strong winds fanning these flames so ferociously. >> hours earlier lilac fireireie exploded, at least 20 structures destroyed before this neighborhood burned to ground. last check, 2,500 acres and growing rapidly. >> gained most ground on the smallest skirball fire near bel-air. 20% condetained. rye fire is 7,000 acres. >> thomas fire in ventura county, almost 100,000 acres and destroyed 150 buildings. >> creek fire, burned down five homes and ten other buildings, including this barn with 40 horses trapped, just six survived. >> omar shows us what it's like

on the ground. >> reporter: strong winds and dry conditions are fuelling the raging wildfires in southern california as officials continue to battle. 110,000 people evacuated from homes. schools closed in at least 15 districts and thousands without power. low humidity and strong gusts keeping firefighters on edge as they hope to contain a difficult series of fires. >> topography, steep, hard to get members in there and hoses deployed. >> reporter: more evacuations in ojai valley. thomas fire, 150 square miles. state of emergency under way. urge caution even as threat starts to fade. >> still ask folks to stay away from homes. not completely out of the woods yet. hope to let people back in as soon as possible. >> reporter: for residents, devastation of homes coupled

with neighbors gone in a flash, almost too much to bear. >> i'm numb. i don't know. we'll get through it. it was very quaint, cozy neighborhood. and -- the house was just wonderful. i don't know what's going to happen. >> reporter: in southern california, omar jimenez. >> we're seeing incredible moments from the wildfires. look at this man, risked his life to save a wild rabbit dangerously close to flames along highway 1 north of ventura. captured by news photographer. knelt down and stopped rabbit and eventually picked it up and saved it. this is from the thomas fire. >> picture from los angeles police. officer carrying a cat to safety. added the caption for some it might be just a cat but to others it's a friend, a loved one, a companion.

>> live look at firefight right hur, lilac fire in san diego county, one of the newest to break out. live reporter talking about it, six major fires now in that area. >> seeing effect of the southern california fires in bay area, air quality. hazy skies captured on several tower cameras. >> spencer christian is here with the expansion. >> smoke has been working its way up into the bay area. view from emeryville camera. you could see the haze just a few seconds ago, can't see it now. smoke has been drifting westward to see and carried northward by circulation around the center of high pressure up into the bay area. why we're seeing increase in haze in the air here and decline

in air quality. as matter of fact tomorrow will be a spare the air day as will saturday and sunday. poorest in north bay. seems to be the entry point for the smoke from the south. and moderate air quality in other parts of the bay area. wind is generally gusting in area of the southern california fires 20 to 40 miles per hour at surface but much stronger in higher elevations and smoke will continue to move in our direction. >> another impact of the fires is felt by southern california students studying here. uc berkeley students leave for winter break in a few weeks, some worried might to return to. >> reporter: it's a stressful time for students at uc berkeley as they prepare for next week's final exams. now some students from southern

california faced with new set of worries. wildfires destroying or coming dangerously close to their homes. >> it was really surprising to see one of the most well-known freeways in l.a., everything on fire. i used to drive that every single day. still do when i go back home. >> scary, thankful the house isn't burned down so far. >> reporter: shared this picture of house in ojai. had to evacuate. burned old school and destroyed neighbors' homes. >> crazy, seeing images on facebook and looking at updates online. >> reporter: grew up in ventura. >> ton of friends, homes devastated. >> reporter: shared this picture. many homes wiped out. jack's house is still standing. will be spending winter break to

help them recover. >> going back now completely different. i feel empowered to be there. feel a little helpless. >> reporter: vice chancellor sent students resources like mental health and financial support. please know your safety and well-being are our top priorities. if you've been impacted by the events consider exploring academic flexibility as needed with instructors. berkeley. abc7 news. new details about the tragic ghost ship fire. day two of the criminal hearing for two men faces criminal charges for ghost ship fire last year. leslie brinkley is there. joins us with update. >> reporter: this was day two but preliminary hearing could go on another week or even two. riveting testimony that touched

