an eight-alarm grass fire is burning right now. 100 firefighters on the scene including three engines and crews from contra costa county answering requests for help. >> the fire destroyed about 500 acres and burned one building on what april years to be part of a >> it happened on highway 12 just outside fairfield and

sassoon city in an area known as potrero hill. school children on a field trip at rush ranch have been told to leave. >> bay area quality management agency ish wrued an emergency because of smoke from that fire. people have been complaining of smoke and hazy skies. >> there is no fire there at this time. >> now here is a live picture looking at the city. you can see a lot of smoke still in the sky. people are advised to stay indoor was windows and doors and closed and is the air conditioning systems to recirculate to keep that outside air from greeching inside of the home. good afternoon, i'm dan ashley. >> we've been following several other fires and wind-related issues today. sky 7 checked out this brush fire today near lir livermore started just about 8:00 this morning. the flames charred about 150

ache yirs. crews declared it under control no. one was hurt. >> a tree toppled and high winds howled through napa. two people escaped with minor injuries after the tree fell on their truck along solano avenue we're seeing hazy skies throughout the area, you can see spencer christian with a look. >> we'll talk about peak wind gusts in just a moment. we're seeing smoky skies now. clear skies but it's hazy out there. the reason why we're getting smoke, that fire burning near solano county near fairfield. it's 81 degrees, northerly wind is pulling that smoke down south towards our area. it's why we're seeing heavy smoke. it's starting to dissipate some. you can see there is a little

bit of haze there. peak wind gusts 59 miles per hour. berkeley hills, mount tam 54 miles per hour wind gusts. you can see gusts 45-50 hirp earlier today. still gusting. we're expecting wind gusts to decrease overnight. humidity, 20-20%. and our live doppler 7 hd will be tracking changes. >> thank you. >> wind was relentless. >> amy holly field shows some of the damage in the east bay. >> winds did all kinds of damage outside. keeping people on the ininside awake and nervous. >>

>> he knew it sounded bad but didn't see how bad. his neighbor's trees in the driveway. >> this was on oak crest drive. this one tore up the area of oakland. fences fell like this one and trees were knocked down. it started a small fire when it crashed that was quickly put ou out. but debris created quite a mess. this downed tree in the kmuchbt diablo. >> it's mazing. usually tracy is a bad spot. it's bizarre to come around the corner and saw it. it's crazy. >> a huge tree came down

coming close to the people who usually arrive at a scene like this after the fact. >> it fell in front of us. >> officer fletcher and partner were driving on the other side of the road. we asked him to describe it. >> it's like watching a film in slow motion. just straight down. >> he says they were shocked and relieved there were no cars and pedestrians in the tree. we haven't heard about injuries. >> winds helped fuel the flames of this house fire leaving a family of six without a place to live it broke out after 2:30 in the morning. investigators say the woman woke up and got other family members out safely. officials believe the fire

started in the attic. >> we have a weather app to let you use your smart phone to get the seven-day forecast any time. >> it's easy to down load go. to abc 7 news.com for details. >> police just revealed arrest of one two of suspects wanted in the arrest of this man. charles butler died after being shot. investigators believe his murder stemmed from a minor traffic accident this, video in just a moment, here, shows him bumping into another car. he intok a driver before heading into a store on west street and someone opened fire just block frtz scene. police still looking for another suspect. butler's organs were donated to four different people. >> and this man is in custody today charged with avoiing -- annoying minors sexual molestation and sexual

battery saying he inappropriately touched three children ages four, seven and 16 last evening around 6:00. >> washington, d.c. authorities have yet to identify a man who set himself on fire this afternoon at the national mall. witnesses saw him jump a can of gas on his head and light himself on fire. passers by took off his shirts to help douse the flaichls. he's suffered from life-threatening injury ootz woman killed after trying to drive through barricades was delusional and believed president obama was communicating with her. the family members say she'd fwhn a deteriorating mental state for a year. her mother believes carey was struggling with port part yum depression, experts doubt that was the reason. carey's 1-year-old daughter, who was in the car was not

