tv ABC7 News 500AM ABC October 11, 2017 5:00am-6:00am PDT
5:00 am
adjustable from everywhere, easy on the wallet and the eyes, nest thermostat e. e is for everyone. fires in the north bay continue to grow. officials issued new evacuations in sonoma county. >> at last check six major fires burned nearly 88,000 acres and more than 700 structures are destroyed. good morning on this wednesday, october 11. jessica castro is covering the fires for us this morning. we'll have a live report from her in a few minutes. >> alexis monitoring the roads. we want to start with you, mike, what is going on today? >> the national weather service issued a wind advisory. that means winds will kick up to dangerous levels once again about 30 to 50 miles an hour. now it could down some trees and some power lines, maybe shake some branches free.
5:01 am
a lot of that was taken care of sunday night. picking up embers and moving them south, more spotty fires could develop and coinciding with that is a red flag warning, high fire danger starts at 5:00 this afternoon through 5:00 tomorrow afternoon in the north bay. 11:00 this evening through 5:00 tomorrow afternoon. east bay hills into the diablo range. a lot of road closures continue here in the north bay as you would expect with all of these fires. we'll get to a few of the major ones here anywhere you see purple on our traffic maps you can assume all lanes are blocked in the area. state route 128 between chalk hill road and sonoma and napa line is fully blocked. new evacuations north of calistoga with the fire spreading. quick check of mass transit. a major b.a.r.t. problem on the peninsula. at least 30-minute delays. that is all due to a switching problem on the tracks. alexis, thank you.
5:02 am
the death toll is expected to rise in the six north bay fires. officials say at least 17 people killed statewide. >> 11 of the victims from sonoma county, three mendocino county, two from napa county and one from yuba county. >> new evacuation have is been issued. if you live in these areas in red you need to get out now including moon mountain road, mission way, london way, martin road, cavedale road, and adobe way. people living along highway 12 between agua caliente and madrone are not under a mandatory evacuation but the sheriff's office says to have a bag packed and ready to go in case things take a turn for the worse. >> a mandatory evacuation order in parts of calistoga. everyone who lives north of grant street needs to get out immediately. all other areas of the city are now under an advisory alert. that means everybody in calistoga has to be ready to
5:03 am
leave on a moment's notice. now back in santa rosa an update from cal fire this morning. >> an evacuation center and command post is set up at the sonoma county fair grounds. that is where we find jessica castro live with the latest. jessica? >> reporter: natasha, reggie, good morning. we just got to santa rosa. we're here at the sonoma county fairgrounds and getting an update on the tubbs fire, the largest one burning, the most destructive, and it has been the deadliest as well. catching up here with the public information officer for santa rosa, paul lowenthal, good morning. can you give me the very latest? >> the fire moved into the city of santa rosa, it's been about three and a half days ago causing extensive amount of damage into the city limits. the whole north end of the city still under evacuation. a lot of structures damaged. a lot of neighborhoods devastated or destroyed.
5:04 am
we understand obviously now with the way the fire originally moved in and all the fingers with the winds we experienced, we now have issues calistoga roadside, still issues in santa rosa. it's a dynamic situation. >> reporter: you mentioned to me earlier calistoga, parts of calistoga are evacuated? >> the volume evacuations taking place from this fire from this area it's a coordinated effort between a lot of agencies from sonoma, napa county, a lot of websites we're encouraging people to look at to track it. they can go to sonoma county's website, the city's website, cal fire. there's several websites that we encourage people to please look at, go to to keep track of evacuation maps and centers. >> reporter: santa rosa dealing with the nuns, tubbs, and pocket fires and you said it's hitting both ends of santa rosa. what is that like to deal with?
