NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, January 12, 2025

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

Crews make some progress in containing massive Los Angeles fires; Frustration grows as families wait to return home; Awaiting special counsel's final report; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, we're live in Los Angeles. Firefighters making major progress today, but there are new warnings tonight. The weather is about to get a whole lot worse. The massive aerial assault over Los Angeles. Firefighters using everything they have. We're on the ground with crews as water is dropped from above. There's a helicopter in the air. It's going to attack it from above. How they were able to slow the fires today. Now the city bracing for another round of dangerously strong winds. Firefighters from all over North America flooding in to help our teams covering all of it, including the new warnings about drones interfering with firefighting planes.

New images after one was damaged. The FBI now on the case. Long lines as desperate families wait hours and hours, hoping to get in to see their homes. We're able to show one family that their house is still standing. I can't thank you enough. Special counsel's report on President-elect Trump, set to be released, are reporting on what's in it. And Faith, after the fires, the family singing hymns where their home once stood and the congregation welcomed into a new home. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas in for Hallie tonight.

We are live here in Los Angeles, surrounded, as you can see, by the destruction from the Palisades fire. This right here used to be a three-story office building, and you can see, by the destruction from the Palisades fire. This right here used to be a three-story office building, and you can see what's left of it now. Absolutely nothing. But we are coming on the air tonight with a note of cautious optimism and a new warning. Firefighters have made major gains in their battle

to slow this fire, but the winds here are set to whip up again to extremely dangerous levels. A flood of resources are now pouring into the city. Firefighters from Mexico and Canada desperately need equipment as well. And that war from above is ramping up. This was the scene throughout the day. Look at this. One aircraft after another dumping water and fire retardant on the fires below.

The governor's saying they're flying as many planes as air traffic controllers will allow. Officials also saying they expect the list of dead and missing to grow. Entire neighborhoods here still sealed off. These are the long lines of cars, packed with residents desperate to get back to see if their house survived.

And police say there are too many possible looters infiltrating the evacuation zones, including some dressed as firefighters. We are covering it all tonight, but we begin with those firefighters on the front lines. Tonight, a glimmer of hope as crews make slow progress containing some of the massive fires burning in Los Angeles. It is sad. This entire block here is wiped out. The Eaton Fire, now 27% contained, but the other big fire, the Palisades, only 11%. This massive Palisades fire is still spreading. Today a big push as the dangerous winds pick up again.

The battle involving crews on the ground. Flames were right across the street from homes. We traveled with Cal Fire to the top of Temescal Canyon, where they stopped the Palisades fire from burning Encino and Calabasas. The burn scar, massive. But proof, progress is being made. Today is the first day that everything is looking really good. We're not out of the woods yet.

And we saw that firsthand. So this hot spot just popped up just behind us. You can see the flames there rising. The good news is there's a helicopter in the air. It's gonna attack it from above. Choppers with long line buckets carrying hundreds of gallons of water. And on this drop, bullseye.

That's why these airdrops are so critical, attacking these fires from above. With machinery and aircraft like that, that's how they can make progress and get ahead of the fires. Coordinating with crews like these, doing what's called cutting line, removing brush that fuels the fire.

How are your teams holding up? Well, the good thing is they're born and bred to work hard. So they're working hard, they're tired, they're worked. In the beginning, we were working crews 36 to 40 hours, multiple days at a time, and they're ready here. This is what they do. Meanwhile, flight crews working into the night, making airdrops, an estimated half a far to try to battle the showing the view from ins guard plane as it makes a in the cockpit as it flye

target. But these critical being hampered by unauthorized drones in those flight areas. The FBI says there have been dozens of such incidents so far, and they're actively tracking who's flying them. We have equipment that can detect the drones in the air, but also we work backwards to identify the actual operator. These new photos from the FBI show the damage to this Canadian super scooper on Thursday, a hole punched in the wing by a drone. This plane is now grounded. The Super Scooper and that technique is our number one tool to fight wildfires like this. When folks fly drones, personally owned drones, in temporary flight restricted areas, that

hampers those abilities significantly. The FBI has recovered pieces of the drone and their investigation is ongoing. As this wildfire battle is an international effort, fire crews arriving from Mexico on Saturday, joining other teams from Canada and nine western states from Oregon to Texas. We've got the resources. In an interview with NBC News, California Governor Gavin Newsom telling our Jacob Soboroff there are now 14,000 firefighters battling these fires and now nearly 2,500 National Guard troops providing logistical support and security. As residents grapple with what they've lost, the community stepping up to fill in the gap. Here at the famed

Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, a marathon drive overnight collecting much-needed supplies like clothing, shoes, and bottled water and dispersing them to residents. It's just amazing seeing the support and how the community just comes together. And a happy conclusion to a story we told you about earlier this week. How do I get to my house? Casey Colvin losing his dogs in the fires on Tuesday. First responders were able to rescue one of them, but the other, Oreo, still missing.

Tika, tika, tika. That is, until today, Casey, overcome with emotion as he was reunited with Oreo. How's the fire? Oh honey, oh honey! Just one reunion giving so many others hope tonight. I do want to bring in now meteorologist Melissa McGee from our NBC Los Angeles station. Melissa, thank you for being here.

We're already feeling the wind tonight. Talk to us about how bad it's going to get. Well, Tom, we've got another round of Santa Ana winds that arrives as we get into Monday through Wednesday. With the peak intensity arriving Monday night into Tuesday. Some of the highest wind gusts across our mountain communities ranging anywhere from 50 to 70 miles per hour. You get those classic Santa Ana winds racing through the mountains, coming through the canyons and passes, drying out the atmosphere and dropping the humidity so the red flag warning stays up. And explain to our viewers why firefighters are so worried about those winds. Well, you know, Tom, with our last event, we had hurricane-force winds across much of Southern California,

and we were seeing some of those embers flying more than a mile. The good news with this event, it's not anticipated to be that strong, but with the drop in the humidity and the conditions firefighters are facing, it's going to make new or existing fires spread rapidly, which will be a challenge for firefighters. All right. Melissa McGee from KNBC here. Tremendous coverage throughout all of this. We thank you. Thank you. And some 150,000 people are under evacuation orders. Many still have no idea if their house is even still standing. Ellison Barber was with residents today, desperately trying to get back

in to find out. Do I just wait here or what? You can if you like. Tonight, growing frustration outside the Pacific Palisades. Massive lines of cars with residents waiting for hours, anxious to see what, if anything, remains in their homes. This is criminal dereliction of duty. We do care. We want to get you back into your homes. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna warning about criminal activity. People that do not belong in these disaster zones need to stay out or they're going to get arrested. On Saturday, two people were detained in the evacuation zone near Vice President Kamala Harris's home, according to officials. L.A. Fire Chief Kristen Crowley adding that it is too dangerous for many residents

to go home. There are still active fires that are burning within the Palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public. There's no power, there's no water, there's broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures. We met met Shannon de Groons when she walked up to talk to police. Her family waiting since 4 a.m. We're just hopeful to get a couple minutes to grab some things and and then get out of town. She was with her fiancee Shea Burns and Shea's 81 year old mother Judy McElroy trying to get back to their Pacific Palisades home. We don't have any answers and there's a lot of different information which is why I'm posted up here. Shannon couldn't get in. She told us about something she forgot to take. My aunt passed away recently and she left me a small diamond and I was saving to be able to afford to make it into a new ring. I asked for her address hoping

that if we passed her house while we were reporting we might be able to help. A couple of hours later, we saw it. Amazingly, it's still standing because if you look around just across the street, their neighbors, not nearly as lucky. They told us, too, the door was unlocked because they had to evacuate so quickly. You can smell in here, it smells of smoke. I texted asking if she needed us to get stuff. She told us they needed some medicine for Judy, things she'd left behind as they scrambled to evacuate. We couldn't find the diamond ring, but found the medical supplies.

I saw these and I know you didn't ask for these, but I saw these and I just... Oh my God. I showed them videos of their home. Were the windows closed? Yeah, all the windows were closed. I was right. In the middle of chaos, a moment to help a family still looking at an uncertain tomorrow. Ellison, some powerful reporting there.

