patterson is tonight. steve, good evening. >> reporter: kate this, community now filled with grim scenes like this, cars gutted by walls of fire. in some cases they became tombs for residents and as we also know about this town no one is giving up on paradise. tonight at the front line of california's most destructive wildfire an aggressive response. with improved conditions, more than 4,000 firefighters are putting everything into battling the scat stro -- the catastrophic camp fire. paradise is in ruins. scores mission and whole neighborhoods burned to the ground. >> it was a beautiful place. >> reporte jim clarkson, a cancer survivor, has led here for 30 years. >> wow. >> reporter: we were discovered his home gone. >> you can see over here what it was like. it was gorgeous. just start over, you know. yeah, it's the tough part about living in padise is, you know, there's fires that come through. >> reporte nearby at a community meeting will, family members made desperate pleas for missing loved ones, som

back to you. >> steve patterson, and thank you. mr. ralston, you can pick it up there, who is turning out? >> well, andrea, it is close, and both parties agree that the turn outhas been whatsee that s confirmed it, but jackie rosen has a slight edge after the early voting number with the democrats with a 3.5% advantage, but huge here in clark county with more than 47,000 vote, and that is what the democrats try to do in the statewide a races is to build up a big bank of votes in clark kocounty to offs what might happen on the election day, because the republicans come out in greater numbers and the independents sometimes they will tilt towards the republicans, and the democrats feel pretty good, but i think that they are also very nervous. >> and john, it is kasie hunt, and great to see you. my question for you is watching the president in the last couple of weeks here really trying hard to win in senate races like in missouri and the themes he has been hitting, the birthright citizenship is just one of the many immigration-related the

steve patterson has the inspiring america report. >> reporter: in a place where it seems there is nothing left to e thankful for, today, this is hope in the heart of this community. 800 volunteering serving those who lost everything. >> we had it allpl anned out. >> what better place used to come where people really need soup. >> celebrity chef jose and his nonprofit kitchen have cooked for disaster viabilities around the globe and ing souls is the best way to lift spirits. >> all these people you see here wouldn't be anywhere else. it makes america the country it is. we the people together. >> reporter: including chef guy who makes sure the turkey is sliced to perfection. >> thanksgiving is giving thanks we're fortunate to be in the situation to help tether people. >> rep patty rough is grateful to see her family smile. >> it really warms our hearts that, you know, we had a place to go together since we lost our house in paradise. >> reporter: to the chefs, food is love is thanksgiving, there is plenty to go around. >> happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: steve patterson, nbc news, chicco, c

steve patterson, nbc news, paradise, california. >>> let's turn to the major outbreak of chickenpox, the worst north carolina seen in 20 years and officials there say the epicenter of the outbreak is a school where many children have not been vaccinated. we get the latest from nbc's ann thompson. >> reporter: tonight in north carolina, so far 36 students at ashville waldorf school have come down with chickenpox. a private school with one of the highest religious exemption rates in the state 110 of the 152 students do not have the chickenpox vaccine. >> vaccines work and prevent the spread of illnesses. when we lack the protection of vaccines, we see outbreaks. >> reporter: while vaccines are required in north carolina, students can be exempt for religious and medical reasons. >> we have a lot of people, a lot of elderly people that go to church that could be contaminated due to the outbreak. >> reporter: experts say the new outbreak shows why vaccines are critical. >> when you see chickenpox spread through a community because of low vaccination rates, that's the canary in a coal mine

nbc's steve patterson met some of the people there. >> reporter: in the span of just one day, a community reeling from what felt like insurmountable tragedy was struck again. a fast-moving wilpaire srking widespread evacuations, 24 hours after a mass shooting. >> it's kind of like mother nature kicking us while we're down. >> reporter: ventura county aeriff was on scene after a shooter opened fir the borderline bar & grill including one police officer. >> if ever there was somebody that embodied the word hero, he's it. i mean, he died a hero. >> reporter: then after working 19 hours, he and his family, others,th thousands of were forced to evacuate. dozens of homes destroyed. how do you dea with all that? >> i don't know. i don't know. there's no p ybook for this to be honest with you. to have these two incidents overlapping each other is unprecedented. >> reporter: at the center of both tragedies the thousand teen center, first a reunification center for devastated families north korea an evacuation center. >> emotions are high and varying. eporter: the red cross working around the clock