5:05 am
>> we've been crisscrossing our own town an awful lot. originally we were here for the tubbs fire itself. we shifted gears a little bit from the city perspective. the incident dealing with tubbs and pocket. from the city standpoint me working for the city of santa rosa. nuns became a concern of ours. looking at the tubbs the nuns is on the back steps, so it did get into the oakmont side of our town. we have a new evacuations that went into effect late yesterday. that included everything from park trail down to the golf course on the east side of summer field and up into annandale state park. a lot of issues going on here. people need to understand we have a lot of resources coming in. there's an incredible amount of law enforcement. we're doing everything we can to protect our community. >> reporter: you mentioned to me earlier tubbs fire has grown to about 30, just shy of 30,000 acres? >> yeah. last night the last update i had was shy of 30,000 acres. one of the issues we're running into is visibility, just the
5:06 am
volume of fires, the smoke in here is incredible, and it does make it difficult to have a good handle on the actual size. >> reporter: and real quick, paul, this has been personal for you. what has -- you told me you actually lost your home during all of this? >> yes. so myself, several of my friends, i understand we have at least seven of us from santa rosa fire department, several from santa rosa that did lose our homes, but we're here for one reason right now and it's to get the upper hand, protect our community and do what we're here. a lot of people lost their stuff, people who were able to get some stuff out. people weren't able to get anything out. this is the resilient community, resilient city, resilient county. everybody is going to come back from this as best they can. we're all going to be here for one another, but we have a job to do and want to get this fire out and protect our community. >> reporter: you are certainly an example of resilience, doing
5:07 am
your job when this is happening to your own home and friends and family. have you had a chance to go back yet? >> i was able to go back into the neighborhood. it was devastate to go see the amount of destruction because we have to focus on our goal here and that's to continue to engage with our community, make sure they're informed and do the best we can to get the fire out and then start thinking about that shift from response to recovery. the santa rosa fire department and the city of santa rosa are not just here to put the fire out and walk away. we're here for the long haul. the city is here for the community. we're prepared to be here for the months and years it will take. >> reporter: paul, thank you. thank you for the update. tubbs fire just under 30,000 acres. we have the nuns fire burning here in santa rosa. and then all of these first responders dealing with devastation in their own back yards literally. we're going to keep you updated. i'll be here throughout the morning. back to you. >> jessica, thank you. you have to salute people like paul who are able to put personal tragedy aside and show
5:08 am
up every morning i'm sure with very little sleep and continue to do their work because they know other people are in this situation. >> we've been hearing from paul the past several days. i had no idea that his home was lost to the fire. our heart certainly goes out to him. thank you, paul, for your work. so sticking in the santa rosa area, mandatory evacuations do remain in effect as you heard him mention. >> people who live in oakmont were told to get out yesterday afternoon. amy hollyfield has been covering this neighborhood. she joins us live with an update. what's the situation now? >> reporter: hi, good morning, natasha. we're at oakmont drive and highway 12. you can see police are stationed here to make sure people do not come into this neighborhood. it is under a mandatory evacuation. i checked in with cal fire, the spokesperson. he tells me the fire was on tail ridge last night. he is working to get more information about what happened overnight. police start this hed this evac yesterday afternoon as the fire started approaching the oakmont neighborhood here in santa rosa.
5:09 am
not everyone wanted to go, though. police documented the people who decided to stay. >> they said good luck. that's going to be it. >> reporter: this is a retirement community. we have had a lot of people contacting us wanting information about their parents' home. the fire officials say they'll likely know more when the sun comes up. they'll be able to get a better handle on what happened. right now, though, we do not see an orange glow of fire here at all. there's not much smoke if any in the air especially compared to what we have experienced the last couple of days. and it is very cold this morning, so the conditions have certainly changed. it does not look like there's a threat here right now. reporting live in santa rosa, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. this morning napa county
5:10 am
officials are expected to give an update on the wildfires burning at 9:00 a.m. we'll have live coverage online, also the abc 7 news app. meantime residents can get emergency updates including evacuation information through nixle. officials say you can text your zip code to the number 888777 for the most updated information where you live and abc 7 news reporter matt keller will have an update on evacuations there coming up in the next half hour. we'll take a look at the weather conditions. mike, i thought that the winds were supposed to pick up overnight. did that just not happen? >> they picked up they're just not as fast. they're up around 20 miles an hour in the hills. the cold front will come in. so they're up. they're just not to dangerous levels quite yet so still plenty of time this morning for the firefighters to get as much hold of a line as they can before the winds increase this afternoon. our thickest smoke becaus the
5:11 am
