Fire crews are working nonstop to keep the destruction in Southern California from getting even worse.
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00:00Well guys, I was able to land a few hours ago here at LAX and since then we
00:05traveled to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. We know this was a hard-hit
00:08neighborhood. I mean realistically every other home here has been absolutely
00:13destroyed. Many of them have been burnt down to the ground and a lot of these
00:18families now are just grappling with the idea of trying to get back into their
00:24own neighborhoods because it's been so difficult. A lot of these crews have had
00:27to shut down these neighborhoods all together to really try and come in, clean
00:31it, deem it safe before they're able to come back in. We were able to drive
00:35through some of these neighborhoods earlier. Take a look at some of this
00:37damage on your screen. This has just been absolutely staggering here. The death
00:42toll from these fires has now risen to roughly 24. Officials warn that number
00:47could potentially climb as specialized teams including cadaver dogs search
00:52through the rubble here. More than 150,000 people remain under evacuation
00:57orders across Los Angeles County and curfews remain in effect. That also
01:02includes right here in Pacific Palisades, another fire zone. Now I want to also
01:07show you some crews here and what they've been up to. Fire crews and other
01:10workers are back on the ground today, right Monday morning, tackling a range of
01:14critical tasks. They're focusing on extinguishing hot spots, closely
01:18monitoring for flare-ups and clearing debris from roads and power lines. A red
01:22flag warning is also in effect. That's going to be significant as we are
01:26dealing with this wind event expected to begin overnight. Winds could potentially
01:31reach speeds capable of driving explosive fire growth, threatening to
01:35undo the progress that's been made. Firefighters are working tirelessly here
01:40to increase containment lines and protect nearby communities. Take a listen.
01:44In the most impacted areas like Pacific Palisades, Malibu, the Pacific Coast
01:50Highway, it's apocalyptic. It looks like a movie. It looks like War Zone from
01:57Ukraine. And it is just shows the sheer magnitude of Mother Nature and wind is
02:05king. It's king. When when that gets to be so intense, you can't stop it. We need to
02:13find out where the fire is, where it's going, keep people out of harm's way
02:16ahead of time. People need to pay close attention to their evacuation areas, have
02:22more than one way out.
02:26Currently, more than 700 evacuees are taking refuge in nine shelters, while
02:31crews from California, eight other states, Canada and Mexico join in on the
02:36fight here. The response effort includes over 14,000 personnel, 1,300 fire engines
02:43and 84 aircraft. Despite the monumental resources and effort, the coming hours
02:48and days are really going to be critical here. Again, live from Pacific
02:52Palisades, a lot of these families just looking for a glimmer of hope and a lot
02:57of the devastation here, guys. We'll continue to check in with you over the
03:00next couple of days as we bring you more coverage. All right, Allie, thank you for
03:03that reporting. No rest for the weary there among the fire crews and those who
03:07have lost their homes just five, six days ago.