>> steve patterson, thank you. >>> now back to the midterms. votes are still being counted, key races not yet called in ten states. but much of the focus now on florida, where too close to call theaces for senator and governor. nbc's ron allen explains where things stand now. >> reporter: the nation's midterm elections still incomplete with a laser focus on florida's first-ever statewide recount. with the governor's office and a senator's seat up for grabs, passions are running high. >> we are standing up for our rights to have every vote counted, which i think nobody on either side should ever oppose. >> reporter: democrats and florida law demand a recount as republicans claim there's been fraud. >> you folks have sat in here and heard repeatedly how people voted twice, people voted in h. okay? we heard that. >> boo! >> reporter: today florida officials ordered a recount of more than 8 million ballots. the margin is razor thin. in the senate race, rick scott leads bill nelson by less than 13,000 votes. in the governor's race, congressman ron d

. >> reporter: i'm steve patterson near paradise, california, where the entire town has been incinerated by towering flames. crews pushing the front of the fire back with an aerial assault. >> the fire took everything. >> reporter: the campfire destroying all of it. in paradise blocks gutted it, whole neighborhoods reduced to wins. edis ist's left in the wake of terrifi residents trying to escape, a site we've seen all over town. cars discarded along theof sid the road as so many became trapped 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 d. >> 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. >>> as this community comes to grip with what's lost, crews continue to search for the missing as more than 5,0 firefighters battle the most destructive fire in california's history. >> that was steve

steve patterson, nbc news, carlsbad, california. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be back hereomrow. i'm kate snow. for all of us here at nbc news, hope you had >>> nbc sports, homef the olympic games, the nhl, the nascar playoffs, the indianapolis 500 and prime time's number one show, "sunday night football," only on nbc. >> lk around you, man. tens of thousands of people came to see you pla♪football. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> you guys take it, man. ♪ let me show you wt it's all about ♪ >> this is one of the nfl's great riva

here's steve patterson. >> reporter: its undeniable beauty spreading over 5,000 acres. while many coloradoans can't resist the trails. >> i've within waiting for years for this park to open. >> reporter: others who know the history of this place won't set foot here. >> rocky flats is a nuclear weapons plant located on the edge of denver. >> reporter: a cold war relic, rocky flats turned out plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs from 1952 to 1989. >> shut down rocky point. >> reporter: then it was shuttered after a series of fires, leaks and spills. now, after a $7 billion cleanup this long untouched land has reopened to the public as a wildlife refuge. the government calling it safe, but nearby resident elizabeth panzer disagrees. >> i believe will never be safe. >> reporter: she blames her son's rare cancer on contaminants to the site. doctors never found a link but she is joining activists in a lawsuit against the federal government in an effort to shut down the park. >> if there's plutonium sediment in our soil, it will track into our neighborhoods, our homes, our sch

steve patterson joins us from chico, california. there are now reports of some of the survivors there saying that the warnings to evacuate from authorities were essentially too little too late. what more can you tell us about that? >> reporter: craig, as we've been saying the town of paradise has been almost completely wiped off the map. when we have spoken to survivors it's been in those little towns and cities that surround paradise and at the evacuation camps that we've been able to get to. you know, when survivors do see the peacock, they come up to us, usually with stories of abject loss, you know, personal stories of survival, but lately over the last few days we have heard a lot of anger that there was little in the way of warnings, if any at all, and so obviously survivors worried about what happened the day that firestorm erupted. keep in mind, paradise is something of a retirement, sort of a peaceful community, a place to hang up your boots at the end of the day because, you know, frankly a lot of california is so expensiv

steve patterson is traveling door to door with union workers as they canvas communities. he joins us live right now. steve, who do you got there? >> we have james and alfonso, one of 200 culinary workers spread out across las vegas going door to door trying to get out the vote. these guys are probably going to hit about 90 houses. that's where the confusion in the numbers was. they're mainly targeting obviously the latino vote is such a huge decisive vote in this election, specifically about 28% of the population here in nevada is latino, so that's what these guys are doing. they're focussed, they're targeting those homes and neighborhoods that would pertain to the latino vote. to get the party started, as you mentioned, jimmy kimmel was in the house, getting everybody rallied up, ready to go, we stopped in and spoke to him, about why he thinks this race in particular is so important. listen to this. >> i'm from las vegas. i grew up here, and this is a swing state, as you know, and jackie happened to work with my dad at suma corporation here in las vegas for many years, a

