deadly oakland fire enters a critical phase. just hours ago crews began tearing down the top part of a free standing wall in danger of collapsing. this is happening in an area that's already been searched for victims and far from the or gyp of the blaze. >> now, this is what we know so far. 90% of the building has been searched. the death toll remains at 36 with more victims identified. authorities do not expect to find any more bodies within the rubble. rescue operations are expected to be finished sometime around midnight tonight. abc 7 news reporter laura anthony has been at the fire site all day long. >> and she joins us live with the late on the investigation. laura? >> kristen, first of all, we learned there will be another update. a press conference here in 45 minutes at 5:45. it is now believed that the cause of death for all of the 36 victims recovered so far is smoke inhalation, and while the work to recover whatever remaining victims might be inside continues, we're learning

from the atf that the cause of the fire might have been something as simple as a refrigerator. while crews used a backhoe to dismantle an unsteady wall at the front of the ghost ship warehouse. >> people calling and knowing they are going to die, making that last reach out towards your family. >> reporter: stories are emerging about the final words, mostly text messages, sent out by the victims of the ghost ship in the moments before they died. >> anyone can relate that not only are you thinking about your fate, but you're thinking about your family and how they are going to be hurting when you're gone and knowing that that's going to happen. >> reporter: in the meantime atf investigators have told alameda county sheriffs they believe they have isolated the cause of the deadly fire to a refrigerator at the rear of the building as the search for human remains is coming to an end, the death toll is holding steady at 36 with just 10% of the building throat search. >> in my studio. here with my dogs. and when i heard the cries for

help. >> reporter: jose avalos was one of those who escaped. the artist lived in the ghost ship for two years. he and his dogs barely made it out friday night. >> by the time i got the doors open it was just, you know, flames were starting to engulf my space, and i just ran through and kept looking around to anybody who i could see. we all really need each other right now. we're all suffering right now, and i can't imagine how those families feel. >> once that wall was knocked down, that gave access to the rest of the building for these firefighters and sheriff's department crews that are trying to make sure there are no more victims inside. it's worked there and they are hoping to complete by midnight tonight, but, again, we've just learned there will be a press update in about 45 minutes at 545. live in hockey land. laura anthony, abc 7 news.

>> laura thank. the oakland city council is expected to hold a special meeting on thursday to consider an emergency disaster declaration. abc 7 news was at city hall today as the public works committee met. the fire was in councilman noel gio's district who wants a review on the number of warehouse conversions and the number of building inspectors and fire inspectors. >> we need to increase the staffing for fire prevention. there needs to be a response when someone puts in a complaint. >> councilman larry reed urged the panel to uneat borrowing from the warriors saying they have strength in numbers. this tragic warehouse fire has been described as heartbreaking for the lbgt community. we know of at least three transgender people who have been confirmed dead now. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez has been reaching tout their loved ones in the castro district for the story. >> i'm here in the cass troerks and i'm just reading some of the

well wishes for the people in oakland. may you rest in peace, love and light. you know, this tragedy comes at a very difficult time for the lbgt community following the pulse nightclub shooting in june. the community is saying now more than ever we need safe spaces for many transgender people. >> last night reverend megan rohr led a vigil in san francisco requested by the lbgt community. immediately following the fire she was called in by the city of oakland to assist those in the transgender community. >> i really want to send love and support to all the people who are able to affirm their trans kids and friends and family members and co-workers. >> today she's in contact with the parents of one of the transgender people who died in that fire. so far three have been confirmed. 22-year-old cash askew a musician with the dream pop band them are us, too, and 29-year-old feral pines whose

brother told the "l.a. times" she followed her path and was true to herself. the third transgender person identified was em bohlka whose partner talked to us on the phone. >> em was always really grateful for everything that she was given, and she made it clear because she gave everything back. >> reverend rohr wants anyone affected by the fire to know the support will be there. >> i want people to know that they can get support, whether it's today or whether it's in four months when it feels safe enough and all of the cameras have turned off and they feel like they can get help in the community. >> reporter: financial support is also needed. the port bar that caters to the lbgt community is raising money. lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> so many stories coming out of this tragedy.

