LATER WITH THE FORECAST. WE’VE GOT DANA GRIFFIN AND JACOB
SOBOROFF WITH US, BUT I WANT TO
START WITH MORGAN CHESKY, WHO’S
LIVE FOR US IN ALTADENA. AND
MORGAN. IT IS HARD TO WATCH. I
SEE THE SMOKE FILLING THE
HORIZON BEHIND YOU THERE. TELL
ME WHAT YOU’RE SEEING ON THE
GROUND AND WHAT YOU’RE HEARING
FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE EVACUATED.
>> FOLKS HERE ARE ENTERING 24
HOURS OF HELL IN ALTADENA. WE
HAVE THE SMOKE BEHIND ME. WE
HAVE SMOKE ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE
ARE ESSENTIALLY ENCIRCLED AND
ENSHROUDED BY THIS EDEN FIRE,
WHICH WAS 400 ACRES, NOW NEARLY
10,000 ACRES. THAT GIVES YOU A
GLIMPSE AT HOW QUICKLY IT’S
MOVED. WE WERE JUST ABOUT A HALF
MILE UP THIS ROAD ON LAKE
AVENUE, ONE OF THE MAIN
THOROUGHFARES HERE IN ALTADENA.
IT IS UTTER HEARTBREAK IN EVERY
DIRECTION YOU LOOK, FIRE CREWS
HAVING TO GIVE UP THE FIREFIGHT
BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANY
WATER. AND THAT IS WHY SITES
LIKE THIS ONE. CARLOS, IF WE CAN
PAN AROUND, THIS IS A RARE
SIGHT.
>> TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THIS,
BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SEE
A LOT OF HYDRANTS WITH HOSES
HOOKED UP THAT ARE RUNNING FULL
RIGHT NOW.
>> WE HAD A CHANCE TO WITNESS
TWO FIREFIGHTERS JUST ABOUT AN
HOUR AGO. FIRE CREWS, THEY’RE
TELLING ME THEY COULD HAVE
POTENTIALLY SAVED A STRUCTURE OR
AT LEAST PART OF IT, BUT THEY
DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH WATER
PRESSURE. AND THAT IS SOMETHING
WE KEEP HEARING, NOT ONLY WITH
THE PALISADES FIRE, BUT AT THIS
EDEN FIRE AS WELL. I’M GOING TO
BE QUIET HERE JUST FOR A SECOND.
THERE IS A FIRE ALARM GOING OFF
JUST DOWN THE BLOCK ALLEY
BECAUSE THIS FIREFIGHT WAS SO
ACTIVE. AND THAT’S WHAT
STRETCHED FIRE CREWS SO
INCREDIBLY THIN. FRUSTRATING FOR
US TO WATCH FIREFIGHTERS STAND
AND LOOK UP AT A BUILDING AND
REALIZE THERE’S LITTLE TO
NOTHING THEY CAN DO. IF YOU LOOK
ABOVE THAT ROOF, YOU’LL SEE THE
SMOKE COMING OUT. THIS FIRE
TRUCK ON THE RIGHT. THEY ROLLED
IN PROBABLY ABOUT 90S AGO.
THEY’RE PULLING HOSE FROM THE
TRUCK. I’M CURIOUS IF THEY HAVE
A NEARBY FIRE HYDRANT HERE, IF
THEY’LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO GET
WATER ON THIS FIRE HERE. BACK ON
THE GROUND. ONE THING WE DID SEE
IS THAT BECAUSE SO MANY FIRES
ARE SPRINGING UP SO QUICKLY
HERE, THEY CAN’T EVEN GO INTO A
DEFENSIVE POSITION.
>> THERE WE GO.
>> YEAH. AND THIS IS
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS WHAT
WE’RE SEEING EVERYWHERE WE TURN
RIGHT NOW. THIS IS ONE OF
COUNTLESS BUILDINGS HERE IN
ALTADENA. WE’VE SEEN THE
HEARTBREAKING IMAGES FROM THE
PALISADES FIRE. AND RIGHT NOW WE
HAVE THIS WHAT I BELIEVE IS AN
OFFICE BUILDING OR APARTMENT
COMPLEX NEXT DOOR TO THIS HOME.
HARD TO BELIEVE A SINGLE EMBER
CAUGHT UP IN THESE WINDS. LIKELY
THE CAUSE FOR THIS ONE FIRE
HERE. BECAUSE IF WE LOOK AROUND,
NONE OF THE OTHER BUILDINGS HERE
ARE ON FIRE. THIS FROM HERE.
OTHER FIRES CAN EMANATE FROM
THAT. AND I THINK THAT’S BEEN
ONE OF THE MOST HEARTBREAKING
THINGS TO SEE. WE SPOKE TO THE
OWNER OF A LAW FIRM JUST DOWN
THE BLOCK FROM HERE, AND ANOTHER
AREA WHERE YOU HAVE NOT SEEN A
LOT OF DAMAGE, AND THEY SAID THE
FIRE STARTED THIS MORNING. THEY
WITNESSED A FIRE TRUCK DOWN THE
STREET FIGHTING ANOTHER FIRE.
THEY WENT AND PLEADED WITH
CREWS, CAN YOU COME SAVE OUR
OFFICE HERE, OUR LIVELIHOOD? AND
CREWS SAID, WE HAVE OUR HANDS
FULL WITH THIS. THERE’S NOT
ENOUGH PEOPLE TO GO AROUND. AND
I KNOW THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S
BEEN REPORTED UPON TIME AND TIME
AGAIN, BUT I DON’T THINK WE CAN
EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH IS THAT
THERE’S NOT ENOUGH WATER AND
THERE’S NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE FOR A
FIRE OF THIS MAGNITUDE. AND
THAT’S WHY THIS FIRE CONTINUES
TO BURN SOMEWHAT UNABATED, AS
YOU MENTIONED, 0% CONTAINED.