join me from chico, california, is nbc news correspondent steve patterson. steve, you've been up there a week now. a lot of folks that are unaccounted for, there's hope they just don't realize it but i imagine folks are steeling themselves for the worst. >> there's an unfortunate level of expectation when that number was read, it threw a lot of people that are covering this off guard. i think reporters aren't used to covering an entire town that's been completely destroyed but the people who saw the firestorm and know the community well well say that number doesn't surprise them. so what's happening now is there is a lot of people staying in the shelters. we're at a red cross shelter right now. about 180 people are here as we speak and we've been finding folks looking for their loved ones. you can see them posted on the board. look at the amount of names on the list. one name, sheila santos, right here. and standing right below her is her daughter tammy kinike. you said you drove from ohio to search for your mom. you also had other missing family members. wh

with the surge in early voting, steve patterson is in las vegas, trying to get the vote out. walk us through what's happening. steve, good day to you. >> alex, what's happening right now is jimmy kimmel is in the building, farther in the back corner sort of taking pictures with folks, getting everybody excited, and ready to canvass. about 200 strong here at the culinary union. what's happening more broadly is an extreme sense of excitement and engagement like we haven't seen before. sometimes one, two, three hours long lines. early voting is now over. that blows away what happens in 2014. people here realize how important this senate race is between democrat jackie rosen, incumbent dean heller. democrats have set over and over again if there is a path of victory, it has to run to this state. democrats have to win. one of the biggest keys is more than 28% of the state's population is latino. one organization that has a big focus is this culinary union. more than 57,000 strong, 50% of the union is latino, supported by latino families. so that is a huge target that these canvass

steve patterson, remarkable reporting. thank you so much. >>> and up next, what the president says versus what intelligence shows about north korea's nuclear capabilities. is the threat really gone? stay with us. gone? stay with us ♪ the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? now when you go out, you cash in. whooo! want to take your next vacation to new heights? tripadvisor now lets you book over a hundred thousand tours, attractions, and experiences in destinations around the world! like new york! from bike tours, to bus tours, to breathtaking adventures, tripadvisor makes it easy to find and book amazing things to do. so you can make your next trip... monumental! read reviews check hotel prices book things to do tripadvisor >>> new developments on north korea. a korea. a new report claims the regime is continuing its work on its ballistic missile program. a separate analysis by the middle bury institute of international

steve patterson is there. he is with republican candidate danny tarkanian at his campaign headquarters in las vegas. steve. >> reporter: ayman, this is another razor tight race here in the state of nevada. this is for the third congressional district. this is danny tarkanian. this is for jackie rosen's seat. she's running in that super tight senate race now. she's vacated that seat. that's what this fight is about. danny, why is this race so tight? i think i've seen every poll within the margin of error. you've seen it within .1 or something like that. >> everything we're seeing is within half a point to a point. it's a very close district both registration wise and in history the way it's turned nout previo -- out in previous elections. the democrats have targeted this. they spent $9 million in third party money and made it very close. >> last stretch, what are you telling voters? >> we want to get our voters out to vote. we've identified who our voters are. we have one day left of 15 day voting here in nevad

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joining me is steve patterson in chico, california, and steve, the fire is not entirely contained yet, and they are looking for a lot of people. do they expect to find potentially more bodies in that n the remains of the fire? >> yeah, that is the expectation, katy. they have much more t o go to sift through the ruins of the city that was completely destroyed. the rain though it is a welcomed sight. there are drawbacks to it, and part of it is with the search effort and i will get to that in a second, but as you mentioned the fire is not completely out, but mostly out. and 95% containment since the rain is falling around and the first marketable rain that we have seen in the last few months and the first time to the walk outside of your house because of the rain and not feel like you are smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. the air quality has improved and the containment numbers have shot up. and it is really has been pushing back the front of the fire, and the firefighters are hoping to get a knockout blow possibly this weekend for the first time where no homes are threatened by th

