generated so much smoke, it's visible from space. the terrain here is so dry and dangerous, officials say they might be forced to let it burn for miles. >> this is some steep, rugged, nasty country, and it's just not safe in a lot of it to put our firefighters up there in that stuff. >> reporter: the caldor fire has now raged for nearly three weeks starting 70 miles away. it nearly destroyed the town of grizzly flats, and this week torched the community of phillips. phillips is perched above lake tahoe. all of these red dots represent structures reduced to rubble. many are single-family homes. phillips is part of a historic settlement that was first homesteaded back in 1850. firefighters are still assessing the damage here, but so far, it appears at least 60 homes in this small community were incinerated. norah. >> o'donnell: incredible to see. carter evans, thank you so much. well, one of the most recognizable of the capitol rioters is expected to plead