if a. who could be the next victim. >> fire fears in san jose. neighbors say they don't want to be the next victim as a search is on for a searar arsonist. and investigators say they had a major clue in the case. i'm ama daetz. we'll get back that store. there are now 13 confirmed deaths from the flu in the bay area, including santa cruz. as the virus spreads more people are scrambling to get a flu shot. medical center of marin sponsored a free flu clinic. some bay area pharmacies are

reporting a temporary vaccine shortage. but there was plenty of vaccine available to flu clinic in san rafael. chris showed up with his twins. >> great opportunity and get them a flu shot. >> the message tonight, it's still not too late to get a flu shot. officials say it can russ your chanceses of getting the virus by 50 to 70%. the cdc has a flu shot finder map to find the places near you've that offer the vaccine. there's link on abc7news.com under "see it on tv". now back to our developing news in that search for an arsonist. cornell bernard, live in san

jose. one man is accused of setting eight fires. reporter: that's right. and fire officials want to catch this brazen arsonist. we're live on st. john street today, where this home was set on fire early this morning. other fires have happened in the same six-block area of downtown. new surveillance video too help catch a suspect. fire officials believe the man in this sketch is responsible for setting a string of downtown fires in the last four days. >> these fires must stop. your san jose firefighters offer up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for these fires. >> the fire department says the suspect may not be acting alone. the latest blaze destroyed most of this victorian home on st. john street, 4:20 saturday morning. elderly couple live hearing escaped safely. across the street, surveillance

cameras on eric's house captured a man walking by four times shortly before the fire started. at least once the man is seen holding something in his hand. >> to come by four times is kind of suspicious, especially in a gap of -- first time is a little after 3:00. >> firefighters arrived on scene minutes after the man is seen on camera for the last time. the fire department used this video and other surveillance clips to come up with a sketch of a white or hispanic man, 2030, 6'0" to 6'2", wearing baggy clothes. motive unknown. >> i don't know what's making this particular person tick. they talked about things like revenge and spite. >> arson investigators say eight fires have been intentionally set in a six-block area of san jose, all started from the outside. including this house fire on thursday, on san antonio street. two residents got out safely.

on wednesday, a portable unit at this baptist church, also on san antonio street, was torched. >> it's alarming. >> now concerned neighbors are an alert. fire officials urge home owners to keep debris away from your house and keep your outside lights on. >> investigators are still trying to determine if thursday morning's massive warehouse fire was the work of the arsonist. it's a mile from several of the house fires that broke out thursday. on the peninsula, new details tonight involving a deadly house near palo alto. it broke out at a home on embarcadero. firefighters found two bodies inside. crews were hoping to enter he home today but say the structure is so unstable they have to wait until tomorrow to go inside. a next door neighbor says man and his care taker lived aft that home.

the arson task force is in charge over investigation. >> san jose police are investigating the city's second homicide of the year. a passer-by called police after discovering man's body on the sidewalk near glen way. it appears the victim was stabbed to death. his identity has not been released. also in san jose, the chp is investigating a hit-and-run after a body was found on the jackson avenue onramp to southbound 680 just before midnight. the victim's name has not been released. the onramp re-opened just before 2:30 this morning. >> we finally got some rain. a little bit. we saw light showers across the bay area. it came down pretty hard around the golden gate bridge area, roads are wet in marin with the north bay seeing most of the rain. here's a look at the current considers, looking at san francisco, it's nice there also the clouds are parting.

well will see more rain? let's check in with meteorologist leigh glaser. >> hi there, everyone. it was kind of nice to see a little moisture out there today, but as ama ushowed you, we're starting to see blue sky, so it's a fast-mover. live doppler 7hd picking up on the very weak system. when it made its way through the golden gate bridge, it fell apart. so we're seeing clearing from north bay to south bay. picking up a lot of low level moisture, the heavy mist and drizzle. so we'll keep that in our forecast in some spots overnight, and alves with the clearing and dampness, be able to deal with the fog by tomorrow morning, but check out the sierra. south lake tahoe picking up a little white snow. blue canyon right frow, 38 degrees so it's coming in the form of light rain, and it does look like temperatures will be climbing next week.

