Some land in Chicago after fleeing Los Angeles as wildfires rage
Many said they were relieved to get out in time, but they are still very much concerned with what will be left when they return.
Watch CBS News
Many said they were relieved to get out in time, but they are still very much concerned with what will be left when they return.
It was a feeling of relief for many who arrived at O’Hare Thursday. As Andrew Ramos reports, they described a scene unfolding out west – that was both chaotic and apocalyptic.
The fires have scorched more than 45 square miles of the Los Angeles area—leaving total devastation behind. Tara Molina reports.
Just after noon Thursday, a flight came into O’Hare International Airport from Los Angeles International Airport. As Andrew Ramos reports, the passengers got an eagle’s-eye view of the devastation as the jet passed over the wildfires.
More than 7,500 firefighters are battling five fires covering some 45 square miles.
Some Chicagoans, including CBS News Chicago Investigator Dorothy Tucker's sons, are prepared for the worst as the fires rage.
Charlie De Mar talked with two LA women who live in Chicago. One has already evacuated for the wildfires, while the other is prepared to do so.
Wind gusts are making the fires larger and worse, and are even throwing embers across the street. Leigh Waldman reports.
Jermont Terry reports on the devastating wildfires, and just how broad the reach of the Palisades Fire would be if it happened in the Chicago area.
Some Chicagoans, including CBS News Chicago Investigator Dorothy Tucker’s sons, are prepared for the worst as the fires rage. Marie Saavedra reports.
Fire officials say there is little to no containment of the four fires. Marybel Gonzalez reports.
Jermont Terry has the heart-stopping images coming out of Los Angeles amid the wildfire, while Meteorologist Kylee Miller explains the conditions that are making the horror possible.
The fire is being fueled by an intense windstorm, and has already burned more than 1,200 acres and destroyed several homes.
Late Thursday night, Ventura County leaders released the first damage reports of 132 homes destroyed and 88 others damaged.
The fire has consumed more than 30 square miles, and thousands have been forced to leave their homes. Danya Bacchus reports.
The flames have already burned more than 14-thousand acres, causing extreme and life-threatening conditions.
The fire has already burned more than 14,000 acres, forcing more than 10,000 people to leave their homes.
The fire exploded in size northwest of Los Angeles, growing 1,000 acres in just an hour.
Smoke from wildfires made it difficult for a CBS News Los Angeles reporter to do his job.
The president has deployed the military to assist local firefighters in battling the blaze.
As climate change whips up wilder weather, more Americans must deal with "hazards they have not faced in the past," expert says.
The Paddle Out gathering is a Hawaiian tradition to honor loved ones. Boat riders dropped flower petals in the sea while surfers splashed water in the air.
The fire is one of 85 major wildfires burning in 11 states.
The park fire has spread to more than 400,000 acres across four counties, and it's still growing.
Ronnie Dean Stout II is charged with arson. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
A tornado outbreak pounded the Chicago area on Thursday evening, with multiple twisters reported, leaving behind an extensive trail of damage stretching from the western suburbs to northwest Indiana.
Severe storms that swept through the Midwest late Thursday knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, damaged buildings and canceled flights.
Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears had one final minicamp practice on Thursday before they split from Halas Hall to enjoy their last taste of freedom ahead of next month's real training camp.
Storm chaser Scott Lasker was in Streator, Illinois for a tornado outbreak when he found himself suddenly helping to rescue a trapped homeowner.
Two political heavyweights were in town on Thursday for this year's Rainbow PUSH convention, the first since the passing of founder Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Multiple floors of the Pentagon were locked down for several hours Thursday morning and hazmat crews were deployed for what authorities had described as a "hazardous materials incident."
The House on Thursday defeated a last-ditch effort to extend a key spy authority until early July.
President Trump said the U.S. has taken out "millions" of barrels of Iranian oil in the dead of night, and said inflation will come down when the war ends.
Republican lawmakers grilled the Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Dr. Macquline King on Wednesday.
Chicago City Council members on Tuesday continued to put pressure on the Johnson administration to replace the city's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, as a top city official revealed it could be eight more months to get it done.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
The Centennial Park Aquatic Center in the southwest Chicago suburb of Orland Park has been closed to the public after two recent cases of E. coli infection.
Menopause can feel like a major turning point for millions of women, with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog can make women feel like their bodies aren't their own.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Forty years ago last weekend, crowds turned out for the Chicago Blues Festival — an event studded with a roster of stars for a spectacle that's still talked about today.
Visitors will soon be able to check out the set from CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in Chicago, at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
"Schmigadoon!" — which was tied for the most nominations, with 12 — won Best Musical, and "Liberation" took home the honor of Best Play at the 2026 Tony Awards.
Anthony Head played librarian and mentor Rupert Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and recently appeared in "Ted Lasso."
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is on the cover of Madden NFL 27, the first Bear ever to grace the primary cover of the massively popular video game.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Powerful storms on Thursday night left a path of destruction along Route 59 in northwest suburban Bartlett.
A tornado outbreak pounded the Chicago area on Thursday evening, with multiple twisters reported, leaving behind an extensive trail of damage stretching from the western suburbs to northwest Indiana.
Apparent tornadoes were spotted all across the Chicago area, from the far south and southwest suburbs into Northwest Indiana, Thursday evening, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
As the Chicago Bears wrapped up their mandatory minicamp, one thing that was pretty clear in offseason program number two under head coach Ben Johnson was the offense is in a much better spot, headlined by a more comfortable Caleb Williams.
A tornado outbreak pounded the Chicago area on Thursday evening, with multiple twisters reported, leaving behind an extensive trail of damage stretching from the western suburbs to northwest Indiana.
Multiple tornadoes have been reported throughout the Chicago area Thursday evening as a line of severe storms spawned an apparent outbreak.
Storm chaser Scott Lasker was in Streator, Illinois for a tornado outbreak when he found himself suddenly helping to rescue a trapped homeowner.
President Trump said earlier Thursday he called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war.
Severe storms that swept through the Midwest late Thursday knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, damaged buildings and canceled flights.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The system will provide all heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school's new physical education facilities and contribute to the school system, saving the district nearly $400,000 a year.
The forecast for a summer reopening of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is growing cloudy, as negotiations continue between the owners and landlord, after the safety net hospital abruptly shuttered its doors in March.
The Obama Presidential Center has been built with sustainability literally in its foundation. But its infrastructure for clean energy, environmentalism and climate change resiliency will also help the communities around it on Chicago's South Side.
A driver in Carol Stream says a band of hungry squirrels caused nearly $30,000 in damage to three different luxury vehicles because of plant-based parts they view as a tasty snack.
Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears had one final minicamp practice on Thursday before they split from Halas Hall to enjoy their last taste of freedom ahead of next month's real training camp.
Seiya Suzuki hit his third career grand slam, Alex Bregman added a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs snapped a three-game skid with a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony festivities got underway a little over an hour before the first kickoff in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.
The Cubs have lost 22 of their past 29 games after starting the season 27-12.
White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery, who doubled and hit a game-ending homer in his big league debut Tuesday, had two more doubles Wednesday.
Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.
A fourth man has been charged in connection with a string of burglaries targeting video gambling terminals in Chicago's west and southwest suburbs since late last year.
A man has been charged with multiple acts of mail theft and burglary in the Chicago area dating back up to three years.
Chicago police on Wednesday released a surveillance image of someone they said was spotted fleeing the scene as a cross burned in Grant Park.
Attorneys for Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, told a federal judge he has lost 30 pounds and is not receiving consistent medical care for Type 2 diabetes while held in an Indiana jail.