steve patterson is at jacky rosen's senate race headquarters in league. a big night for the democrat. >> with jacky rosen still on stage, this was a prime target for the democrats from minute one because dean heller was the only senator running for re-election in a state that hillary clinton won in many 2016 so a big bull's eye on this senate race. she mentioned one of the keys to victory. you heard in her speech the number 226. that is the culinary union here in nevada, one of the biggest organizing boys in the entire state. 57,000 members strong, half of those members more than half are latino. more than half are women. the latino such a key vote in this state. more than 28% of the state is latino. we've been watching him mobilize. went out several times canvassing them. by their estimate, they did an estimated 400,000 door knocks. that is a supreme amount of coverage in a place like clark county which is 70% of the electorate in the state. she won clark county and washoe county where reno is. that usually goes to republicans. she won in key places wher

. >> 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 the side of the road as so many became trapped. 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, th

. >> as we hear from nbc's steve patterson, it was a result of an unlikely friendship that developed over the years. >> this is my favorite place in the house right here. >> reporter: for craig coley this moment has been decades in the making. >> what's it like to have your own house? >> i feel very blessed to be who i am because of where i was. >> reporter: in 1978 coley was arrested for the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her son. >> i was angry, bitter, they sent me to folsom prison. >> he had no hope until a former detective mike bender took a fresh look at the case in 1989. >> there really was never a doubt in my mind he didn't do it. >> greg's freedom became mike's life work. >> i started going through the murder book and there was a ton of red flags. >> in 2017 craig was padded for the crime. >> he said you are a free man, you have no conviction, you are going home and i just balled like a baby. >> the two men now great friends consider each other family and mike is helping craig adjust to life out of prison. he's gotten a driver's license, car, a bank account and he's even l

nbc's steve patterson is in chico where the world central kitchen is doing what it can to make the holidays special for the victims there. >> and yes, kasie, this is the epitome of bittersweet. thanksgiving marks exactly two week since the camp fire broke out and started to cut through nor northern california and destroying the entire town of paradise, and right now, so many outside of the homes to try to figure out what to do for thanksgiving, and one of the solutions is right here. this is the campus of chico state. you can see the people cooking behind me. they are cooking for 15,000 meals, and trying to get people fed in the holidays after they have been displaced from the homes, and one of the people cooking is guy fieri, and i dont n don't know if you know him, but you probably do, and he is here organizing the troops. >> i will put that on you. >> and tell me why you are here and why this is important. >> umm, this is -- this fire, this fire that has happened, and the people who have been displaced is to a level they don't think that anybody could understand. in california, very clos

nbc's steve patterson is there. i've watched your coverage. there's no other way to describe the scene where you are, other than post apocalyptic. how are people coping? >> it's heartbreaking, devastating. people are coming as best they can, knowing that about every manmade structure in this area has been reduced to rubble. it is not hyperbole to say at this point, in this town, just about this entire town has been wiped often the map. we were with a fire captain going door to door trying to estimate on people's homes. he's estimated 10% of homes are still standing. i don't know if you can see it. this is a school, elementary classroom. you can see twisted metal desks sort of charred and left smoldering in the background. this scene is everywhere. everywhere we go. normally you'll find pockets or neighborhoods that have gone up and been destroyed. literally every neighborhood we went to is gone, reduced to rubble. we spoke to so many people that have lost their homes that are trying to find out information about their homes. that fire captain,

steve patterson is in orange county, california. we'll get to steve in just a moment, but we start with catie beck. she is there in marietta, georgia. the crowd already on hand. they seem to be ready for oprah. what's the vibe there, catie? >> reporter: lots of energy and excitement around the oprah visit, craig. there is a line wrapped around this building. some of the fans have been waiting since 6:00 this morning for an event that starts at 12:30. this line, these people, this energy, this is just representative of what the bigger picture is here on the ground in georgia. early voting totals are through the roof. they are up 140% from 2014 's midterms. that is an astronomical increase, and it's all because of this hotly contested governor's race. they are just letting folks in. 11:00, it starts at 12:30. these are some big stacy abrams oprah fans. why is this election so important to you? >> this election is extremely important to me. we're just ready for change here in georgia, and i'm just super, super, super excited. >> now, y