we'll look at the seven-day forecast. the rain was nice to see today. >> the storm system brought a welcome sight in tahoe. snow. you're kind of seeing. heavenly mountain courtesy tahoe tv. now to a live look. the first snow survey of the season shows the water content of the tahoe snow pack was 20% of average for early january. to keep on top of our changing forecast, get the abc7 news weather app. go to abc7ness.com/apps. >> 49ers fever is red hot. here are students at lacy middle school celebrating 49ers day. the entire student body some teachers wore red and gold yesterday. >> this little guy is keeping close track of the 49ers. giddy after a big win over atlanta. we'd like too see your photos or video. e-mail them ureport@kgo-tv.com. you can also post them on our facebook page or tweet them to

us at abc 7 news bay area. >> ahead, the death office a controversial military leader. u.s. leaders react to the peacing of former israeli prime minister ariel sharon. also, dangerous waters. a popular pond on the peninsula offlimits but add some sauce, pepperoni and cheese and fold up the crescent dough and presto, tuesday night just became crescent pizza pocket-tastic pillsbury crescents. make dinner pop. he loves me. he loves me not. he loves me. he loves me not. ♪

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♪ old el paso says diced tomato stand 'n stuff chicken tacos. ♪ you say what's for dinner? old el paso says start somewhere fresh. leaders are remembering israeli prime minister ariel sharon. he died today at the age of 85. the israeli hospital says sharon died peacefully today with his family by his side in 2006, while serving as prime minister, he suffered a major stroke. he never recovered and was in a coma for nearly eight years. his leadership was marked with victories and controversies. today israeli president simone

perez deliver a speech eulogizing his dear friend. >> an outstanding man and exceptional commander who moved his people and loved them, and the people loved him. >> sharon fought in the wars before entering politics. he was elected from in 2001. >> president obama sent his condolences to sharon's family and said, quote, we continue to strive for lasting peace and security for the people of israel, including through our commitment to the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. house leader nancy pelosi commented on sharon's death, quote, whether you agreed with his policies or opposed his politics, you always knew where he stood. on the peninsula, a popular bird watching pond will be drained after a suspected avian cholera outbreak. the south bayside system authority says it has collected

nearly 200 dead birds in one week. the fresh water pond is located on radio road in redford shores. officials became aware of the problem after a local bird watcher noticed a lot of birds were dying. they contacted the u.s. fish and wildlife service. >> the big thing is to get the birds out of the water. it's a water borne disease so when the birds are in the water, it spreads the disease. >> the plan now is to drain the manmade pond until the bacteria. it is not a threat to humans but officials put up an orange barrier to keep people and dogs out of the water. >> up next, a puppy who survived the odds. battered and bruised but a survivor. the reunion of family never thought would happen. taking a live look outside, we have clouds and some showers out there tonight. warmer weather is coming. leigh will let us know what to expect.

>> a local football fan who will win your heart. yes honey? dad told me that cheerios is good for your heart, is that true? says here that cheerios has whole grain oats that can help remove some cholesterol, and that's heart healthy. [ dad ] jan? ♪ accelerate. shift. shift. ♪

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♪ to those who've been waiting welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage, and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll today at coveredca.com. a family is amazed and more than relieved their puppy survived nine days lost in subfreezing temperatures. >> oh, my goodness. i'm so thankful. just so thankful. >> a boxer puppy learned the

hard way the dangers of running away from home. dempsey jumped a fence and vanished in subzero weather while his family was visiting in mississippi. on new year's day they had no choice but to go home to maryland without him. nine days late they're got a call. a neighbor in maine found him. he had a broken leg but alive. his family made the 14-hour drive to get him, and they all go back home to maryland tomorrow. >> nothing that cold out here, but finally some moisture in our atmosphere. leigh glaser has a look at the forecast. >> what was that coming out of the sky in what were those things that people were covering their heads with? we had a little bit of light rain, really mainly heavy mist and drizzle from a cold front that moved through. young see on live doppler 7hd, already starting to see the clearing in the north bay. most of the moisture has started to push on south of the golden gate bridge, but got kind of

hung up near southern marin county, san rafael, also around mill valley and even the golden gate bridge, a lot of wet pavement there. the rainfall amounts were less than -- well, right near about a trace of an inch. so not a lot of measurable precipitation out of this system. it will continue to move on towards the south. in the tahoe area, light snow. blue canyon, well above the freezing mark so light rain. south lake tahoe reporting a little light snow. we're sweeping live with live doppler 7hd. above the cloud deck, mt. tam picking up blue sky, and a record you can expect for sunday. san francisco, 53. you can see clouds over the bay. accept rosa, 53. 54, fired. concord, 5 4. here's a look at our forecast

highlights. clearing overnight. although with the damp pavement, damp ground, expect pockets of wet stuff. and near record temperatures expected heading into monday, tuesday, and wednesday. here's a look at our water vaor imagery. here's the weak cold front and gist slid on by. this is a clear area that will move in for your sunday, and this thing just moved on through as it made its way across the bay area, just kind of fell apart. we'll look for the to of -- the development of fog. this high pressure will build back in jet stream, storm track pushes back up to the north. that's dry conditions for at least the next five to civics -- six days, and mid-week, temperatures in the 70s. saturday, right now, 5:00, see