seriously hurt and is now in protective custody. >> bart management insists it's $89 million apart. officials say it's based on district-wide wages. management says amount is based on wages, pensions and proposals. thursday marks the end of the cooling off period, a possible strike by workers could happen the next day. both sides separated by proposed length of the contract. >> federal, state, local officials gathered to take a first step on what will be a new 12-mile bike and pedestrian path. the first half mile segment being built through 83rd avenue. the first section will be finished next spring. $3.6 million project being paid for through federal,

regional and county funds. >> sellout crowd of 48,000 people will soon make their way into oakland coliseum tonight. a's play tigers in game one of the american league division series. >> tarps have come down for the first time since 2006. that is a great sign, larry. >> tarps still up out in center field. maybe if a's make to it world series. the a's with one of the lowest payrolls in mlb but have the second-best record in american league. this season. and tonight a's are a young team they will start one of the oldest pitchers in baseball that, is 40-year-old bartolo cologne. first glance he looks like one of the guys in the bleachers wearing oversized jersey.

except he can throw heat at 94 miles per hour. the a's have been off since sunday that, is good news for sesidus. the catcher says it may take innings for everybody to get settled in. >> everyone has a break. so is going to have to battle. same things you're going to have to mess with bad timing they're going to have to mess with maybe not being in game form right away. so everyone going to have to deal with that. just trying to act like you just went and played and just trying to go out there and play, i think, is the biggest thing. >> first pitch tonight will be at 6-37 p.m. between a's and tigers. it's going to be great to see the coliseum. many tarps have been taken

down and will be a raukus saef green and gold tonight. on the object of the -- subject of the fans i happened to stroll through parking lot, enjoying the smell of the barbecue and abc 7 news reporter was out there all afternoon. i believe she may have sampled some fillet mignon so quite a nice assignment. she'll have the report live on abc 7 news at 5:00. for now that is a wrap from the coliseum. i'm larry beil abc 7 news. >> thank you, larry. laura is a huge a's fan this, is great for her autos she bot the fillet. laurie got hot dogs but we're getting a lot of pictures of young a's fans. this 3-year-old named harper and another young fan. >> we'd tlik share your fan photos as well. >> send us the pictures a lot of fun. still ahead dealing with winds there is wild weather in other

parts of the country. what some people are facing. >> at 4:30 the search for a gunman who robbed three businesses today in oakland, opening fire each time what. witnesses are saying. >> and michael finney is here taking your questions on twitter and facebook and will answer them later on, live, you can contact michael on facebook.com/michael finney abc 7 and on twitter at m finney. >> and taking a look at traffic right now sh walnut creek moving nicely for us this friday.

government shut down in the fourth day. both sides say they want the shut down to end but neither seems willing to budth. however, there are new signs this afternoon that a group reaching across the aisle may be willing to get past politics a little bit. >> now in, the 4th day of a shut down that has been frustrating to many... >> people are suffering for it. >> everyone is... feeling the pain of this. >> a new possibility emerged friday afternoon here in the u.s. house of representatives, the epicenter, something may be shifting. some insiders think moderate republicans that would fund

the government. >> there is no nend sight the leaders of both parties are holding firm laying rest with the other side. >> president continues to refuse to sit down with us republicans and sadly, that is a hallmark of his presidency. >> i said i'm happy to have negotiation was the republicans, speaker boehner on a whole range of issues but we can't do it where a gun held to the head of the american people. >> this isn't a damn game. the american people don't want their government shut down. neither do i. >> and the markets are on edge after there appears to be little certainty congress will come together to avoid a default on the dead. analysts say that can be catastrophic for the united states. >> he'llan musk is defending

tesla. >> yes. hi, cory. >> good afternoon, he's defending the tesla after a video of a car on fire in washington state. in the blog post he says it was traveling at high speed and struck a large object that punctured the bottom of the car and caused the fear, we're down about 5% of the week. the fire and word of the fire may have contributed a selloff. i've row yon 5 c on the market two weeks and retailers offering promotions already. and radio shack report lid offering a $50 gift card with an iphone 5 purchase, steve