winds are blowing more onshore is up around winters and vacaville on 505 and 80 up towards dixon. they come into our neighborhoods. be careful. visibility is getting low right there. if you're heading out to daly city, half moon bay, the peninsula around 50 to 53 degrees. san jose at 54. san ramone, 49. antioch and concord, 55. amy has talked about how cold it is in the north bay. we expected that with the 43 in santa rosa. let's talk about your 12-hour day planner. 68 to 70 around the bay. 60 to 59 for our coastal communities and back to the 50s when the breezes kick in. again, it's about the 5:00 hour when we need to start paying
5:12 am
attention to winds and dry air. here's alexis. trying to get to as many of the road closures as possible all due to the fires. i am posting them on my twitter page as well, alexis abc 7. river road and airport boulevard closed in the santa rosa area. we could have a few more. heavy police presence in the area. of course the people in those dangerous areas, too. it is a spare the air day today it is a spare the air day today and we do have a major b.a.r.t. issue. 30 minutes plus delay. >> alexis, thank you. firefighters in the north bay continue to battle the flames, many are wondering how these massive wildfires began. dozens of animals left
5:13 am
5:15 am
5:16 am
bachus. >> reporter: i want to show you the scope of the devastation here. around me are signs of the intensity of the fires. i'm sure you can see behind me house after house is gone. all that's left you can see charred cars, even charred chimneys on lots that used to be homes. and, unfortunately, this is going to be the harsh reality that many people will be returning home to when the mandatory evacuation orders are lifted. since we've been here since yesterday, we've seen some people able to get past the barricades here and seeing what's left of their homes. and as you said, one way that people have been describing it is it looks like a bomb goes off. people have also said that what they see on television really doesn't do it justice. and that's not in a positive way but saying it doesn't hit you until you actually come and see it in person. we've seen people sifting through the ashes trying to salvage anything they can find whether it be a picture, maybe a cabinet, a file cabinet of some srt.
5:17 am
we even met with a woman yesterday in the journey's end mobile home park where many of the mobile homes there have also been destroyed. she was actually pulling things out like a sweater, a shirt, a pair of boots, things of that nature, just anything that gives them a taste of home to make them feel like they did not completely lose everything. but when you come out here i have to tell you this devastation is completely unbelievable and it's also extremely heartbreaking. natasha and reggie. >> danya, in news we cover events like this all the time, but what is striking you about this particular event and the devastation you're seeing? >> reporter: i have to say that it is just the magnitude of the devastation. i think we cover wildfires, we cover fires, and we see one or two homes burned, maybe five to ten homes burned. but when you go and see entire neighborhoods where you look around and you can't even tell where one home begins, the other one ends, and you just think about all of the people who have
5:18 am
lost everything that they've owned, i think it's also talking to people as they're going through and coming back and seeing it on their faces as well. there are some extremely strong people in this community. i think many of them are still in shock about the fact they've lost everything but some of them, of course, extremely grateful they only lost their homes and many of them are thankful that they did not lose their lives or any of their family friends didn't lose their lives either. >> danya, we appreciate the live reporting. you're right, the resiliency, we are seeing that. crews are too busy saving lives and trying to stop the flames to investigate what may have sparked the north bay fires. however, the head of cal fire told the i-team the fires probably were sparked by man and, in fact, 95% of the time wildfires are caused by a person. >> it could be something pulling their car off to the side of the road into the dry grass. >> is there any indication there's arson involved? >> that's what we're going to get to the bottom.
5:19 am
we want to know the cause. it's so early to tell. >> the chief says there are no reports of arson at this time but at a news conference yesterday chp cautioned drivers about tossing out cigarette butts. the animal control branch is lending its service. look at these photos. animal control officers were in the napa area yesterday. they helped rescue around 15 horses, a dog, and two cats. abc 7 news informs santa rosa where many homes were destroyed on rolling oaks road and our crew found animals that survived the flames. llamas, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens. abc 7 news reporter liam melendez fed them hay and fire and flagged down officials. officers rounded up some of those animals and put them in their squad car. sonoma county transit restored service and will operate their saturday schedule starting today. now, of course, that's all depending on road conditions. we checked the website, there is
5:20 am
limited service. santa rosa city buses also operating on a saturday schedule with no service in the fire affected areas. now it is best to stay indoors today if you have respiratory problems. look at this. sky 7 flew through some of the smoky, dirty air that is covering much of the bay area. at one school in richmond, three students had to go to the hospital because of severe asthma attacks. >> at least here in san francisco it smells less smoky today. is the air quality any better? >> it is right now across the board we're all moderate. we're right below the threshold. visibility is much better. notice on the ferry building that the winds are blowing enough to unfurl the flag there and that has brought us a reprieve, cleaner air off the ocean right now. it's undercutting the smoke. it won't last. that wind will reverse and start blowing from north to south behind the cold front that will move through later this morning.