few as heartfelt as the sentiment from the father of mikayla gregory seen here in this photo with her boyfriend alex vague a. mikayla's dad said there were some folks found hugging each other. i believe my daughter and al wrecks hugging each other to the end. they were together trying to help each other, i'm sure. i know it. mikayla was 20 and alex was 22. and we are learning more about one of the victims from her friend, 31-year-old kiome was a mike manager and according to her friend much more. abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow has her story. >> this world is missing something. >> reporter: in this 2013 document kiome passionately shared her life philosophy. >> like that's which are want to be, that's where, you know, there's possibility and imagination. i'm sorry.

>> reporter: spencer mccall interviewedner 2012 for documentary. >> she was so big and bright and colorful in this community that, i mean, it's impossible to not just be like totally heartbroken. >> reporter: she was also a music manager at shazam. on its facebook page shazam wrote we love you and will never forget you. >> just inspiring. >> reporter: she was fascinated by incidences and to her they were magic. >> beautiful to see someone open and willing and not afraid to bleach in something. >> the feeling that you get when you find a clue or make the connection of what you're spoesz to be doing next and the split section of being connection. >> there's still this idea that i would like to haeng and to. she would love for us to think

this as well that, you know, she went missing, she went elsewhere. she went furthermore. >> where she continues to shine. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. the man who ran the ghost ship art collective says he's sorry about what happened. derrick almena appeared at the site and seemed agitated when he was asking about the possibly that he may share for the fire. >> i didn't do anything ever in my life that would let me up to this moment. i'm a proud man. i'd rather get on the floor and be trampled by the parents. i would rather have them tear at my flesh than hanes this ridiculous question. >> and he also said that the ghost ship was not a horrible place. however, some who have lived inside or been inside skrind it

as a death trop. >> the i-team -- done has been talking with beam who work with him and that story is tonight at 6:00. >> the city sishls are looking what they fear could be -- >> a manned that be performed posted onvideo. this is what it locks like, a boarded up, an unpermitted, unlicensed concert ven. >> i think this is just an example of a lot of places in a lot of cities that are just under the radar. >> reporter: that they don't have a business license, that's what happens the door to fire

inspections and and they ar just a -- nope ever really realizes the consequences of this until you have plea u priority and a towedious process. he says not getting a business license is the toikt to being off the voice radar. >> there's probably more businesses in richmond bought business lies ises. hat burnt raman this as for burned ramen, they plan to do any and safety inspections later this month.

>> in richmond, i'm less lies broingly, abc news. >> inraise. >> plus, the u.s. supreme court may be the apple of samsung's eyes. the new ruling with financial implications for the two deck ints. >> many people say you better thinking

santa clara county supervisors gave the green light to spending a lot of money to buy security cameras at the jail where inmates escaped two weeks ago. vic she live at the county administration building with more. vic? >> reporter: well, it's not the

sophisticated camera system which the jail will get eventually down the road. this is, full, a stop-gap measure because no one wants inmates running around loose again just because the count y >> the another staff recommendation was to rebuild. sandy chavez had it included. >> it should absolutely be covered with the same level of facilities that we have. it was profetic. >> that does carry unanimously, a 5-0 vote. >> reporter: supervisors voted to allocate gar 300,000 to install cameras in main jail south where the anywhere.

>> i think the evidence is now snoond. >> reporter: and now the south jail will have cameras like the hundreths already in the main tail. a all will be ones in a couple of years. will these cameras prevent another jail break? under sheriff carl newsle believes they would. >> the inmates simply don't know if we're watching or not watching. >> reporter: the cameras will be installed in three to four months. vic lee. abc 7 news. san jose city council just approved giving a man more than half a million dollars after he suffered permanent brain damage during a scuffle with police.

