldn't have been able to stop the fire because it's coming in horizontally and just wiping everything in its path.

CHURCH: Well, that is amazing hearing that. I mean, particularly with some of the efforts to politicize this situation. I do want to ask you how likely it is that you will rebuild your home, and if you do, how might you do that differently do you think?

SCHOENBERG: I've been thinking about it, of course, when we've had a chance. I did hear that that the permitting process may be easier than it ordinarily would. Normally on our coastline in California, we have a coastal commission that strictly regulates what can be built and it's very cumbersome. But when there's a natural disaster like this, they waive some of those requirements and it's supposedly going to be easier to get permits.

I would say that the most pressing need right now on the coastline is cleanup because our house is one of hundreds, maybe thousand on the coastline there that are basically toxic pits that are still smoldering with all types of rubber and plastic and chemicals and as soon as we do finally get some rain, which hopefully will come at some point, that is all going to immediately go into the ocean. So I'm hoping that there is a coordinated effort to do that type of necessary cleanup quickly.

It doesn't make sense for each individual homeowner to have to contract with someone to clean up the property. It really needs to be done by the federal or state or local government. So I'm hoping that comes soon.

CHURCH: It is a massive undertaking, isn't it? But we wish you the best in this effort to rebuild. E. Randol Schoenberg, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

SCHOENBERG: Thank you very much and thank you for everybody who's supporting us here during this difficult time. CHURCH: Of course. Well, resources are now pouring into California to

support the firefighting efforts. Just ahead, the latest on the crews coming from around the U.S. and even from other countries to join that fight. Back in just a moment.

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[02:20:00]

CHURCH: California firefighters are making progress in containing the massive wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area, but the danger is far from over. The two largest fires burning right now, the Eaton and Palisades Fires, have burned nearly 38,000 acres in the past few days. Fire officials say together they've destroyed more than 12,000

structures.

The Eaton Fire is currently at 27 percent containment and officials say the Palisades Fire is just 13 percent contained. As firefighters continue their critical work, they will be facing more strong wind in the coming days, with some areas expecting gusts as high as 60 miles per hour.

Well, California Governor Gavin Newsom is welcoming any firefighting help they can get, with crews arriving from several states and others even coming in from abroad. CNN's Rafael Romo has more.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California Governor Gavin Newsom said that his administration is trying to pre-position resources to a wider area to better fight the wildfires because conditions are expected to deteriorate with gusts expected to be over 50 miles an hour Monday. From a private aerial firefighting company from Montana to firefighters from Mexico and Canada, California has been open to get all the help it can.

As the governor pointed out in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," there are currently firefighters helping those in the Los Angeles area from nine different states across the nation. Some of those firefighters have traveled from places as far as Oregon and Washington State. Governor Newsom also welcomed a firefighting team from Mexico with 73 members that traveled from Mexico City to California on Saturday.

Upon arrival, the firefighters were sent to the Noble Creek operations base, pending specific assignments to the fires in the Los Angeles area according to CAL FIRE.

[02:25:02]

Governor Newsom told NBC he believes he has the resources he needs to combat all the fires that are raging right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWSOM: Yeah, we got 14,000 people working the line right now. We doubled the National Guard. We have 1,680 out there helping on the logistic side. I was just with folks from Mexico, 73 folks will be relieving some of our hand crews. We've got nine states that are now providing under this EMAC system support.

KAREN BASS, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES: Let me thank every Los Angeles firefighter and the thousands of firefighters from across the state, the nation, and even the world. People are coming from everywhere to help us and make sure that we are ready for the days ahead. So to them, I want to say thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, better known as CAL FIRE, also issued a statement expressing their heartfelt gratitude to the extraordinary departments, states, and countries that have stepped up to support California. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

CHURCH: When we return, our breaking news coverage of the deadly Los Angeles fires continues as crews start to make some progress on containment. That could change with dangerous winds starting to pick up. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:43]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Firefighters are bracing for another round of intense Santa Ana winds as massive wildfires continue to burn across southern California. The death toll has now risen to at least 24 people. Officials say the fire threat is very high, with wind speeds predicted to keep rising through Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ACUNA, BATTALION CHIEF, CAL FIRE: 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 its every members responsibility to cause one less spark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Crews have managed to control some smaller fires, which has freed up resources to focus on the major ones still burning. The Hurst Fire is 89 percent contained. The Eaton Fire is 27 percent contained, but the largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, is at just 13 percent containment.