5:21 am
for today it will be breezy, become more breezy, become more smoky and partly cloudy. those clouds do not give us any chance of rain. in fact, the chances of rain are absent the next two weeks so the firefighters are on their own. they're going to get no help from mother nature. faster winds and low humidity tonight. tonight will be the most dangerous part of this next wind event. today's temperatures, look at this, low to mid-70s for most of us. we do have upper 70s in antioch and mid to upper 60s along the coast into san francisco. here's a look at what's going to happen as far as your commute. better visibility this morning because of the wind shift. spare the air, mass transit and ferry. call it poor because it will be breezy this afternoon. there's a small craft advisory. in the valleys tonight we'll be in the 40s to 50s. up in the hills in the 50s and 60s and that's where the fastest winds are going to be. humidity levels in the 60% to 90% now are going to drop down in the teens and 20s and that's
5:22 am
why the fire danger will go up not only tonight but again friday with breezes there. lighter winds will blow offshore and that means it will get warmer for us and the firefighters sunday and monday. alexis? you hate to hear that, mike. we have a lot of road closures that continue due to all those fires. state route 128 closed between chalk hill road to the sonoma/napa county line and state route 29 closed between lawley road and western mine road. no estimate obviously on when any will reopen. major b.a.r.t. delay between sfo and south san francisco, so that means at least 30-minute delays. that is a switching problem in the san bruno area. a quick check outside, air quality a little bit better for now. it's not quite as smoky and hazy as this time yesterday. but that is going to change and it does look like those metering lights were flipped on or they will be any second. so things are starting to back up through the maze. alexis, thank you.
5:23 am
the seven things you need to know as you start your day. >> and the best of humanity in the face of tragedy. supporting fire victims and first responders in wine country. (dog panting) another 2am stroll, huh? i'm worried. i have this medical bill. dave, you have anthem, and they have people to talk to who are empowered to help answer any question you... (dog grunting, panting) is... is he okay? real people? living and breathing. hopefully not breathing like that. for all the things that keep you up at night, anthem blue cross has a solution.
5:24 am
hi, i need your help.s for i've been trying to find. for all the things that keep you up at night, a knee specialist... but nobody has an opening for months! uuuggghhh!!! uuurrrggghhh!!! mr. powers? you can't always control your feelings... i found one in-network next tuesday. but choosing unitedhealthcare can help you control your care. thanks, stephanie. i see on your preventive checklist, you're due for a colonoscopy. it's covered at no additional cost to you. great! no green. unitedhealthcare my doctor recommended i switch laxatives. stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking yoursystem n. miralax.
