this is the scene many have returned to. this is butler adding he's inspired by the courage and sacrifice of the firefightsers. thank you for joining us. >> we'll have more at 6:00. tonight, a staggering toll as so many race to escape a growing hell on earth. at least 31 dead and hundreds of people unaccounted for. and now over 7,000 homes and businesses burned to the ground, including mansions of the rich and famous. singers miley cyrus and neil young and actor gerard butler among those with homes going up in flames. also the recou of wrongdoi issuesngdoing as presid fraud. plus an upare you aware -- uproar after a mississippi senator was seen saying this on a videotape. why she's refugee to apologize. we're in schools

now teaching students how to stop the bleed and save the lives of their friends. outrage, rows of young men apparently giving a nazi salute. we hear from the student who refused to raise his arm. and our farewell to the man behind spider-man, x-men, the hulk and black panther. tributes pouring in tonight for the legendary stan lee. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone, and thanks for joining us. the wildfires raging on both ends of california are catastrophic. north of sacramento, a record number of homes have been lost in the camp fire, while the same fire threatens to take a recordumhundreds there missing or unaccounted for. searchers bracing for what they may find in the rubble. while hundreds of miles to the south, outside los angeles, powerful santa ana winds are threatening to send flames of the woolsey fire through

still more residential neighborhoods. already tens of thousands have been forced to flee. our miguel almaguer >> reporter: lester, good evening. this is what so many neighborhoods look like tonight in southern california. block after block just destroyed. firefighters say it was a single ember that lit this entire neighborhood. one ember. tonight they're worried about those santa ana winds, concerned that the same thing could happen all over again. this is what the firefight looks like in the mountains outside los angeles. the air attack swooping in just above ltimillion dollar homes on the brink of disaster. >> i am surrounded by fire. >> reporter: many unstoppable wall of fire, a vortex of smoke and flames closing in. >> it was a tornado. it wasn't going like this. it was swirling. >> reporter: firefighters faced a

hell escape, losing more homes over the weekend and two new flare-ups today causing panic on the freeway. in neighborhoods like this one where brush fires are burning, they could easily ignite nearby homes. across the state, the damage and devastation is staggering. the death toll climbing to at least 31. more than 7,000 structures have burned, while tonight across california, 70,000 homes are still in the path of fire. how quickly is this fire jumping from hill to hill? >> very fast. very fast. >> reporter: destroying subdivisions in the west valley and mansions in malibu. neil young, miley cyrus and actor gerard butler all lost their homes. >> welcome to my home in malibu. >> reporter: everyone grateful for first responders including the president, who himself came under fire for blaming the blaze on california's management of forest land. critics blasting back, calling the statement ill-timed. but tonight, on the

front lines, no time for politics for those facing peril. >> there's nothing left of anything. t tonight mor danger is looming. the winds threatening to unleash hell on earth again. miguel almaguer, nbc news, malibu. >> reporter: i'm steve patterson in paradise, california, where nearly the entire town has been incinerated by towering flames. tonight, crews pushing the front of the fire back with an aerial assault. >> the fire took everything. >> reporter: the camp fire destroying all of it. in paradise, blocks. hundreds missing. whole neighborhoods reduced to ruins. this is what's left in the wake of terrified residents trying to escape. a cars along as so many became trapped. the side of the road and some were burned alive. this rural town now transformed. the images stunning. even the golden arches

are all that's left of this mcdonald's. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: we were with jordana as she came back for the first time. her home in ashes. >> it's like a movie you don't want to be in. >> reporter: at paradise elementary, teachers embrace next to the ruins of a school that stood for 82 years. tonight, as this community comes to grips with what's lost, crews continue to search for the missing as more than 5,000 firefighters battle the most destructive fire in california's history. lester? >> steve, thank you. they're racing against the clock in anfl governors' elections by thursday's deadline. in mississippi, a candidate facing a ntroversy. ht in florida, a race to recount 8 million votes before thursday. republican rick scott had narrowly edged out democrat senator bill nelson on election night. but today a judge refusing a scott

request to impound counting machines in democratic broward county when they're not in use, instead requesting three sheriff's deputies guard ballots and issuing in warning. >> ramp down the rhetoric. >> reporter: that comes after scott charged medicnelson with fraud. >> bill nelson is clearly a sore loser. >> reporter: and president trump tweeting today, an honest vote count is not possible, ballots massively infected, must go with election night. but so far no evidence has been found of launch an investigation. questions surround broward county and s hose office in 2016 was found to have destroyed ballots, and this year admitting she counted 22 provisional ballots that had already been rejected. have there been mistakes? >> uh, there have been issues that go the way we wanted. so we can call it a

mistake. >> reporter: democrats tonight firing back. >> and one fact is that rick scott isn't interested in making sure every lawful vote is counted. >> reporter: nelson's campaign believes one machine in broward county malfunctioned, skipping close to 25,000 votes. kerry sanders, nbc news, broward county, florida. >> reporter: i'm ronalen. tonig -- ron allen. a remark by cindy hyde-smith at a campaign stop has gone viral. the crowd laughed but the apparent joke about watching a hanging was called sick. in a history with racial violence and with a candidate running against hyde-smith, mike espy, is african-american. >> those comments we heard are disappointing, they're hurtful and harmful. >> i put out a statement yesterday. >> reporter: hyde-smith said, i