More than 105,000 people are still under evacuation orders, and some of them don't have homes to return to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going through the stages of grief, there's no doubt about it. I think I finally went from denial into anger last night, but this is a challenge that I know. We'll -- we'll get through it. We've gotten through challenges before. This just feels like the biggest thing that's ever happened to us. But we will get through it. We just have to take every step. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Leigh Waldman is following the latest developments in Los Angeles and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a flurry of activity happening here at the command center just off the Pacific Coast Highway, as firefighters from across California are working alongside national guardsmen waiting for their staging orders to fight the wildfires still raging in Los Angeles County. We're also learning that hundreds of California inmates are working alongside them, trying to get a level of containment as gusty wind conditions are expected to last throughout next week.

(voice-over): Multiple fires still raging across much of southern California. Entire communities reduced to rubble.

GIORGI ANTINORI, HOME DESTROYED IN PALISADES FIRE: It was just devastating.

WALDMAN: The Antinori family lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fire. Everything is gone, they said, including the ashes of their late daughter, who passed away when she was just one year old.

ANTINORI: Every piece of physical evidence of her life is just gone and that hurts.

WALDMAN: Red flag warnings in effect through Wednesday as wind gusts pick up the fire danger level is critical for much of the region.

CHIEF ANTHONY MARRONA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: These winds, combined with low relative humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County, very high.

WALDMAN: More than 3000 firefighters are fighting the blazes in Los Angeles county, according to officials. Saturday, 72 firefighters from Mexico arriving to help fight the flames.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: We're looking to get as much resources as we possibly can.

WALDMAN: At least 10,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Many families now returning to find their homes gone. Hoping to salvage whatever they can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by. The only thing to do is move forward and help others keep what they have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALDMAN (on camera): Officials will have talks about bringing evacuees to their neighborhoods, starting on Thursday.

In Los Angeles, I'm Leigh Waldman, reporting. CHURCH: Our breaking news coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires will

continue later in the hour. But next, we'll look at Washington, where Donald Trump's cabinet picks are about to face a Senate grilling. Back with that and more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:38:19]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

While Washington is bracing for possible showdowns, Senate confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet picks will begin Tuesday. And first up is Mr. Trump's controversial choice for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

CNN's Steve Contorno has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: It's a big week on Capitol Hill for Donald Trump's cabinet picks, 13 of them have Senate confirmation hearings. That includes the highly anticipated hearing for Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's choice to lead the pentagon as defense secretary. Hegseth's nomination has been dogged so far by allegations of sexual assault stemming back several years ago. Hegseth denies the charges.

On Sunday, several Republican senators fanned out across the Sunday political talk shows in defense of Hegseth and several other controversial choices by Donald Trump, including Tulsi Gabbard, to serve as the director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as secretary of health and human services.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Let me ask you about Tulsi Gabbard, Mr. Trump's pick for director of national intelligence. You have said that she needs to clarify where she stands on 702. Are Mrs. Gabbard's assurances enough for you, Senator? Are you now a yes on her?

SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK): Yeah, I am, and that was a very important piece for me.

SEN. SHELLEY MORE CAPITO (R-WV): The first thing I asked Robert Kennedy, Jr. was about vaccination and inoculations. He came back with he's not anti vaccination. He just is anti -- he wants to have its science-based. And that's what he kept going back to. Let's have basic science to make these decisions. In terms of -- I think he wants a healthy country.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): And I also support Pete Hegseth. If you take a look at the current nominee, compared to who's been in the Pentagon the last four years, where they had a woke military, where recruitment went down, morale went down, I think Pete is going to be terrific.

CONTORNO: Sources close to Trump's transition team tell CNN that these nominees have undergone weeks of rigorous preparation for these high stakes hearings on Capitol Hill. Some of them have been holding mock hearings that can last upwards of two hours, and they are being forced to confront every single question that can be considered.