26-year-old dawit alemayehu claimed he was slammed in the face when a sap jose officer tried to help another officer inside booking area. the ethiopian imgeraint grant will receive $150,000. >> sleptors are looking to see what sparked a fire in "the new york post" a. the house is burning along philip terrace. sky 7 flew above the flames right after the fire broke out around 2:30 this afternoon. cruise believe the fire started inside the garage. you can see the car burning there as well and then spread to the main house. nobody was hurt. oakland firefighters responded to a car into a house early this afternoon at 90th and mcarthur. it appears the car rammed right into the living room. ify officials say the mother and son inside the home were no hurt. the driver of the car have run

away. authorities have cleared the skene. >> a pooilt taking anti-histmine contributed to a deadly air crash, david bright was the only member abores the experimental ultra wright's another pilot died when his motorized hang glider crashed into a car port at this apartment complex. some residents tried to revive the man before paramedics pronounced him dead. the small craft had the taken off from the santa barbara airports minutes earlier. >> now a look at how to keep yourself safe when you're using public wi-fi. >> like at the coffee house,

michael? >> that's exactly it. here it's a good reminder to beef up security on our phones and laptops. "consumer reports" identified some potential weak spots in our devices and reveals a few simple fixes to keep you and your data more secure. in today's mobile universe working from home often means a home away from home, using public wi-fi, but how safe is it? >> public wi-fi carry some risks. >> it sounds basic but start by making sure your fire wall is turned on. it's the first line of defense against viruses and malware. when you're on public wi-fi the biggest worry is probably hackers so cross the security expert dean gallie created a fake wi-fi hot spot allowing him to observe and capture someone else's internet activity. >> i don't think bleem are aware of doing what i can did.

an open wi-fi hot spots make you particularly vulnerable because any hearing can join it without a password. you can also add a lair of protection to public wi-fi but using a virtual private network or vpn. >> a lot of people are familiar with vpns from their work. employees have a vpn if you're logging on from home or traveling. people don't know you can get a vpn yourself and it adds allots of security to your own computing. >> every adjustment can make a difference. another important step that you can take to protect yourself is set up automatic updates on devices and always install them when they are offering to you. keeping devices like phones and laptops and routers updated and ensure they are equipped with the most up-to-date information.

>> weather looks beautiful out there. >> look how stunning the picture is behind us. >> meteorologist sandhya patel joins us. >> be careful tomorrow morning because it's going to be bone-chilling gold. we do have a freeze warning for the character nas strait and areas below 2,000 feet we're expecting 28 to 32 degrees which means you'll need to protect plants, pipes and don't forget about your pets. tomorrow morning when you get going, scarves and gloves will keep you warm and your little ones will need to be bundled up as well. below freezing in the north and even some of the east bay valleys so it's definitely going to be cold. we'll see a few wispy clouds. that won't insulate you. overnight temperatures for santa rosa and average slow 37. notice the temperatures really coming up thursday and friday, and that's because we have a storm coming in, and we will

show that to you in a moment. a beautiful one post- you're seeing the wispy clouds there. temperatures upper 40s to low 50s so it's already chilly outside and only getting colder, and here's another spectacular view from our santa cruz camera. freezing cold with areas of front. looking at a rainy pattern wednesday afternoon through friday and more rain is coming in next week. here's a look at your highs for your wempts really going to be a chilly one. 48 at lake port and snow over the higher elevations, and the rest you looking at showers initially. temperatures in the low to mid-50s. here's the storm impact scale. it's will be breeze near the coast. 10:00 a.m. tomorrow not a whole lot happening. by noon some rain begins to move in along the north bay coast and