balmer received less than a half of his maximum bonus of $550,000 but 79% of the base salary. the board cited slow sales of the surface tab blet and not giving him a bigger bonus, stocks closing higher today, investors were optimistic lawmakers might reach a budget deal and end this debate. amazon.com ready to roll out a tv set top box working as a platform to run apps and deliver streaming video service. the company working to have it available for the holiday season. >> thank you. a mandatory evacuation in place on grand aisle louisiana ahead of tropical storm karen now moving through the gulf of mexico. that means a hurricane watch

from louisiana to florida. karen is weakening but still ready to become the first named storm in what is going to quiet hurricane season. a blast of cold air bringing snow to the rockies in the northwest. boulder colorado receiving snow just two weeks after flooding there. and in ka coatas, residents have wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour. now, live to breaking news where firefighters appear to be getting a handle on this large grass fire burning interest there. it's destroyed about 500 acres and burned a building on what appears to be part of a cattle ranch. a smoke advisory because of the fire we're smelling it near san francisco. >> well, wind is just blowing

it around. people smelled it on the peninsula. it's remarkable how far it's traveled. >> we talk about dust storms and how jet stream carries dust storms from china to the bay area are. we have strong winds at the surface and also, a carrying smoke in the area. you can smell it here as well. at pretty pirate tweets thick up near pacific heights. you can see clear skies across the bay area on live doppler 7 hd. it's gusty now. still, up to 25 miles per hour out of the northeast in oakland. 24 in fairfield near where that fire is burning in solano county bringing snoek smoke into the area. look how dry it is with wind direction. single digit humidity in santa

rosa, novato teens for oakland, 12%. 13% in san jose. so with dry conditions low humidity, gusty winds fire danger remains elevated. kgo roof camera, smoke started to disperse there. san francisco, 78 degrees, 79 oakland. 81 san jose. upper 70s in los gatos. temperatures upper 07s to low 80 as long the coast and 80s inland as well. here are the temperatures. 84 santa rosa. low 80s concord, livermore and antioch. great day to head to beaches. people enjoying sun. elevated fire danger into tomorrow morning and we're looking at warm weather this weekend. satellite and radar i want to

show what you is bringing thus warmth. high pressure builds in. winds coming out of this direction. and that is why we're feeling warmth going to continue heading into the weekend. overnight tonight we're going to see winds dialing back. 7:00 p.m. still 26 miles per hour at fairfield. and by morning dropping off, lighter wind so you'll get a chance to enjoy fis weather. tomorrow morning cooler start temperatures upper 40s to mid-50s. tomorrow afternoon, beach weather. mid to upper 70s coastside. low to mid 80 as cross the bay area. close to 08s along the coast. temperatures dropping off cooler tuesday, wednesday, maybe you'll need umbrellas.

>> a bay area father may be the hottest husband in meerk how he was entered into a nationwide contest. then, new at 4:30... >> a's are hopeful so are attorneys for san jose in court trying to block a effort to stop an antitrust lawsuit.

to those whoworried...... poked and prodded... taken risks... and lived in a state of "what if?"... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com or call 1-800-752-6631.

a san rafael man in is the running for hottest husband of america. take a look. the firefighter says his wife entered him in the contest without telling him. his wife says her husband is truly selfless whit comes to their relationship and parenting their 4-year-old daughter. voting ends october 28th if you'd like to vote for matt we have a link on our web site. >> go, matt, right? >> one couple's wedding put in limbo because of the government shut down. >> they were supposed to get married at the jefferson memorial but barricades went up and they lost their deposits on chairs, flowers and photographer autos it was a mess but steven colbert had them on his show, he married nem a live wedding. he officiating himself and smoky bear was the best man. >> oh, perfect.