referred to accepting an invitation to a speaking statement. i used an exaggerated expression of regard. any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous. >> i can tell you there was no ill will in her heart. we just should not have this. >> reporter: the race heating up, the runoff election now 15 days away. ron allen, nbc news. there is late word tonight from melania trump, a rare statement from the first lady over something former first lady michelle obama revealed in her book.thin as ss an eyebrow raise after michelle obama debebcews what happened when she told melania trump she's just a phone call away, when they met in 2016. >> you wrote about how you extended that same courtesy to melania trump. has she reached out to you and asked for any help? >> no. no, she hasn't. >> reporter: melania trump's spokesperson brushing that off, telling me mrs. trump is a strong and independent woman who has been navigating her role as first lady

in her own way, adding, when she needs advice on any issue she seeks it from her professional team within the white house. the current first lady's message to the former one, lester. >> hallie, thank you. now to north korea's massive deception exposed as kim jong-un apparently tries to fool the world. tonight, his hidden nuclear bases have been revealed. andrea mitchell has late details. >> reporter: tonight, u.s. officials confirm to nbc news that north korea is still 20 hidden bases like this one and this base with u.s., despite president trump's boasts. >> the missiles have stopped. the rockets have stopped. >>or underground tunnels hiding mobile missiles that can be launched in less than an hour. one base just 50 miles from thousands of u.s. troops at the dmz. only 80 miles from seoul. >> but the north koreans have been trying all along to not give up their

nuclear weapons program and maybe just dismantle part of this program. >> reporter: u.s. officials tell nbc news the cia has long been aware of north korea's deception. so why did president trump say this about president kim jong-un during the midterms? >> we fell in love. >> it's a nutty statement. we have to focus on reality and have rational policy alternatives. this is a threat to the u.s. and its allies. >> reporter: this may be one love affair gone bad. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. tonight tributes an american icon. stan lee, the comic book visionary behind spider-man and a legendary universe of superheroes, has died at 95. harry smith on lee's lasting imprint on american culture. >> reporter: stan lee was the man. he created or co-created most of the roster of marvel com comics' pantheon of

heroes. x-men, iron man, and more, each an outsider with a very believable inside. >> it's no fun reading about somebody who's perfect. you want to read about somebody you identify with, because we've all got problems and we're all flawed. >> reporter: marvel comics started in the pearl '60s. lee and his collaborators were risk takers, writing their characters far rivals. the brand would grow so attractive, disney purchased it in 2009 for $4arvel have dominated the superhero world. >> my son, it is your time. >> reporter: lee, like alfred hitchcock, put a film. >> name? >> stan lee. >> reporter: in the end, lee couldn't help but marvel at his success. >> i still sometimes have trouble believing it, because all i was doing was trying to just make a living.

so all i was doing was having fun. >> enough said. >> reporter: harry smith, nbc news, new york. we have to tell you now about a tragic mistake near chicago that has left a security guard dead and a police officer on administrative leave tonight. now the family of the man who was killed says they want justice. here's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: tonight the family of jamel roberson, a sitke and unjustified. filing a civil rights lawsui a26ear-old. >> t call came out of shots fired at this location. and the police ment responded. >> reporter: 4:05 a.m. sunday, an argument turned into a shootout, according to authorities. roberson's family says jamel was holding down one of the men involved in the fight, waiting for help. but instead, police got there, saw that he was armed, and shot him. all together, five people were injured. the other four expected to survive. roberson was supposed to play the organ

hours later at a local church. >> everybody loved him in the church community. >> reporter: the pastor is stunned. >> how in the world does the security guard get shot by the police? >> reporter: the officer is on paid administrative leave while state police investigate the shoot. roberson's family writing, his life was unexpectedly cut short as he tried to save others from senseless violence. stephanie gosk, nbc news. now to an acknowledgement of a new reality. with so many mass shootings in america, in addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, american students and others are now being taught how to stop the bleed and save the lives of their friends after an active shooter. dr. john torres has >> reporter: it looks like an ordinary day for these high schoolers. >> it's g tngbeo less than zero. >> reporter: except after math class. >> the blood should be stopped. >> reporter: they're training for today's terrible reality. a possible school shooting and how to survive. >> i'm bleeding, save

me, jeffrey. >> reporter: bleeding is the leading cause of death at a mass shooting. but one-third of victims can survive if treated within five minutes. and these kids are learning how to do it. are you preparing these kids for the next parkland, the next las vegas, the next sandy hook? >> i hope not. but in hindsight, yes. >> i want you to turn oreis until no m >> reporter: the teenagers are practicing the same technique i teach combat medics to use on the battlefield. they're learning to appl a she's bleeding a lot, you tut the tourniquet down here? >> no. >> reporter: right. you want it two to three inches above the wound. this doctor was on duty the day of the parkland shooting. >> i saw them all. they all came to us with multiple gunshot wounds to arms, legs, torso. >> reporter: he says the proper use of tourniquets saved lives when every second counted. georgia is the first state to offer the training to every public school.