5:25 am
from the moment you met you wantecomfort and protection that's why pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals to wrap your baby in blanket-like softness so all they feel is love pampers swaddlers it is 5:25. whether you're just joining us or about to go out the door, here are the seven things you need to know. number one, officials say at least 17 people have died in the six fires burning in the north bay. six of the victims died in santa rosa, five others were killed in the lark field area north of santa rosa. >> number two, more evacuations issued across sonoma and napa counties overnight, parts of calistoga and the sonoma valley. a full list posted at abc7news.com. number three, veterans evacuated in yountville. ambulances rushed to the veterans home of california to pick up people with compromised
5:26 am
respiratory systems. the home is not in danger from the partrick fire. a standing ovation for firefighters at a town hall meeting in santa rosa last night. a large and anxious crowd gathered at santa rosa high school for an urgent fire update. >> number five, breathing smoke from the fires for a third straight day. health officials say stay indoors and keep your windows closed. number six, waking up to ideal conditions with cleaner air, calmer conditions and high humidity. that all changes this afternoon. high fire danger returns in the same areas we're seeing burning right now, the north bay mountains. it also includes the east bay hills and the diablo range. >> number seven with that poor air quality it is a spare the air day yet again today. unfortunately, we have major b.a.r.t. delays on the peninsula, at least 30 minutes all due to a switching problem on the track in the san bruno area. that delay between sfo and south san francisco. >> amidst the chaos of the fire
5:27 am
we are seeing signs of health and hope provided by local people and businesses. there is a peruvian restaurant quinoa cocina restaurant said he responded to the call to volunteer in santa rosa. amy hollyfield tweeted out this photo of an oakmont homeowner telling firefighters who saved the house she will be sending them some wine. help share some of the good news you're seeing. we're coming back with another 90 minutes of news including the growing concern about people in the fire zones who haven't been heard from. >> and flames scorch a school building in santa rosa. the schools and colleges still feeling the impact of the devastating fires. of course we keep up weather of course we keep up weather and tra
5:30 am
shifting flames are leading to new evacuations and wind is expected to be a major factor again today. >> following several new developments in the north bay fires. new evacuations issued in sonoma county. we will get to that in a moment. here is the latest information we know. 17 people have been confirmed to have died in these fires. 11 of them in sonoma county alone. we have been warned that number is expected to go up. nearly 88,000 acres have been burned in these six major fires including the tubbs fire in napa county. now that has grown. it is now a 28,000 acres. also cal fire says nearly 700 structures have been burned just in the north bay. that includes homes, busines and several wineries. w we appreciate you joining us. jessica castro is covering the latest on the fires. >> first, we'll check in with the weather today and there is
5:31 am
going to be a break for winds but that ends later on. >> the break is right now and it is going to end later on this afternoon. let's talk about something positive. not nearly as murky as yesterday. i just checked the readings. napa valley college, one of our reporting stations, roaring poor air quality. that will, unfortunately, change on this spare the air day. you can see it's easier to see it also from pier 15 this morning or downtown it is. 68 to 70. 70 to 74. so cooler but at 4:00 that's also when the breezes kick in so as the sun is setting the fire danger is rising. alexis? >> taking a look at the bay bridge toll plaza, metering lights flipped on a few minutes ago and, unfortunately, we have a bit of a delay once we make it path the toll booths
5:32 am
crash briefly blocking a lane. up to 15 minutes into the city. 580 tracy to dublin 47 minutes. not terrible. southbound 680 dublin to mission boulevard in the green. we do have some major b.a.r.t. delays on the peninsula. new evacuations are forcing people out of one of the largest veterans homes. >> st. helena residents are being told to get out. matt keller in yountville. >> reporter: this is one of the largest veterans homes in the entire country. it is apparently safe from fire but the smoky conditions are causing a lot of people to evacuate this area. last night they brought in a caravan of ambulances. this is the veterans home. 850 veterans plus staff live at the home. they were here to pick up the 80
5:33 am
elderly veterans with compromised respiratory systems taken to facilities in sacramento. others were taken by bus to a staging area in case a full-scale evacuation is necessary. >> we are making sure our residents' health and safety are protected. we are interested in making sure this is as easy on them as possible t. >> reporter: new evacuations ordered late tuesday. law enforcement and homeowners were forced off mt. veeder road. nervous family members waited at the roadblock for their loved ones. everyone around here is advised to have a ready-to-go back with important documents and medicines just in case they're medicines just in case they're forced to evacuate. >> officials say if you live in these areas you need to lead and they include moon mountain road, mission way, london way, martin
5:34 am
road, and adobe way. people living along highway 12 between agua caliente and madrone road are not under a mandatory evacuation but the sheriff's office says to have a bag packed and ready to go in case things get worse. >> new mandatory evacuations in geyserville. officials say everyone living between 1922 highway russian rifver should evacuate. guk to abc7news.com for a complete list. under advisory, prepare for an evacuation in case the situation worsens. downtown geyserville as well as palomino, asti ridge and highland ranch roads. all the information on our website, abc7news.com. the solano county sheriff ordered new evacuations north of fa fairfield. they said the fire jumped a major roadway and moved southeast. deputies making sure homes and businesses have been cleared out. all schools in the district are
5:35 am
closed today. a number of new evacuations popped up. >> the tubbs fire which already destroyed so many neighborhoods continues to grow. jessica castro is getting an update from cal fire. >> reporter: reggie, the latest update the tubbs fire is just under 30,000 acres, that is up slightly from yesterday. the nuns and the pocket fires also affecting this area. i just spoke to the public information officer from santa rosa telling me that he has been crisscrossing his area just trying to get information because there are fires on both ends. evacuation that is are under way evacuation that is are under way in this area. late last night firefighters say everyone is cooperating, these fires have destroyed so much proper property. take a listen.