on emotions and revealed new information. nicholas bouchard took the stand. says he cosigned the lease along with derick almena in 2013. but says within a few weeks hired a lawyer to get off the lease because he envisioned bringing the building up to code and almena did not want to. emotional day in court. lea danielle vega on the stand. went by name of swan. described ghost ship as stone hut. not intended for humans. as for power, electricity went off as much as it was on the week before the fire. called it a living, breathing hive of dreams with no clear-cut leadership and broke down sobbing uncontrollably. >> i don't know why the prosecution has to ask her about people who have been deceased

that it's irrelevant and it was terribly tragic to see her weeping in court. >> victims' families shook their heads in court in frustration as they listened. calling it heartbreaking. >> we lost our children in the fire and we're trying to get answers. that's what this is about. >> reporter: this preliminary hearing will determine if derick almena and max harris should go to trial on 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter and bear criminal responsibility for the ghost ship fire. testimony to resume monday. abc7 news. carbon monoxide outbreak killed one and sickened others in burnell heights. abc7 news reporter melanie woodrow explains what happened. >> reporter: firefighters had to break down the door of

downstairs unit for call from upstairs, carbon monoxide detector sounding overnight. >> elderly female by the door. >> reporter: and elderly man in the bedroom. worked on him 45 minutes but he passed away. >> tragic to watch him die. >> reporter: now flowers outside the unit. woman taken to st. francis hospital for hyperbaric chamber treatment. >> delivering high pressure 100% oxygen will restore her own levels to normal displacing carbon monoxide. >> reporter: in stable condition. >> staying inside. >> reporter: fire department says old water heater is to blame for carbon monoxide poisoning. upstairs residents thanking for working detectors. >> just installed in october. we're really thanking the universe and our management

company. >> reporter: pg&e restored gas to upstairs units. four treated on site to exposure to low levels and two firefighters. abc7 news. san francisco police are hosting a town hall meeting right now in response to last friday's officer-involved shooting of carjacking suspect in the bay view. unarmed and officer had been on the job only three days. department has policy to hold town hall meeting within ten days of officer-involved shooting. also a community meeting in hillsborough to talk about the possibility of new cell towers. delayed from last month. hear from the city's mayor and latest on the city strike headed for fourth day.

also ahead -- >> hottest toys. search trend data. live look inside the 7 on your side health insurance hotline.

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parents and teachers in dance community in south bay are shocked after finding out kevin cole was arrested for inappropriately touching young performers.

arrested in recent performance of the nut krker tlt. >> a familiar face to people in the dance community in morgan hill. worked backstage with sound and lighting at sobrato high school. say he crossed line with two young girls. >> victims said helped with costume changes and touching them in intimate parts of their bodies. >> reporter: alerted parents and told cole to leave but a short time later back with the girls again. arrested for annoying and/or molesting a child under 18. worked in four other dance companies and schools including music in motion. >> i'm surprised and saddened. don't want kids to have have to experience that. >> reporter: doesn't believe would be near her performers.

backstage changing areas. school district requires them to hire a backstage production person at high school for safety. they sate district recommended cole as outside contractor. used to work as substitute theater technician but stopped in summer of 2016. moier is concerned why he was allowed to be a contractor on district property. >> i was clearly told he was not allowed to step foot in the theater. i never asked why. >> reporter: conducting internal investigation. believe may be more victims and want people with information to come forward. republican congressman will resign his seat amid sexual harassment allegations. trent franks stepping down end of january. announced leaving after house ethics committee said would investigate him. admitted to talking about

fertility issues and surrogate mothers in front of those women. if you have the app, you received this push alert and watched live as senator franken announced his resignation from the senate after eight women accused him of sexual misconduct and more than 30 of his democratic colleagues called for him to step aside. >> there is a big part of me who will always regret having to walk away from dh job with so much work to be done. >> follows retirement of john conyers, another congressman facing allegations. spoke about the fight to reform sexual harassment policies in congress. >> we have to recognize that behavior like this is normally not just one incident. normally it's a pattern of behavior. and i think we've got to make sure that however we move forward, that we are