>> YEAH.
>> CAN YOU CAN YOU FLIP OUT THE
CHAINSAW?
>> CREWS GO. GO AHEAD.
>> NO, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY
SO WE HEAR THE CHAINSAWS GOING
OFF. THEY’RE TRYING TO GET A
HANDLE THERE. WHEN YOU WERE
SHOWING US THE FIRE TRUCK
BEFORE, WERE THEY ABLE TO GET A
HOSE OUT? DID THEY HAVE WATER
PRESSURE? BECAUSE, AS YOU
RIGHTLY NOTE, THAT HAS BEEN A
CONCERN ALL OVER THE CITY.
>> ALL RIGHT. LET’S GO BACK AND
CHECK. BUT REAL QUICKLY I WANT
TO SHOW YOU SOMEONE DID THE BEST
THEY COULD WITH THIS FIRE HOSE
RIGHT HERE. AND THEY HAD TO THEY
HAD TO LEAVE IT BEHIND. CARLOS,
LET’S GO BACK. I WANT TO CHECK
IN ON THAT HOSE THAT THEY PULLED
OFF THE TRUCK. BECAUSE IF THAT
ONE ACTUALLY HAS WATER PRESSURE,
I WILL BE SURPRISED. LET’S SEE.
SO THEY’RE PUMPING IT FROM THE
TRUCK. KEEP IN MIND THIS IS
LIMITED. THIS IS LIMITED. SO AS
WE FOLLOW IT BACK HERE, THEY’RE
GOING TO USE THIS AS MUCH AS
THEY CAN TO SPRAY THE BUILDING
RIGHT THERE. TRY TO COOL IT
DOWN.
>> AND EXPLAIN WHAT WE’RE SEEING
MORGAN. BECAUSE AT THIS POINT,
AT THIS POINT IT’S ABOUT
CONTAINMENT, ABOUT TRYING TO
MAKE SURE THIS FIRE DOESN’T KEEP
SPREADING. RIGHT.
>> HAL, YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
SO WE’RE JUST OFF LAKE AVENUE IN
ALTADENA. THE EATON FIRE IS
WHAT’S EVIDENCED BEHIND ME RIGHT
NOW. AND CREWS HAVE RESPONDED
HERE. THEY KNOW THEY CAN’T SAVE
THIS BUILDING. SO, CARLOS, IF WE
CAN PAN OVER, LET’S GET OUT OF
THESE GENTLEMEN WAY. THEY’RE
TRYING TO GET A DEFENSIBLE SPACE
HERE TO SPRAY DOWN THE BUILDING
NEXT DOOR AND MAKE SURE THAT IT
DOES NOT END UP LIKE THIS. FULLY
ENGULFED HOME BUSINESS WE’RE
LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. IF WE LOOK
THROUGH THE SMOKE HERE, I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT. YOU CAN
SEE ANOTHER CREW SPRAYING DOWN A
SPOT FIRE, AS WELL AS THAT
BUILDING TO THE LEFT, TRYING TO
KEEP IT FROM IGNITING, BECAUSE,
AGAIN, A SINGLE EMBER, A SINGLE
EMBER FROM ONE BUILDING, ONE
TIME. ALL IT TAKES TO CATCH
THESE OTHER BUILDINGS ON. I
DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME
OVER THE CHAINSAW, BUT, CARLOS,
YOU CAN SHOW.
>> YEAH.
>> JUST SOME OF THE HEROES.
THESE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE BEEN
ABSOLUTE HEROES IN A NONSTOP
FIREFIGHT, I SAID AS WE’LL WALK
BACK OUT TO THE SIDEWALK HERE,
GIVE THEM SOME MUCH NEEDED
SPACE, I SAID, THESE FOLKS ARE
ENTERING 24 HOURS OF HELL, AND
THAT’S NOT AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
ALI, I SPOKE TO A GENTLEMAN WHO
CAME. LET’S GO BACK THIS WAY,
CARLOS. HE CAME TO SEE THIS
APARTMENT BUILDING BECAUSE HIS
MOTHER HAD LIVED THERE. IT STILL
STOOD, BUT IT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO
A FIRE THAT CREWS HAD TO GIVE UP
ON BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY
WATER. THE GENTLEMAN IN THE CAR
TOLD ME, BETWEEN HIS SIDE OF THE
FAMILY AND HIS WIFE’S SIDE OF
THE FAMILY, THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS
HAVE LOST FIVE HOMES BETWEEN
THEM.
>> WOW.
>> FIVE HOMES, ONE FAMILY. YEAH.
EVERYONE IS SO INCREDIBLY
TOUCHED BY THIS. WITH SUCH SHEER
LOSS IN EVERY DIRECTION YOU LOOK
THAT I THINK WE’RE ONLY
BEGINNING TO REALIZE THE GRAVITY
OF THIS TRAGEDY HERE, BOTH AT
THE PALISADES AND HERE IN
ALTADENA AND ELSEWHERE, WHERE WE
KNOW FIRES ARE ACTIVELY BURNING
AT THIS VERY HOUR.
>> ALI MORGAN CHESKY LIVE FOR US
THERE IN ALTADENA. MORGAN, THANK
YOU FOR SHOWING US THAT FOR THE