Quietly, Senate Republicans are also encouraging some of Trump's more contentious picks to just go ahead and confront their controversies head on, and don't shy away from any concerns that Senate Democrats or Republicans might have about their nomination. Ultimately, they are not only performing for the public and for the Senate and all, but also for Donald Trump, who will be closely watching his nominees on the Hill.

Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota telling CNN, quote, the bigger challenge for any of the nominees is just making sure the president still has confidence in them when they've completed their discussions.

Steve Contorno CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Back to our breaking coverage of the California wildfires now, and the two largest fires burning right now, the Eaton and Palisades fires have burned nearly 38,000 acres in the past few days. Fire officials say together, they've destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Among the areas ravaged by the flames, the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

These before and after photos show the businesses and homes it's destroyed. What were once shops and cafes are now reduced to a pile of rubble and ash. The Palisades Fire has burned through nearly 24,000 acres, and more than 5,000 structures so far.

Well, Pacific Palisades is not the only community devastated by these fires. Just a few short miles away in an area of Malibu, flames have reduced family homes to ashes, shattering hundreds of lives in just a matter of moments. Amid the ash and ruin, it seems just a handful of homes are still standing, some by simple luck of the draw, others by sheer determination.

In Kathy Eldon's case. It was her neighbor who battled back the flames as they approached her home, saving not just the building but also a piece of her late son's legacy.

Kathy Eldon joins us now from Manhattan Beach in California.

Thank you so much for talking with us at this harrowing time.

KATHY ELDON, PALISADES RESIDENT: Grateful. Thank you.

CHURCH: Your home was one of the very few to survive the Palisades Fire, while many of your neighbors and friends lost their homes and businesses. What are your thoughts at this time as you process what's happened?

ELDON: Tremendous survivor's guilt and an absolute commitment to trying to do what I can to transform this horror for for thousands, tens of thousands of people into something that is positive and that is to tell the story of why it is happening in the first place, numb, shock, horror.

CHURCH: And you do credit your heroic neighbors for helping you and others through this and for saving your home. How did you get to safety and how did your neighbors make that happen for you and others?

ELDON: Well, it's something that people have to be trained for. There's something called CERT, which is a Citizens Emergency Response Training, and you learn how to really pull together as a team and how you can prepare. We as a little bitty street, we had six.

We now have five houses, came together, pooled our resources -- fire hoses and learned how to do it and it was due to our Dr. Chester Griffiths, and two of our neighbors who literally have been positioned there nonstop putting out fires. They said they put out fires 15 times on our house, our Creative Vision Center for creative activism, right next door. They were standing on the roof putting out fires.

It's extraordinary that we survived it. You know, were the only commercial building for miles and for about three miles. We are one of a few homes that still are existing on the PCH in this particular area.

CHURCH: And you mentioned, yes, you mentioned Dr. Griffiths that he had just performed brain surgery that day. And then of course, two brain surgeries and then performed this, extraordinary.

You mentioned Creative Visions was also saved. You started that nonprofit in honor of your 22-year-old son, Dan, who was a photographer for "Reuters" but was tragically killed in Mogadishu.

What does the fact that this building was also saved in the midst of all the devastation, mean for the work done on your son's behalf?

[02:45:07]

ELDON: That is really a great question. This building exists to support the storytellers who will tell our world what is going on, and we have hundreds of projects and productions under Creative Visions. We have students rebuild, which is touching millions of kids to teach them how to tell stories. We need stories that talk about the greed that is driving our planet to raise the temperatures and minimize the resources that that we have.

It's -- yeah, that's the purpose. Dan was telling a story. He died to tell a story with three other people. We have to tell the stories that were going to move people's hearts and minds to make different decisions.

CHURCH: Yeah. And Dan's work was incredible and so young, too. So when do you think you might be able to return to your home, and how do you feel about that, given the total devastation that surrounds it?

ELDON: We lost -- people who lose houses, many of them have told me, look, the house, we can replace the house, maybe sometime, somehow. Stuff -- we don't need more stuff. It is the communities that are lost. It is the -- as you were saying earlier, the bakery and the butcher and the candlestick maker.

