AccuWeather's Ali Reid reported live from Southern California on Jan. 13, sharing the stories of wildfire survivors who are trying to process the magnitude of what's happened.
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00:00Entire neighborhoods have been wiped from the map. More than 5,300 homes and other buildings destroyed by the Palisades fire alone.
00:07Meanwhile, the Eaton fire in Altadena and Pasadena has damaged or destroyed at least 7,000 homes and other buildings.
00:16Residents are now left with unimaginable heartbreak.
00:20Allie Reed joins us now from Moore from Pacific Palisades.
00:24All right, guys, and the devastation across this area has been absolutely staggering here.
00:32I got boots on the ground a number of hours ago now, really just trying to assess the damage myself, see a number of these neighborhoods and really take this all in.
00:40It is really something to see here. I mean, we've heard the terms, right, apocalyptic.
00:45There is no doubt in my mind that this is something very close to that.
00:50Again, entire neighborhoods have really been wiped out here, and the damage has been so just absolutely devastating to take a look at.
01:00Look at this video on your screen here. This was just over the last few hours navigating my way through a number of these neighborhoods.
01:06The death toll from these fires has now risen to roughly 25, and officials warn that number could climb as specialized teams, including cadaver dogs, search through the rubble.
01:17More than 150,000 people remain under evacuation orders across Los Angeles County, and curfews are in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. here in Pacific Palisades.
01:27Now, fire crews, if we can show you this video, too, and other workers are back on the ground today tackling a range of critical tasks.
01:33They're focusing on extinguishing hot spots, closely monitoring for flare-ups and clearing debris from roads and power lines.
01:40Utility crews are racing to repair infrastructure, aiming to make the area safer as the community braces for the next challenge, a significant wind event expected to begin overnight.
01:51A red flag warning is in effect from 4 a.m. Tuesday through noon Wednesday.
01:56Winds expected to reach speeds capable of driving explosive fire growth, threatening to undo the progress that's already been made, right?
02:04Firefighters are working tirelessly to increase containment lines and protect nearby communities.
02:09All of this as residents attempt to survey the damage while struggling to process what they've lost. Take a listen.
02:17I think I'm, like everyone else, just shell-shocked and just trying to process the magnitude of what just happened.
02:26I've lived here my entire life. I've evacuated many, many times, and I have never seen anything like this.
02:34I just, I don't have words. It's just unimaginable.
02:43It really is heartbreaking to hear from the residents in this community, there's no doubt about that.
02:48And again, as we bring you live, just to show you some of the neighborhoods around us, I mean, you'll find cars similar to this one in nearly every single driveway that are completely burnt to a crisp.
03:00A lot of these residents are just trying to get back to their homes. Unfortunately, right now, crews need to do their jobs, and until they find it or deem it safe, a lot of these families are not able to come back to their homes.
03:12Certainly, this is something we're going to be paying attention to over the next couple of days, as a lot of these families look for some positivity in the devastation here, guys.
03:22Thank you so much, Allie. We appreciate you sharing their stories.
03:26Yeah, difficult scenes there.
03:27Well, there are several ways that you can help those who have been impacted by the California wildfires.
03:32One is by making a donation to the American Red Cross.
03:35You can donate by going to RedCross.org slash AccuWeather, by calling 1-800-RedCross, or you can always text RedCross to 90999.
03:46And you can also make a donation to these organizations, the L.A. Fire Department Foundation, the Pasadena Humane Society, and the California Community Foundation at the websites on your screen.