nbc's steve patterson reports. >> reporter: in paradise, more heartbreak. >> we have nothing left. we have nowhere to go. no one knows what to do. we're all living minute by minute out here. >> reporter: search crews still digging for any sign of nearly 1,000 residents listed missing. a painfully slow process that gets more difficult with each passing day. rain is forecast later this week, which raises the possibility of mudslides and makes searches even more difficult, though it could help contain the fire. >> we'll get through it, because we're going to get through it together. >> reporter: so many still desperately hoping to find friends and family. >> you have reached the voicemail box -- >> that's all i get. >> let us know you're okay, buddy. >> reporter: just over one year ago, susan lost her home in another disastrous northern california fire that destroyed entire neighborhoods in santa rosa. >> the hills behind our house were just glowing with fire. i could see the flames shooting up into the sky. we left with the clothes on our back. >> reporter: she and her husband fled t

nbc's steve patterson is in henderson, nevada, just outside of las vegas. steve, i spoke to you two weeks ago when you were in the same polling place in henderson. it was a mall, busy then with early voting and it looks as busy, if not busier, now. >> yes, ali, i'm wondering if you're getting deja vu. i'm in the same place we spoke to you last time. the lines were long then and it's long now. the great thing about nevada, they have open voting centers. it could be a grocery store or parking lot or shopping mall. that's where we're in henderson. ne nbc contributor, he was on earlier, just blasted out in a tweet 95,000 people voted in clark county so far. the biggest county in nevada, 70% of the electorate. that number is slightly higher than 2014, slightly lower than 2016, the presidential election. ky tell from you talking to people online, there's excitement on both sides. i have proof of that right now. this is our voter who just came back, jordan lewis. >> i did, yes. >> jordan, why are you voting? >> i'm voting because i think it's time to make a change

chris jansing and steve patterson, thank you, our road warriors today. and in the studio, to michael and brian. let's drill down on the president's choice of closing message, and you a former republican chairman and former lieutenant governor of state of maryland and the closing message is that the migrants are coming to get you and we are sending the troops to the border, and we will talk about, that and the arguable policy there, and making up numbers, and you know -- >> it is all a lie. >> and the people and the immigrants and how quickly they are coming and the borders, and all of this, and when he could be talking about a jobs report and the first big inkrecrease i wage, and why not making the argument about the economy that might appeal to those women who might thenning a free with their husbands? >> because it is not sexy for the base. talking about good job numbers and republicans have not been talking about the economic surge that has occurred under this president, and system of it is directed by the policies, and others a holdover from the obam

nbc's steve patterson is in hard-hit radise, california. steve? >> reporter: phillip, this town is now filled with grim scenes just like this. rows of cars destroyed by walls of flames and in some cases they served as tombs for terrified residents trying to escape. as we also found, no one in this town is giving up on paradise. at the front line of california's most destructive wildfire, ane aggress response. with improved conditions, more than 4,000 firefighters are putting everything into battling the catastrophic camp fire.se paras in ruins. scores are missing. whole neighborhoods burned to the ground. >> it was a beautiful place. >> reporter: jim clarkson a cancer survivor, has lived here for 30 years. >> wow. >> reporter: we were with him when he discovered his home >> you could see over here what it was like. it w gorgeous. you start over, you know? yeah,t's the toughart about living in paradise is there's fires that come through. >> reporter: nearby at a community meeting, family members made desperate pleas for missing loved ones, som find

that is where we find steve patterson. he is at a restaurant where an organization world central kitchen is pitching in to help, and steve, this is what we love to see people doing in times like this, lending a hand. >> reporter: and lending a hand is so necessary in this crisis. you're talking about as we've been saying, you know, the death toll 56, hundreds of people still missing. thousands of firefighters battling the flames on the front lines, hundreds of search and rescue teams now digging through those ruins in paradise. and look, somebody has to feed those people. you see the operation here, dozens of volunteers working in concert, never missing a beat, doing all they can to help. they're with, as we mentioned, the world central kitchen. this organization goes to disasters all over the world. we have romero right here. he's the volunteer coordinator. what is the operation like at this point? what are you working on? >> right now we've been working about 8,000 to 10,000 meals a day, and we've seen numbers come up, a