even to bus drivers. as for the students -- >> we may not want to talk about it because it's sad or something that shouldn't be happening in our communities. but it's happening. >> at the end of the day, our job, with this knowledge, is to make sure that the least amount of people die. >> reporter: students learning a simple skill they hope they'll never have to e. georgia. >> and that's the world we live in. also ahead tonight, the over a disturbing photo of dozens of students appearing to give a nazi salute. surprise move by the vatican that has survivors of sex abuse furious. and those who serve. a new start for an american military family that made the ultimate sacrifice.

next tonight, the photo that's created a firestorm. it appears to show dozens of students from a wisconsin high school giving a nazi salute before the prom. here is ron mott. >> reporter: tonight, this photo of male students at a wisconsin high school performing what looks like a nazi salute, another displaying a hand gesture associated with white nationalism, is

raising red flags worldwide. the photo, taken last spring, jordan blue stood on the last row among the few who did not raise his arm. >> if i knew what was happening, i would have not been in that photo at that time because i don't believe that is right. >> reporter: the auschwitz memorial among the firo to find hard to educate. auschwitz with its gas as at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred. the school district calls the gestures extremely inappropriate, launching an investigation and exploring a possible legal action. police assisting in the case. in the town tonight, outrage. >> i think it's very disturbing. i definitely think it doesn't represent the overall attitude of this area. >> reporter: a prom night photo to remember for all the wrong reasons. ron mott, nbc news. up next, as we continue tonight, what the vatican did today that left many shocked and speaking out tonight. stay with us.

a shocking move todameeting of american catholic leaders. just as the u.s. bishops conference was about to vote about the response to the sex abuse coverup, the vatican stepped in to delay it. our anne thompson is there with more. >> reporter: confusion isappointment among the american bishops, asked by rome to table action on the sex abuse crisis until a global meeting in february. >> what do you say to people whose pain can't wait until february? >> what i can say is, we sense a certain amount of pain ourselves. we are working with you on your behalf. >> reporter: outside the conference, outrage from survivors. >> i am stunned and disappointed. >> reporter: accusing the vatican of sending the wrong message. >> his message should have been, that's it, i want >> reporter: a watchdog group demanding the bishops release the names of all abusive priests.

>> we don't need the vatican's permission for that to occur. >> reporter: an idea with support from some bishops. >> my own viewshat we should m .toward complete means a different response from bishops, says survivor luis >> reporter: and that torres jr. >> you were not called to be princes.be the priests t you were called to be. >> reporter: to rebuild a damaged faith. anne thompson, nbc news, baltimore. up next, those who serve. and the brand-new chapter for the family of a fallen hero. away.

we )re tracking the most destructive fi a cal fire update is just minutes away. we're tracking the most destructive fire in california history and what it's doing to the air. also, how safe are those scooters that are popping up across b as we observe veterans day today, i thought it was a good time to update you on a family i first told you about in 2015 who had lost a loved one finding for our country in afghanistan. in tonight's those who serve, an exciting new chapter. >> reporter: for christina strange and her 7-year-old daughter arianna.

keys. >> reporter: this new home is a new beginning. what was like to have the key, turn the lock, and walk into your home? >> really tijust refreshing to felt forgotten a lot forgotten, the feeling shared by some military families after losing a loved one. >> this is the little setup. >> reporter: i first met christina after her fiance, army sergeant raymond morris, was killed in afghanistan in 2014. >> he had said that he was a couple of weeks out from coming home. and i got that e-mail on thursday. and it happened on friday. >> reporter: at the time, christina, like many other grieving families, felt lost. >> we have matching pillows. >> reporter: but now, three years later, she's turned a corner, her by in part to theo the sph tunnel twert of a nonprofit's new program supporting

gold starfamilies. >> we literally were homeless when he died. like, he was our home. that was our safe place. i have never hung pictures up of our family where we've lived since he died. >> reporter: can you do that now? >> i can do that now, yeah. i'm really excited to do it. >> and a new home for the holidays. good for them. that's "nightly news" for this monday. i'm lester holt. thank you for watchiwhen will the smoke go a? our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is tracking the right now at 6:00, when will the smoke go away? our chief meteorologist is tracking the unhealthy aveco a new update from cal fire moments away. this is a liveo kp a close eye on this news conference that's . the news at 6:00 starts right

now. >> the goal tonight, trying to contain the flames before they hit the oroville dam. >> we do expect these numbers to change after we get the briefing from cal fire in a few mips. 113,000 acres burned, 180 square miles. 25% contained. more than 6,000 homes destroyed, another 260 businesses are gone. the death toll remains at 29. that's expected to rise, because there are so many people still reported missing. three firefighters have also been injured. we've also learned within the past 15 minutes that president trump has officially signed off on that as well. >> let's give you a live look at the