We don't have any place to go now. There's -- there's no Palisades. We have no place to go. We have to come together as communities and be kind to one another.

You know, people are hurling accusations. We have to realize the root cause and shift our gears. I don't know when we're going to be back. We're ready. We're ready to go back and be a beacon of light, that center.

But it's toxic land. And I couldn't breathe the air. I went back for a couple of hours, and I came back coughing and my eyes were burning. It's heartbreaking. It's going to be a while.

CHURCH: Yeah. I mean, its going to take time to remove the toxic -- toxic version that's there. But the rebuild will go forward. What will it take for the community to come together to rebuild?

ELDON: I think we realize now even the most glitzy celebrities can't save us. It's going to take every man and woman and child. I think its going to be driven by children. These kids are not going to stand by and say yes to climate deniers. They know that it's human made climate -- climate issues. They are not. They are going and aware of what's happening in other parts of our world, with other refugees in the Middle East, in Sudan, in Ukraine.

They're going to understand, I think they're going to be more compassionate and aware and please, God, connected to one another to save their future, because it's really about the future of kids. Forget about the future of the planet. It's about the future of our kids.

CHURCH: Kathy Eldon, your strength at this time is incredible and inspiring for all of us watching and listening. Thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it. We wish you the best.

ELDON: Thank you. Thank you.

CHURCH: Coming up next, more from Los Angeles and the devastating wildfires with the death toll rising. We're learning about some of the people who lost their lives, their stories, when we come back.

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[02:52:06]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, with just one week remaining, the Biden administration says it's possible a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal might still come together. U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the latest progress on the negotiations on Sunday, and the White House says Mr. Biden once again called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, return of the hostages and increased humanitarian aid to the enclave.

Here's what U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are very, very close. And yet being very close still means were far, because until you actually get across the finish line, we're not there.

We have right now President Biden's top Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, in Doha. He has been there for a full week, hammering out with the mediators. The final details of a text to be presented to both sides, and we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done. Can we get it done before the 20th? It is possible, but I certainly can't make any predictions that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, incoming President Donald Trump has warned, quote, all hell will break out in the Middle East if the hostages are not released before his inauguration next week. Well, meanwhile, Israeli forces are ramping up strikes in Gaza.

That was the moment an Israeli strike hit a house in the refugee camp in central Gaza on Sunday. At least one person was killed and six others injured, according to hospital authorities. Gaza's health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed nearly 46,000 people since October 7th, 2023. Gaza's hospitals are still under immense strain, with dwindling vital supplies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is offering to release two North Korean soldiers if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can arrange the release of Ukrainian troops held in Russia. On Saturday, Ukraine announced that it captured the North Koreans in Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine's security service released video that it says shows the wounded prisoners being interrogated. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have acknowledged that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian forces.

The death toll from the wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area is up to at least 24 people, and officials expect that number to rise even further as search and rescue teams go neighborhood to neighborhood looking for victims.

We're now learning more about some of the people who have died in this tragedy. CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.

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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've heard stories of people who stayed behind to fight the flames, the disabled and the elderly who could not get out, and people who had previously experienced smoke and wildfires and thought that this time they could fight the flames.

We learned the story of Rodney Nickerson. He was a grandfather who raised an entire family in a home that is now burned to the ground. He was 82 years old, a retired aerospace engineer who worked at Lockheed Martin. He lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years and saw his children and his grandchildren grow up inside that house. His family tells us that as the flames were approaching, he refused to leave.

On Tuesday morning, his son spoke to him as he usually did, but as the day went on, he was unable to get a hold of him. Our affiliate in Los Angeles spoke with his daughter.

KIMIKO NICKERSON, FATHER DIED IN WILDFIRE: 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.

PAZMINO: We're also learning the other stories about many of the victims, people who were unable to leave their loved ones behind because they had medical issues, people who were known by their neighbors for their welcoming nature and for the role that they played in their communities. We should say that officials in Los Angeles have made it clear that they expect the death toll to increase in the next several days, as forensic experts and first responders are able to enter the burn areas with cadaver dogs and other resources in order to find anyone that might have died in the fires.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a short break.

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