steve patterson is in chico, california, for us. steve, what are you seeing? >> i think obviously the first thing we have to talk about is that number. every night at about 6:00 p.m. sharp pacific we get an update on the numbers. usually it is about a half dozen dead. so that is as expected. what wasn't expected is a boost from 500 of number of people missing from the last time we got an update. of course, with very to talk about paradise which is largely a retirement community. a lot of people don't have sophisticated smart phone technology. the hope is these people are in shelters and places they have not reported yet. but that is obviously a lot of people. where we are right now is chico. this is kind of a make shift grassroots donation center. of just popped up when the need arose. there is toiletries, items for childcare, clothing, all of this came sort of out of goodness of people's hearts. what we aren't showing you is on the other side of this where there is a tent city, a very sad sight where people are sleeping. we don't want to be there to disturb t

steve patterson, nbc news, paradise, california. >> reporter: i'm kathy park in bell canyon, california. tonight santa ana winds back with a vengeance giving the woolsey fire more strength and spready flames over southern california. >> how crazy is that? >> reporter: these two astounded by how far it's happening. >> like in minutes. >> reporter: from the ocean to the valley, the fire continues its path of destruction. >> there was a wall of flames that came through. i just ran in the house and watched from the windows. >> reporter: firefighters putting their own lives on the line, racing through the firestorm to protect homes. attacks from the air and on the ground, fatigued firefighters are working around the clock. how ang in. >> we're tired, but this is what we do. >> reporter: engine 66 in los angeles mobilizing in minutes to knock down flare-ups before moving out. >> we're trying to get control of them so they don't throw any embers and the fire spreads. >> reporter: these spot fires are popping up all over, but it doesn't long for these fire fighters to arrived on the scene. the

steve patterson, in chico, california. >>> mark zuckerberg insists he's not going anywhere and facebook can be a force for good. today, 97% of employers agree that skills like teamwork, attention to detail, and customer service are critical to business success. like the ones we teach here, every day. and customer service are critical to business success. my mom washes the dishes... ...before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. wow, that's clean! cascade platinum. >>> mark zuckerberg isn't going anywhere. when asked by cnn if he would consider stepping down, he said, quote, that's not the plan. after a very bad year for the social media giant, the cambridge analytica scandal, lingering questions about russian interference and this month's report about the company's internal dealings, it's clear that something at facebook needs to change. joining me now is our guest. good to see you, thank you for being with us. >> thank you, thanks for having me. happy thanksgiving

steve patterson. steve, as if what's going on in there isn't more than any family oar any community should have to bear, there are now reports of norovirus breaking out at some of those shelters. what can you tell us about that? >> in fact, it broke out at this shelter, this is one of the shelters in chico. about 180 people are station here at this point. most are more elderly citizens, as we found out, obviously paradise more of a retirement community. so why don't we bring in tony brigs with the red cross. our ka our anchor was asking about the norovirus. what can you tell us about what's happening here? >> we're just making sure we educate our residents on proper hand washing techniques and our red sox workers are making sure we're using sanitizer, and areas where people would touch to make sure we keep everything under control. >> are some people being quarantined or sectioned off? >> the best way to make sure that we keep our hands on this is to to have those who have been showing symptoms to go

nbc's steve patterson has that

steve patterson is in the fire-ravaged town of paradise. good morning. >> reporter: craig, rain is on the way. in this case, it's a double-edged sword. it's likely to help firefighters trying to contain the flames on the front lines and may hinder crews here that are digging through the delicate wreckage, with so many looking for answers in their lost loved ones. they're faced with a grim task. search crews combing through the ruins of paradise, hoping to bring closure to families of the missing. >> if we can check in on that area, we can at least rest clear that we got the people out. >> reporter: while the death toll continues to rise, the number of people unaccounted for has dropped, now fewer than 700. >> it's been tough on everybody. >> reporter: the butte county sheriff says not everyone on the list is among the dead. >> the public has to understand that the data is not refined and we may have fluctuation going up and down. >> reporter: right now, with thousands displaced, emergency workers are preparing for another challenge, winter