by 11:00, midnight, tomorrow, you can see that most of the clearing will take place. this is 5:00 a.m. sunday, and that's when some of the fog will move through, and sunday afternoon, we're looking at pretty much clear sky. this system is generating some beach hazards for us, so get ready for higher than normal surf. strong rip currents, and sneaker waves and this advisory is in effect until tomorrow afternoon. so, keep that in mind if you're venturing to the coast. if you're heading to lake tahoe, very strong winds. the snow will be decreasing overnight but the winds will be up near 50 miles-per-hour. charlotte, the big game tomorrow. we took the rain out of the forecast, high clouds and sunshine. temperature at kickoff, 10:00 a -- 1:05 eastern time. the highs for sunday in the 60s, but check out my seven-day forecast. 70s, tuesday, wednesday,

thursday, spring-like. well above where we should be but we should just enjoy it. >> thank you so much, leigh. look who is back. who are you? mike shumann in the house. >> i'm doing fine. a little more nfl action today. divisional playoff weekend, and when it's playoff football, there's some hitting going on. seattle police -- playing mom... yes honey? dad told me that cheerios is good for your heart, is that true? says here that cheerios has whole grain oats that can help remove some cholesterol, and that's heart healthy. [ dad ] jan? ♪ safeway presents or how to get great deals real bithe easy way.e week.

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seattle still the team to beat in the nfc and showed us why as the man handled the

saints today. it was boast mode for marchand lynch. jimmy grant getting into it with seattle players during warmup and game. lynch, beast mode, 13-0 seattle. fourth quarter, saints attempting a come back, robinson scores from a yard out. 16-8 of the two-point conversion. under 4:00 to go. shane graham, missed two field goals today. including this 48 yarder. the hawks ice it. maybe. slant from the outside. 31 yards. second td of the game. 140 yards, franchise best in playoffs. game not over. drew brees, nine yards to colston. eight point game. saints recovery the underside kick. no time-outs. brees hits colston at the sideline. instead of going out of bounds

he tries to lateral, goes forward, it's a penalty, and a ten-second runoff, and game over. seattle wins 23-15, and host the nfc championship game next weekend. >> really proud to get the win and be coming back home next week. it's a tremendous accomplishment and we're third. we just played a fine football team and players and coaches and all that, we have great respect for that team and to get this win is huge. >> 49ers and pantherses squaring off tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. with a chance to face the seahawks. next weekend, larry beil there is and plenty to talk about at 5 and 6:00 p.m. right here on abc7 and you can follow him on twitter. >> a night before the niners play, the panthers. offensive coordinator greg lowman is entiring with the vikings for their head coaching vacancy. he met witness penn state but that job was filled. i'm surprised he is doing it the

day before playoff game. >> wcc action, st. mary's hosting usf. team was pumped up. all five starters in double digit. the reverse wakeup. walker, had 17. floats in. holst missed only one shot in the game. this isn't it. nothing but net. marys wins 88-73. >> santa clara playing. andrew bach drives to the bucket off the glass and in. then this for three. the ball gets snuck the rim. santa clara falls 80-68. >> a federal arbitrator has reduced yankee third baseman alex rodriguez's 2 1 game suspension to 162 games and any

playoff games in 2014, without pay. that's $25 million. a-rod said he'll still appeal the ruling. he was suspended by major league baseball for using illegal substances. 49er fans a preview sat 6:00 and the won't be a final game at the stick with seattle reside win. >> ahead, mommy and daddy are popular first words for kid but not for this little one whose fi

coming up at 6:00, it is back to work and back in business. new developments tonight on the central valley chicken plant shut down after a cockroach infestation. and, a star-studded homecoming for an international pop idol, the justin bieber of korea. >> you have been sending us photos and videos showing us your 49ers pride and tonight we want you to met a special little girl in american canyon. she was born deaf and shortly after she had ear surgery she spoke her first words. >> touchdown! >> touchdown! >> oh, she is adorable. her family says she is a fighter

and of course, a big niners fan. thank you for joining us, see welcome to "world news." tonight, deadly flood. 22 inches of rain in 24 hours. reports of funnel clouds. and this evening, the rescues in the south. in the north, the giant rigs sliding across the highway, smashing into cars. and the horse races. what happens when the car leading the way suddenly spins out of control. the breaking story this saturday. you're out. the one-time golden boy of baseball, learning his fate. now, a-rod, coming out swinging. how he's responding tonight. the newest hack attack. now, we learn, it wasn't just target. tonight, the other major department store where customers had their credit card information stolen. why are we learning just now? and remembering sam. tonight, the magical boy fighting the condition that aged him at accelerated speed. he defied the odds. what he taught everyone around him.