5:36 am
>> carried the fire from calistoga down into santa rosa and we have the nuns f moved in as well on the opposite side of town. now damage to the oakmont side of the city of santa rosa. >> reporter: okay, so we're learning that this morning. that's new this morning. we are at the sonoma county fair grounds. this is an evacuation center. red cross on the other side of the area. folks are sleeping right now. it's eerie to see guards standing by checking people's i.d.s to make sure they know who is coming in and out of here. we will continue to follow updates from santa rosa and sonoma county. that's the latest here. i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news.
5:37 am
we are now learning the names of some of the people who are still missing in the areas devastated by the fire. >> families desperately waiting to find out if their missing loved ones are okay. >> reporter: you're looking at a picture of brian and udonia erikson both 80 years old. deputies found one of their cars. family members hope they were able to escape from the tubbs fire. 71-year-old daniel southard is missing from his home on bennett valley road in santa rosa. family members tell us southard has trouble getting around because he wears a leg brace. norma zarr also lives in bennett valley. her daughter in utah has been unable to get hold of her. local relatives have been checking shelters for her. mike grabow's family has checked hospitals and shelters for him. grabow lives in one of the hardest hit areas. linda tunis is missing after fire ravaged her home in the journey's end mobile home park.
5:38 am
family and friends tell us christina hanson lost her life. she had been missing. the tubbs fire destroyed her home. here is a breakdown on the status of schools in the fire zone. >> classes in calistoga joint unified district canceled until monday, napa valley unified schools closed today and tomorrow, santa rosa city schools closed today, local colleges and universities impacted, all classes, events and activities at santa rosa junior college canceled through sunday. napa valley closed through friday. >> take a look at what's left of cardinal newman high school in santa rosa. some statues survived the flames including one of the virgin mary. the school is closed indefinitely. air quality officials are asking people to avoid breathing in the smoke. >> the fires have sent an unprecedented amount of pollutants over the bay area. seeing or smelling the smoke is
5:39 am
reason enough to stay indoors. pulmonologists say it's a good idea for the general public. they advise keeping your windows closed, keeping the kids indoors for a couple of days. yesterday i saw a lot of people coming home who are walkers or commuters by bike wearing masks and that seems like a good idea. >> we're not seeing as many people exercising outside. is it worth it? limit the activity if you can during the afternoon hours when the air quality is going to deteriorate back down to unhealthy levels even outside of the north bay of wind gusts 10 to 20. manageable but that's right now. a 24-hour window, gusts to 50 miles an hour. a smaller window in the diablo range 11:00 tonight through
5:40 am
tomorrow afternoon. downed tree branches. there's possibly still some left even though we had faster winds sunday evening. some of the trees could come down and power lines, a remote chance they could spark another fire. santa rosa, petaluma 45 right now. most of us in the low to mid-50s, san ramone and cupertino, upper 40s for you. look at this, running in the 70% to 90%. a lot of moisture is in the air but it is going to dry significantly as we head into the afternoon hours once the winds kick in. humidity levels will drop 10% to 20% across the north bay. a 24-hour window of high fire danger here. the same window as the wind advisory 11:00 tonight to 5:00 tomorrow for our highest fire danger. another chance we could have a high fire danger in the accuweather seven-day forecast.
5:41 am
alexis? >> road closures still in place due to the fire so let's get you up on our traffic maps. our off ramps from 101 to anywhere in the santa rosa area. again, heavy law enforcement checking i.d.s, not letting anyone into the neighborhoods. state route 12 closed between watmaugh road. i want to head down to the bay bridge. we briefly had an incident blocking. not sure if it was a disabled vehicle or a collision. it's gone thousand but you're down to just about 15 miles an hour once you make it past the toll plaza. a bit of an update here to our b.a.r.t. issue this morning. still have a switching problem on the tracks in the san bruno area down to just five to ten-minute delays in the richmond and bay point directions. those on the peninsula going to richmond or bay point will transfer at 19th street stations so staying on top of that as well.