>> still ahead a gunman who robbed several businesses you'll hear about what he did in a live report. >> a school bus driver puts lives in danger. plus... >> you've heard her voice many >> you've heard her voice many times now you'll meet to those who've been denied equal access to health care... welcome to covered california. now, you can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. enroll today at coveredca.com.

oakland police looking for a gunman who robbed three businesses each time firing his weapon. >> vic lee is live with the story. vic? >> well, we do know that police secured a video they have not released yet but you're right. it's a scary moment this morning for employees of three different businesses. no one was hurt. the first robbery took place at 8:45 this morning. the manager told us the robber fired six rounds into the wall then demanded money. the only worker said there was

none in the cash register. so the robber took two bottles of tequila instead. >> he did not fire right waichl he asked for money. i just gave him the money. >> and then hit this salon. like the restaurant horn just opened her shop so she, too, had only a small amount of money in the cash register. >> requested more. i said we just thopd saul we have. >> that was not the answer the gunman wanted. >> i was standing here fired there. >> the man ran out and entered the subway sandwich shop. >> i heard three shots. bam, bam, bam. >> this pedestrian who did not want to be identified told me

he saw the robber running out of the door. >> this guy came blazing out of subway waving a gun and screaming. started to chase my friend and jumped on the freeway. he least a business owner tells abc 7 news he gave police security camera video the gunman. >> the latest fight played nout a courtroom today. major league baseball trying to lawsuit challenging baseball's antitrust exemption. it's a legal battle that could last for years. >> san jess yeah legal team headed to a federal courtroom to convince a judge not to

dismiss the case. commissioner bud selig argue they're exempt from antitrust laws they saw they have exemption from a 1922 supreme court case. we take the position that this exemption they claim has long pass td and is gone and not relevant. >> the district judge will review before making a decision. no matter which way he decides, the case expected to be appealed by the losing side. a's are not part of the lawsuit. however, we broke the news a's sent a $25,000 check to san jose to extend the option on land for a baseball stadium. >> that option is alive and well. we're still trying to work with a's to bring them to the south bay. >> major league baseball's

toush attorney declined interviews after the hearing. a request for comment was not returned. san jose city council member expects this to be a protracted legal fight. >> we're going to dig in and keep pushing. and may have to push this to the court. >> officials called alex rodriguez a desperate man. react together lawsuit filed yesterday. rodriguez accuses baseball of launching a witch hunt against him, smearing his reputation and cost him tens of millions of dollars. he is appealing his 211 game suspension for violating drug agreement and labor contract. >> it's been a scary start stot school for students in a portland, oregon high school this, is what students say

they saw most every morning. the bus driver barely able to is stay awake. school officials told the district but nothing was done. they watched the driver heading the wrong way down a one way street on a bus. >> i was like you know this is a one-way street, right. he's like oh, yeah. oops. >> nothing was done until the uncle told them get proof. they showed it to the district officials who showed it to the company who finally got rid of the driver. >> pennsylvania governor apologized to comparing same-sex marriage he to marriage made between a brother and steer there saz waz a controversial comment as marriage by 12-year-olds. >> it's inappropriate anal ji.

a better analogy would have been brother and sister, don't you?. >> i don't know. >> republican governor issued a statement today saying words were not intended to offend, he says he apologizes if they did. he says he meant to give an example of the categories of people who are not legally entitled to obtain marriage licenses in pennsylvania. >> take a look at this hand written letter. a grandfather scolds his caught daughter for kicking his gay grandson out of the house after the boy decided to come out. the letter posted to a pro same-sex marriage facebook page. the grandfather says, he was born this way and didn't choose it mer than being left handed. however, you have been a choice of being hurtful, narrow minded and backward. i think i'll take this moment to say goodbye to you. i now have a fabulous grandson to raise. >> still ahead a musical treat for some students in the bay

area the special event that had mc hammer performing for them in san francisco. >> first, why a soldier fighting for the country calling a 12-year-old boy a hero. >> today's 7 on your side q and a is just ahead. i'm still taking your questions. you can contact me on facebook.com and over on twitter, i'll answer questions here live in just a little bit. >> looking at a live picture, smoke starting to disperse and a warm weekend is ahead. details coming up. >> sticky this friday afternoon. cars going

a u.s. soldier is alive thanks to a boy who helped rescue him from harm's way. >> i yelled are you okay? he said, uh, yeah. >> but the army staff sargeant was trapped in his kayak that was sinking last sunday. >> the 12-year-old and his dad spotted him and threw him a life jack yet.