victim-centric. >> franken's resignation take effect in next few weeks. minnesota's governor will name a temporary replacement, then voters determine who will serve remaining two years of his term. negotiators from city of oakland and two city employee labor unions are back at table. shortly after mayor libby schaaf announced the city had a new offer to present. >> as city we're absolutely committed to being at that table and trying to work out a deal that is responsible to our workers who we value very much but also responsible to our residents. >> mayor wouldn't say what's in the offer but did say at this point it appears that striking workers will stay off the job a fourth day tomorrow. involves more than 3,000 city workers whose contract with the city expired in july.

federal government remains open at least for now thanks to stopgap spending bill passed in both houses today. president trump is expected to sign the measure to keep the government running until december 22nd. passed roughly along party lines. top party members met with the president as they continue to struggle with unfinished business. without temporary extension, would have shut down prior to the weekend. weather. chilly here and windy, in southern california as well. >> mix of interesting ingredients with the haze coming in, chilly mornings and warm afternoons. live doppler 7, high clouds offshore. this view from emeryville is clear, back to san francisco, 60 degrees right now. other temperatures in mid to

upper 50s. flat 50 at half moon bay. this is view from east bay hills. higher perspective over the bay, pleasant evening. 51 at santa rosa, 46 at napa and mid to upper 40s. 54 at concord and 51 at livermore. sutro tower. chilly inland overnight. perhaps not quite as cold as last couple of nights by a few degrees. dry and sunny continuing into next week. mild. daytime temperatures above average. overnight, thin high clouds. lows into the upper 30s in north bay. inland east bay, mid to upper 30s. morgan hill, 39. but santa rosa, low is 44,

improved from last night and bay shoreline, mid to upper 40s. storm track, this is how it's looked, flowing very far to our north, high pressure ridge built in here, strong area, deflecting storm track up into alaska and down into west central canada. remaining dry in bay area and across most of southern california. rain across north interior and east coast, not here where rain is needed. tomorrow is dry and hazy. mid-60s at coast and bay and upper 60s in inland areas. air quality declines. spare the air day tomorrow, poorest in north bay, moderate in other locations. accuweather seven-day forecast, going to be mainly sunny.

few high clouds, dry. much milder than average. getting into mid-december and high temperatures in upper 60s to near 70 inland next seven days. mid to upper 60s on the bay and even on the coast. very abnormal. >> 7 on your side's michael finney is joining us live next to talk health insurance. >> stay with us for that. we're taking your questions with covered california. there is a deadline looming you don't want to miss. what do you need to know? experts taking

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there is a deadline fast approaching to sign up for health insurance through affordable care act, obamacare. >> people in california have to sign up by friday. >> michael finney is live, team is answering questions for people tonight. >> ton of experts here until 8:00 at night. call us at (415)954-7621. you can also ask your questions on the abc7 facebook page. this is our fifth year taking questions and signing people up for covered california.

lot going on in washington but this year and next year won't change. good through 2018. linda white, certified agent. what are you hearing? >> people wanting to know what they can get out of their plan. >> how do you walk them through? >> start them on the home page, have they go through to look at what exactly will be available with regards to their health insurance plan. we'll pick the plan and design what -- based on their needs, what they need out of a plan, based on copays, outof expenses, so they have a better idea what plan is best for them. >> so what you were saying, get insurance through work, get what they give you. here you make decisions, how much to spend now or later. >> exactly. can customize it more.