Are officials offering any updates on when residents can see their homes? You know, Tom, yesterday we did see and we spoke to residents who had been escorted by police up into their homes. But today, officers on scene, they were telling residents that their guidance comes from the fire department. Fire officials are saying right now they cannot let residents back up into the evacuated areas because it is not safe, especially, they say, as those winds are picking back up.

Tom? And as the winds are picking up tonight here, we'll have much more from Los Angeles. We're back with a potentially explosive report into President Trump's actions surrounding the 2020 election. The special counsel's final report into that about to be made public. Here's Aaron Gilchrist. The resignation of special counsel Jack Smith made public over the weekend. But before he quit his post, he left behind a detailed report, including the findings of his investigation into President Trump's alleged interference in the 2020 election. That report now in the hands of Attorney General Merrick Garland, who intends to release it.

Smith's investigation spanned two years and included interviews with hundreds of witnesses, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The clock is ticking for the report's release. Today, the president-elect on social media questioning why Smith should even be allowed to issue a report at all. Meanwhile, Team Trump preparing to head to Capitol Hill with more than a dozen of his cabinet picks set to begin confirmation hearings this week, including Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe for CIA Director, and Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary. There is not a job that's more serious and more critical to our national security than Secretary of Defense, and we need a qualified individual in that job, and he just does not seem to have the qualifications. Democratic Senator and retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly critical of Hegseth ahead of his Tuesday morning confirmation hearing,

wanting to see his FBI background report so far only given to leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Some Democrats on the committee concerned the FBI report may not be thorough enough for a cabinet pick facing controversy and negative allegations. It is bipartisan, like a, you know, it's across the aisle. Folks want to see the FBI background checked. I think we should get an opportunity to take a look at it. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso coming to Hegseth's defense. I think Pete is going to be terrific in terms of recruitment, in terms of morale, in terms of returning America to a fighting force, which is what the American people really want. Aaron joins us live tonight from the White House. And Aaron,

there's been a delay in the confirmation hearing for another controversial Trump cabinet pick. Yeah, Tom, Senator Barrasso says that Tulsi Gabbard's hearing this week to be director of national intelligence is being delayed because of a paperwork problem with the Office of Government Ethics. The former congresswoman and veteran will likely face tough questions next week. Tom? Okay, Aaron Gilchrist at the White House. We are tracking a winter blast that is set to blanket much of the U.S. Temperatures 10 to 30 degrees below average for the Rockies, Plains, and the Southeast through the middle of the week.

And in parts of the West, freeze warnings are in effect for tonight. When we come back, their church was destroyed, but their faith is still so strong. The powerful service today after they were welcomed into another church. Finally, from here in Los Angeles, the wildfires have taken away so much from thousands of residents. But for many, one thing has endured through all of it, their faith. Here's Morgan Chesky. Amid scenes causing unimaginable pain, Sunday, the unmistakable sound of praise. LA's Montebello Congregational Church welcoming new faces in a dark time.

Overwhelming. Pastor Paul Telstrom still processing how Altadena's community church fell to the flames in minutes. Nineteen members of our church lost their homes, so it's an unusual sense of camaraderie. And with nowhere else to go, his congregation was invited here. We welcome our friends from Altadena. Reverend Mitchell Young offering support to a longtime friend. Whether it's times of struggle or times of joy, we need to be together. The Halpin family singing hymns amongst the ruins of where their home once stood. Among the items salvaged, a small statue of the Virgin Mary.

For the Altadena church family, the first step forward, presenting their beloved pastor with new clergy stoles, symbols of renewal and hope, after the fire took his. What do you want them leaving the service today knowing? Don't give up. Church is not a building. We are the church. It will rise from the ashes once again. Come and see your land.

Morgan Chesky, NBC News, Los Angeles. And if you want to help, we have a list of organizations you can donate to. That's on NBCNews.com or you can scan the QR code on your screen right now. That's NBC Nightly News for this Sunday. I'm Tom Yamas. For all of us here at NBC News, good night. And stay right here on NBC. The NFL playoff game is coming up.