starts to spread. the bluish white is indicating snowfall in mendecino counties. by the evening commute it will be a sloppy one and rin continues for your thursday morning commute and that's impacted as well and when you're taking the kids off to school it's still a clone one and the rain will switch over and turn into showers. about .1 or half an inch and then when we add up the next system, by friday afternoon you are looking at about 2 -- more than 2 inches of rain in the santa cruz mountains. in the sierra this turns to snow. a winter weather advisory and know levels. you'll need to carry those chains and in tahoe it's a fix of freezing rain and snow. could see some black ice. 1 on our storm impact scale and 2 for thursday and one for

friday. i think the weeknent and early next week you can dock it with the abc. >> it's a good change of pace. >> berkeley builds a robot, an they say it's already setting records. that story "x." and new at 6:00, 7 on your side's michael finney explores an idea to help you come up with extra holiday cash. doesn't that sound

of reach for far too long:s have health insurance.that's been out how? they enrolled through covered california. it's the health insurance marketplace where you'll find a range of plans from leading health insurance companies that offer you the best combination of quality, rates, and benefits. and, through covered california, you may get financial help to pay for coverage. to have health insurance starting january 1st, you need to enroll by december 15th. visit covereca.com today.

apple has aneed pay $450,000 to settle a claim it mishandled heads douse electronics waste. >> the california environmental protection agency claimed apple operated an electronic waste shredding facility in cupertino in 2011 and 2012 without telling them. it also claimed apple mishandled metal dust at the facility which processed more than 1 million pound of waste before it closed in 2013.

the u.s. supreme court today threw out a 3 $329 million judgment against smartphone-maker samsung for copying parts of apple's iphone patented design. the justices agreed. samsung can't be forced to pay all the profits it earned and the features are only a tiny part of the devices. the long run patent case will return to a lower court. >> a new tower of power unveiled in oakland today. abc 7 news checked in on the county workers who compete each year in a food drive and sculpture contest with teams from each department trying to best each other. >> throughout the contest we often looked at each other's sculptures to see if we could get any good ideas or know if we had to up our game. >> emily worked for the you had aor of controller and her team brought in 1,100 pounds of food for the alameda county food bank. >> that's fantastic. good for them. from sea lions to elephant

sales, the folks who take care of them, thank you. >> and check out this lovely and dramatic using the #abc stand back, ya hear! breakout the syrup because denny's new fluffier, tastier, better rudolph pancakes are here for the holidays.

afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me.

i'm ama daetz. coming up on "abc 7 news at 6:00" we continue to profile the victims of the oakland fire tragedy. tonight see how young man's love of music made a difference for a local business owner, and what would you do? a man comes face to face with an alleged burglar inside his north bay home. it ended in gunfire. that's all coming up in half an hour on "abc 7 news at 6:00." dan, kristen? >> thanks so much, ama. see you then. you're looking at a robot that's setting records for its leaping ability. uc berkeley scientists are developing the robot to jump around rubble to help search and

rescue teams. >> giant deccan call bullfrog. he ayes a little more than >> there can be a little basketball team i think with that kind of leap. >> and finally tonight sausalito's marine mammal center received more money to help local students learn about the ocean and environment. >> wells fargo donated $75,000 to the center. some of the money will help train edult and out volunteers and will work with nor and the all kreels can safely return to their hopes in the water. >> "world news tonight" with david muir is next. i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. for sandhya patel and michael finney, for all of us, appreciate your time.

we'll see you again at 6:00. >> we'll see you then. bye-bye. tonight, new charges. the deadly road rage that killed a former nfl star. this evening, the other driver has now been charged. and the sheriff tonight with a blistering message about how his investigators were treated. you will hear from him right here. also breaking, for the first time, images from inside the warehouse in california. our interview with the d.a. on possible criminal charges, and what authorities are now looking at as a possible cause in that inferno. at this hour, the winter weather advisories across several states. the snow and freezing rain moving in. the east coast getting hammered right now. president-elect donald trump and his message to an american giant, boeing. threatening plans that could have paid them and their workers billions for a new air force one. too costly? and america strong.