he mead night the boat. >> he then started having an asthma attack and didn't have an inhaler with him. he got the inhaler from the truck and ran back with it saving his life. quick thinking. good work. >> yes. we've been experiencing smoky conditions throughout the bay area this, is a live picture you can see mount diablo there and haze in the sky there. >> yes. it's amazing and it has been drifting all over the bay area. and that smork people talking about how if you have health issues you ne coughing, air quality is improving but we have a smoke advisory. right now clear skies still hazy in spots. tropical storm karen is disorganized latest is that it is hesitating so not a lot to it but goitsing to dump a lot

of rain. 50 miles per hour wind gusts now. it's stationary. expected to work up along the gulf coast. and on this path, his is slated totals storm surge totals is expected. temperatures for saturday, 67 in tahoe. sunny skies there. los angeles, 92 degrees if you're head together south. temperatures in the bhai area on the warm side. 83 fairfield. 85 san jose. oakland 826789 mid 08s in santa rosa and napa. 76 half moon bay. tomorrow, tracking change that's do develop, of course. >> thank you. >> coming up who is siri is in the woman behind the famous iphone voice. >> i want to know. a res strauntd cooks up a

controversial burger. some say it's in poor taste. >> should furloughed government worker as ply for unemployment benefits? ok at theh we co back in our day, that u-verse wireless receiver. we couldn't just move the tv wherever we wanted. yeah, our birthday entertainment was a mathemagician. because if there's anything that improves magic, it's math. the only thing he taught us was how to subtract kids from a party. ♪

let's get some cake in you. i could go for some cake. [ male announcer ] switch and add a wireless receiver. get u-verse tv for $19 a month for 2 years with qualifying bundles. rethink possible.

alameda county trying a new approach to get more children vaccinated against the flu. there are clinics at local schools. kids line up to get the flu mist vaccine. rates could be as low as 10%. >> if we can vaccinate more young children it helps protect the whole community. it works best in young, healthy children so it can help protect elderly who are vulnerable to complications from flu. >> if proving effective this program will be expanded next year beyond this year's three schools. vaccinations offered for

families of the students. >> pope francis traveled to the hometown of his name sake today, celebrating mass and embraced disabled on a pilgrimage to assissi, italy. urging the faithful to follow st. francis who embraced a live of poverty and service to the poor. he dedicated his life to helping the most marginalized among us. san francisco is named after st. francis as well. a burger in chicago restaurant is leaving a bad taste for good catholics. the ghost murder loaded with cheese, spicy sauce and topped off with a communion wafer. the owner says it's in honor of the swedish metal band. parishioners say the restaurant should stick to burgers and leave religion off

the menu. the manager says he never intended to offend anyone but he will leave it on the menu until the end of the month. >> he's getting a lot after tension, too. >> apple customers know the voice but not the name or face until now. >> hello i am susan bennett. you probably know me. i'm the voice actor providing the voice for siri. >> susan bennett revealed herself as that voice. the atlanta resident said she had no idea it would be used until a friend called skmer asked if she was siri. >> the siri voices were recorded in 2005. in the month of july, four hours a day for the whole month. when recording those voices i had no idea where they would end up. >> apple has not confirmed this and you can hear they likely altered the voice just a bit. bennett has been doing voice overwork for years saying she

was the voice for the first atm machines and as well as at airports she's the voice for dwraelt airline autos nice to put a face with the voice, finally. >> michael finney is here and windy b asked a friend of mine works at social security required to work without pay cure during this shut down. should he apply for unemployment benefits? >> yes. they can. this is if you're getting paid or not. however, it's not as easy as you think. they need to go to their, you know employee web site. when you're a federal employee have you to go online, print a paper then fax it, take it down or mail it to the unemployment office.