5:42 am
>> thank you, alexis. returning to the family home to find that there is nothing left. how this man is finding a way to be thankful through the heartbreak. also, at&t is stepping in to help fire victims get in touch with their loved ones. what the company is offering. it is 5:42. a live look outside at san francisco. you can see that there is still smoke in the air. not nearly as bad as we saw yesterday but winds will pick up
5:45 am
here is the latest on the six north bay fires. officials say 17 people are confirmed to have died. 11 of the victims are from tubbs fire in napa county. nearly 88,000 acres burned in the six major fires. the two largest has grown to 30,000 acres. the atlas fire has burned 26,000 acres and is 3% contained. cal fire says nearly 700 structures destroyed in the fires. we are hearing many stories of people barely escaping the flames near the silverado trail. the owner of the bubbling well pet memorial park. flames from gas lines still flared from the ashes. the owner says his dad, his mom, and his 97-year-old wheelchair bound grandmother were trapped. a rescue hospital swooped in just in time to pick them up. >> it's devastating. >> reporter: it's your business and your home. >> yeah.
5:46 am
it's not every day you lose both. we have a lot of good friends and family who will help us out. >> others did not make it out alive. an elderly couple 98 and 100 years old were found dead in their condominium. money received from a local charity to help them recover. >> a community foundation activated its emergency relief fund. several government leaders are also looking at long-term needs. the disasser a lot of help is needed in the north bay to recover from the fires. >> if you are able and willing, we put together a list of everything you need to know and you'll find that at abc7news.com. cell phone service has been spotty in the fire areas so at&t is deploying mobile cell sites like this one to help restore coverage to customers. it's setting up chargig
5:47 am
stations at some of the evacuation shelters. it is recommended texting rather than calling because it helps reduce network congestion and you have a better chance of getting through. also wait ten seconds before redialing a call to help reduce congestion. back to meteorologist mike nicco now. our crews on the ground say it is cold this morning. wind gusts seem to be quiet. >> a little bit caller than they have been but still up around 20 miles per hour. ideal conditions are still around. once that cold front converges on our neighborhoods, the ingredients will mix together. so i know that san rafael, the golden gate bridge. i didn't get a chance to change it. winds are out of the west at 13.
5:48 am
that is going to change. the breezes and high fire danger could repeat friday. offshore breeze means it will get warm sunday and monday and that will keep the dry air around even during the overnight hours which is not good for the firefighting. temperatures today about 70 to 75 in most neighborhoods. livermore, 76. the coast into san francisco, 74 degrees. looking around the state smoky in sacramento and 76. smoke could make it to yosemite. 73 in san diego. they're getting a reprieve today from the high fire danger. the santa anas coul in the mid-40s tonight to upper 40s to low 50s everywhere else of the it is going to be windy on those ridges. bone-dry, 10 to 20, maybe 30%.
5:49 am
that's when the red flag warning begins. the breezeless relax tomorrow afternoon only to return friday. lighter winds saturday and then those offshore winds will make it warm for everybody. even though it's not going to be dramatic, we're still not seeing ideal weather conditions even after this morning where we have them right now. speaking of ideal weather conditions out there, the smoke is not as bad. how about traffi it's not quite we're seeing that on our traffic cameras. yesterday we had thick smoke on just about all of them. so, yeah, we're doing better in that regard. it is a spare the air day today so hopefully you're able to car-pool or use mass transit. metering lights are on. heavier than normal. we had a problem briefly at westbound on the bay bridge right around treasure island that has cleared but you're looking at about probably 15 to 20-minute drive into san
5:50 am
francisco and that is starting to thin out. better news with b.a.r.t. that a problem they are still working on it. there is a 10 to 15 minute in the yarea if that's your station. full weekday nonschool service, smart train free service on modified schedule and sonoma county transit bus service limited. >> showing you just how many fires are burning right now. near grass valley the lobo fire is 880 acres burned, 30% contained and things have calmed down so that evacuation orders have been reduced to advisories
5:51 am
instead. it stands at 21,000 acheers this morning, no containment on that. evacuations in place like potter valley, redwood, and golden rule. there is a large animal evacuation center right now. then in southern california the canyon fire in anaheim is now 25% contained. that has burned 7,500 acres. authorities let people who were evacuated back in last night. >> having covered wildfires myself i know it can be very difficult in person versus just watching it on tv. such a narrow view on tv. so we're trying to give you a better perspective. what i pulled up here is a neighborhood in santa rosa, this is 1984 camino delprado. this 360 look at the neighborhood. this is before the fire hit from google street maps.