. >> the nbc new continues to report from the front line, and we spoke with steve patterson about what he's seeing rs for joining us from the fire lines. i know you have a lot of experience covering wildfires like this one. you're here in butte county. what are you seeing firsthand? >> first of all, nothing compares to this. those napa fires obviously terrible. the loss of life, the magnitude, the size, the scope. but seeing this, being completely surrounded by ruins of an american town, and in all directions, there's almost nothing but just destruction, it is incredible. we were maybe not 15 minutes ago with the search crews tragic, g meticulous work, because they have to come through basically everything. there was an estimate before we came in today from an unnamed official that said maybe less than 20% of the town had actually been searched for remains. rain is coming in just a few days. that's going to complicate things on the ground. so officials are once again embroiled in this race against time, doing the work as fast as possible, to get as much done as possible, for these fami

steve patterson on the ground in paradise, california. i thank you for your tireless reporting out there. tell me about the efforts you're seeing on the ground in paradise. the fact there are almost 1,000 people not accounted for? what's going on? >> you've been talking about the numbers. nearly 1,000 that are missing. the number that everybody is talking about right now, the immediate number on everybody's mind is 20, which is 20%. that comes from an unnamed official in an nbcnews.com article that estimates maybe less than 20% of residences have actually been searched for remains. what that means, if it's true, is that officials and search crews on the ground have a lot of work ahead of them to try to search as much of them as possible for people who are looking for answers at this point. this week, there is finally for the first time in a long time rain in the forecast. not only in southern california and here in northern california. of course, there are favorable conditions for fight fighters. the problem is, firefighters have pushed t

nbc's steve patterson is in the hard-hit town of paradise. steve, what are you seeing on the ground right now? and are conditions slightly better this hour than they have been? >> reporter: well, you can see what i'm seeing right here. i mean, this is the school. this is what i would imagine is a classroom. it's an elementary school, burned to the ground. ruins litter this town. it's all over. every neighborhood that you go, there is something that is man-made that has now been incinerated and destroyed. it's hyperbole to say that this neighborhood is wiped out. we were with a team, local guys that grew up in paradise, in this community, given the hard task of knowing community members, getting in touch with them, and then going home to home to see what home has survived and what homes had burned to the ground. i spoke to the captain last night, he said he did about 100 of those welfare checks. less than 10% of the homes he actually checked were standing. again, this home charred out by this fire. one of the haunting things, you've seen the c

steve patterson is at tarkanian headquarters. steve, good speaking with you. tell us what's happening. >> reporter: richard, it's a very busy day for getting out to vote here. this is tarkanian's headquarters. you can see people working the phones. in a few minutes they'll be out hitting the street. this is a very interesting race, because it's kind of an inverse from what we've seen in the senate race we've been telling you about where democrats think they have a huge opportunity to pick up a seat there. here the gop is focused on picking up a seat. remember, this is jackie rosen's seat. she is the democrat running for senate, so she has to vacate her seat in order to do that. the gop playing offense in this race. we have richard hernandez, communications for the campaign. we've seen in so many congressional district, especially suburban districts. maybe the public distancing themselves from the president. here it seems to be more of a wholesale embrace. how big of a role is the president in this race and is that a role strategy? >> all nevadana would agree t

nbc's steve patterson is live outside of a tent city in chico, california. i want you to help us understand. first, a tent city? what exactly is that. walk us through the numbers. even though you've been there a week, you're just as shocked. >> absolutely surreal situation. we have to on the ground almost rethink the way we covered this thing. it's long since stopped being containment numbers. this is a humanitarian crisis in the middle of the united states. in some cases, people getting sick, lab confirmed cases of the norovirus. if people aren't lucky enough to be in one of those shelters -- remember, these people left in several cases with just the shirts on their back. they're living outside in the cold, maybe about 45 degrees in the dark of night. if we can come back here and look at this. this is sort of a bizarre of sorts, a grassroots pop-up donation center with clothing and food and items for children. there's a food truck that feeds people 24 hours a day. not run by the salvation army or red cross or any agency. this is simply out of the goodness o