we've got stuff on our web site and you can check it out. go to employer web site and that is where you'll find paper work. >> this comes from christine s. i'm traveling with my 8-year-old i know there is a restriction when i travel but can i bring a bigger bottle of baby formula. >> yes. don't think of terms of a keg or anything. >> it's for a baby. >> it's a big baby. >> yes. >> what they are loued to go over and it doesn't have to fit in a bag but they may open it. i would bring a way to keep it fresh not that they'd open it like that then leave it open. but you're allowed to. medicines, too. >> i'm still envisioning a big keg of baby formula. serving in a keg. >> there you go. >> one restaurant is charging 18% tips isn't it the law to

charge 10 to 15 only? >> there is no law about how much gra tu ti they can charge. they can put any number down as long as they tell you on the menu first. they're not allowed tell what you sit then put it on the bill. >> coming up next taking you live to hardly strictly blue grass festival in san francisco. >> yes. big names performing this weekend. >> coming up at 5:00 how more walking could reduce the risk of breast cancer. also...

to thosuffered in silence... hoped... and lived in a state of fear... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com or call 800-675-2607.

at 8:00 season preemers of last man standing, then neighbors and then, it's 2020

at 10:00 then join us tonight at 11:00 in golden gate park, hardly, strictly blue grass. 90 acts, three days and it's free. it's taking place in golden gate park. wayne? >> well, we're kind of muddling through on this thing. i'm being sarcastic. it's a very well run event. people still custodying n bonnie raitt performs at 5:45 tonight. this is all free. for blues man jesse, the job can be more than that. >> it can be grueling in the van eight hours per day.

it's not the most financially rewarding profession. >> it would appear the highs appear well worth it, especially here, you're looking at a band driving to perform at hardly strictly blue grass. >> well, you just, you know got to be worth it. better be a good set then. >> and for them, too. next three days this is the future of golden gate park. the multi billionaire passed away two yearsing aa.way but bequeathed nonkeep the concert in the park going for another decade. >> he said this was the most selfish thing he can do because he loved being here this, is his idea of being in heaven, i'm sure he's in heaven listening to the acts.

>> for music loves a mere heaven, on the grass. >> and just perfect weather as well. thanks for joining us everyone. abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. >> thanks carolyn. traffic in a fire in fairfield. a live report just ahead. plus... >> all right we have dramatic video. we're going show thu dramatic shootout caught on camera. >> i'm sandhya patel. fire danger high, i'll let you know how long and warm for the weekend coming up. >> well we knew it's coming. hot, dry windy conditions and dangerous. fire as cross the bay area. >> this is a live picture.

some hundreds of acres burned. people smelling smoke throughout the region. we can smell it here at abc 7 studios. good evening. the fire department just put units in oakland hills because of the condition autos yes that. is because high winds are pushing smoke and ash from the fire into it's city. this fire started around noon just kept burning. >> yes. it's happening on ranscomb road near the city of fairfield. >> that smoke likely continuing throughout the evening this, fire started off highway 12. flames burning over a thousand acres but a dozen homes have been evacuated and school children on a field trip were told to leave the area. at this point flames disturbed a structure in a barn with lots of hay, several pieces of farm equipment. the parkers here are large so

in addition to homes there are outbuildings and lots of cows and a few dozen of them, the situation got dicey. someone did let them out. let's take a live picture from sky 7 hd. cowses now roaming in a safe spot. as for containment, firefighters had the fire 70% contained and they hope to have it fully contained by night fall that. is the latest from year, back to you in the studio. >> leanne, thank you very much. a grass fire in benecia forced a closure from eastbound 780 this afternoon. flames reported just before 3:00, fire captains called. another alarm tote toth fire. residents in homes pitched in with dward garden hoses there, you go, doing whatever they can to help. >> and some scary moments this

afternoon. the fire started just before 1:00 this afternoon. crews stop that had fire not until it burned about 130 acres of dry brush on western slope of sonoma mountains. drivers faced delays as crews battled flames. >> and wind is fueling many of those fires. a viewer sent thus video. >> just howling in many areas. let's get to abc 7 news sandhya patel on what's happening with winds. >> yes. you can hear windows rattling and tree in the wind. and you can see clear skies. check out winds now. gusting to 29 miles per hour. and this area is coming out of the north which is what is dragging some of that smoke into the bay area from