5:52 am
we have a 360 camera there and i will spin you around and take a closer look and you can see the neighborhood i just showed you lined with so many homes. i can't see one single home that is still standing. just burned out cars, a couple of vehicles on the street but i'm assuming those came after the fire. a number of photos on our website. navigate through to see the 360 photos. there are several that you can then click on and take a look around at what is in this case not left. >> really gives you an idea how widespread that devastation is. a lot more coverage of the north bay fire still ahead and the wine industry hit hard by the fires. fires. the ♪ because everyone likes easy. sure do.
5:53 am
because everyone is on the go. because we all like to save energy, but sometimes we slip up. reaching up. ssssh! because sometimes we want it cool at night, then toasty in the mornings. introducing the easy to use, energy saving, adjustable from everywhere, easy on the wallet and the eyes, nest thermostat e. e is for everyone.
5:54 am
(dog panting) another 2am stroll, huh? i'm worried. i have this medical bill. dave, you have anthem, and they have people to talk to who are empowered to help answer any question you... (dog grunting, panting) is... is he okay? real people? living and breathing. hopefully not breathing like that. for all the things that keep you up at night, anthem blue cross has a solution.
5:55 am
several wineries hit hard by the fire. >> one was the paradise ridge winery. the tasting room and wine making facility are destroyed. the winery staff is safe but one employee did lose her home. the venue is often used for events. 40 weddings are booked through 2018 including one this weekend. >> we're communicating with our brides to try to figure out what our different options are. we're trying to make sure they have a special day and get married. it's just not going to happen here. >> paradise ridge lost about 20% of its wine. the rest is cased. the owner says the good news is
5:56 am
the 15 acres were only slightly damaged. it will take time. he vows that he will rebuild. and, mike, we were talking about with our wet winter a lot of wine producers hoping for a really great harvest this year. >>ot grapes are offer either as i understand from an interview matt did as i was listening to it streaming driving in some were still the vines. you can see down to berkeley more proof that so far things are pretty good air quality wise except the north bay. it's when it's in the red all of us have to be concerned. friday more smoke will be moving south and fanned by those south and fanned by those flames. alex sni
5:57 am
alexis? we have a pretty big problem in the morgan hill area north of there. we have quite the backup. a six-car crash at cochrane road. emergency crews are on the way to the scene. we do have some injuries involved as well. hopefully we'll at least get one lane open or the shoulder will be allowed by. a quick check outside as mike has been saying the air quality is not good for today. we're enjoying a break. yesterday you could see all that smoke. today we're looking okay and no delays if you are coming in from the north bay. >> next at 6:00 the north bay wildfires and new evacuation orders issued overnight. orders issued overnight. >> not everyon
6:00 am
firefighters in the north bay continue to work at all hours. officials issued new evacuations in sonoma county. >> six major fires burned nearly 88,000 acres, more than 2,000 buildings are destroyed. and good morning. it is wednesday, october 11th. jessica castro, our colleague, is on assignment covering the fires. we'll talk to her in a few minutes. >> weather and traffic especially because we are monitoring the shifting winds, mike. >> right now they're okay. about as good as they're going to get for the next 72 hours or so. while were you sleeping the national weather service issued a wind advisory. all those areas in yellow. it starts at 5:00 this afternoon. smaller window, 11:00 in the east bay hills and diablo ridge to 5:00. let's change the color. the same time frame. the color red means high fire danger. so pristine conditions for the most part this morning will
87 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
KGO (ABC) Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on