>> let's head to vegas, steve patterson is there talking to voters. democrats have a chance there, to take back the senate if they flip the seat. talk to me about how tense it is on the ground. >> good evening from the strip, in a state where you may be able to say that tense is an understatement. that's because this race for senate, is razor thin between jackie rosen and dean heller. as we've been saying for a long time. heller is the only gop senator running for re-election in a state that went for hillary clinton. in 2016. that means that this is a prime target for the democrats, which means you better believe this is a huge day for getting out the vote. we spent the day with the culinary union here in nevada. that's 57,000 members strong, all supporting rosen, more than 200 went out canvassing every corner of vegas. we went from neighborhood to neighborhood to neighborhood. and they were whipped up as you mentioned, by the support of jimmy kimmel, who said he's been sporting his friend rosen for a long time. he's here for the democrats cornerstone

steve patterson in chico, california. steve, what's the situation on the ground like right now? >> reporter: the longer you spend in paradise, california, the more you can truly get a sense and realize just how much is left, which is next to nothing. we're here in chico because firefighters just had their first briefing for the day, getting updated numbers, more information about the situation on the ground which is somewhat positive. first we got the bad news last night, as you mentioned 13 more bodies discovered, ten of them in paradise alone. the information here is that thankfully the critical fire danger from the critical weather events that we see, meaning red flag winds, that is over at this point. that could change, obviously, as the winds could pick up at any time in this situation, but right now, firefighters are dealing with more favorable conditions, so they're able to push that fire sort of away from the city centers to the southwest and the southeast. talking to one of the fire battalion chiefs, though, this is incredibleme. this is part of what they are doing. the

nbc news's steve patterson has more from the ground. >> reporter: it's painfully slow work that gets more difficult with each passing day. search crews combing through the ruins of paradise looking for remains of loved ones lost to the fire. >> there are a lot of people that want some answers. they are depending on us to find their loved one. >> reporter: with the death toll rising daily, close to a thousand are unaccounted for. >> it's all gone. >> reporter: firefighter paramedic dave smith responded in the first few hours as flames raged through town. the fire personal, smith's sister and nephew barely escaped before their home was consumed. >> it's tough. it's tough. so looking forward and very thankful -- looking forward to thanksgiving getting everybody together. >> reporter: others still desperate to find friends and family. >> that's all i get. let us know you're okay, buddy. >> reporter: with the fire still burning, the holidays will be bittersweet. officials say they're worried that rain in the forecast will complicate search efforts on the ground. it's another race against

steve patterson is in las vegas and vaughn hilliard is in phoenix, arizona. vaughn, how is it playing on the ground there in phoenix? >> reporter: good afternoon, david. the arizona state football game is going to be starting here in a couple hours. it's actually my alma mater. but more importantly, martha mcsally is going to be singing the national anthem. and democrat sinema will be doing the coin toss. just two years ago, donald trump won here by just 3 percentage point. the question is has democrat sinema, who has taken the john mccain approach to politics here, is that better than mcsally, who has campaigned with president trump and don jr. was here yesterday. sinema was pulling in about 20% advantage with independence, talking about immigration specifically. they said this is a place here in arizona, a place of immigrants. most people here know of individuals that have either from another country or are just one generation arizonan. so suddenly when you're looking at immigration here in arizona, while it may turn out in parts of the state high support f

nbc's steve patterson joins us live from henderson, nevada. >> steve, you're at the galleria mall, expected to be the busiest polling place in all of clark county. it looks pretty busy right now. >> reporter: yeah, the mall is just opening up. i love the fact that i'm in a mall. one of my favorite things about the state of nevada, they have opened up these expanded voting centers. so it could be your local library, we've seen pop-up tents in parking lots and polling places in malls. you can see the line has been moving very fastly, that's because of my man, phil, back there keeping things moving. very lively atmosphere. people come in with a smile, leave with a smile, enjoy the process of voting in nevada. obviously a lot is at stake here. as you mentioned, that big-time senate race. also the governor's race is competitive and there's a few competitive house races as well. so we're talking to voters. this is dorothy. what issues are important to you? >> i want the teachers to have more pay, the firemen and the policemen. they don't get recognition. i don't believe steve will do that and he