especially if you're available for subsidies, makes a difference in the plan you can get. >> i have to cut you off, sorry calling (415)954-7621 right now. here until 8:00 and live on facebook. ask questions there. reporting from 7 on your side offices, i'm michael finney. testy exchange between the u.s. attorney general and uc berkeley law student. >> question that prompted it and exclusive interview with the student up next. ultraviolet is the color of the year. >> how the deep purple hue w

that may be the view in berkeley. but it's not the view in most places in the country. >> attorney general jeff sessions calling out berkeley by name in response to question from man a student at cal and department of justice intern. took place over the summer. >> all recorded. eric thomas talked with the

student. >> reporter: uc berkeley law student sean litteral prepared the foundation. >> i'm thinking about castillo or michael brown or other victims of excessive force. >> castillo, shot and killed by police last summer and brown in ferguson, missouri, four years ago. only the windup. here's the pitch. >> i grew up in projects to single mother. people who we are afraid of are not necessarily our neighbors but the police. >> well, that may be the view in berkeley, but it's not the view in -- >> columbus, >> reporter: we caught up with sean, ohio native by skype from london. >> i guesses way somewhat sad by

his response. because the reality is that his response represents the views of so many people that he stands in front of. >> reporter: sean says he asked based on personal experience and on behalf of justice department staffers who may have been afraid to. saw a look at criminal justice past and encouraging look at future in exchange. >> not berkeley but alabama and selma that got things going in '60s. right now it's immigrants and happening to young people of color in our cities. >> reporter: says may have assumed that because sean was white, background more affluent and question less provocative. sean says making it out of the projects and into prestigious school emboldened him. >> jeff sessions wants to criticize my experience or

progressive school done a good job with people and especially communities of color, i'm fine. >> reporter: experienced something his classmates couldn't dream up. abc7 news. new fires continue to break out. scene 90 minutes ago near fallbrook, at least 20 homes destroyed. riverside county, 300 acres and one home. thomas fire in ventura county 111,000 acres, destroyed 439 structures. first fire fatality recorded this morning, woman found dead near a burn area. firefighters increased containment on two fires in los angeles county and people evacuated allowed to return to their homes. flames burnt up to and under

the b.a.r.t. tracks this morning but didn't stop the trains. started at homeless camp, part of a growing trend and problem. at least a half dozen homeless camp fires this year. new federal report shows homelessness up significantly in oakland last few years. department of housing and urban development says population up to more than 134,000 people. population grown in oakland but stayed flat in san francisco. housing advocacy group says numbers alarming but state approved a package of housing bills to try to address the problem. >> if someone has a stable home anything is possible. keep a job, kids in school, have as access to what you need, be a productive part of community. >> also upcoming ballot measure

for a bond to expand low-cost housing opportunities for veterans. trend setting color company revealed color of the year, ultraviolet. professionals in fashion design and marketing are paying attention. >> reporter: it's a shade of purple that some will be more inspired to use. >> ultra violet is bright, bold. >> reporter: creative agencies reacting to pantone's color of the year announcement. design in mind in san jose. >> there's challenges with that color. you love or hate. >> reporter: ultraviolet getting the nod, each year chooses a color that's a snapshot of what we're seeing. >> seen as nonconforming and use

it in that way to give voice to other things is interesting way to look at it. >> reporter: pop culture to corporate america, bold but inclusive. former presidential jose canse hillary clinton choose purple for concession. brock turner sexual assault trial uses in market. >> history of color purple in movement for women's equality is one of the reasons we were drawn to it as name for the organization in first place. >> reporter: designers say it also sparks originality. >> it's not a subtle choice. it makes you curious. kind of lean in. >> reporter: influential pick which aims to start a conversation. in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7

news. explosive reminder of fire danger maybe a few feet from you right now. menlo park firefighters demonstrated hazards found in homes in holiday season, tarting with dry unwatered christmas trees. not watered regularly, more likely to catch fire. >> anytime you bring vegetation that's dead inside your house is risk. where you place in relationship to fireplace, other combustibles like candles are the risk. >> showed how quickly flames could spread. death trap in 10 to 15 minutes tops. look at most popular toys to put under the tree according to google. phone line is open for 7 on your side health insurance hot line, (415)954-7621.

open until 8:00 p.m. >> michael finney and team of

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[ bell. in. today the s&p broke indices. all rose. dow 99, nasdaq 41 and s&ps&ps&pp >> holidays, lot of people are googling toys. >> gives google a good idea which toys are hot and which are not. >> jonathan bloom talked about google search trends expert about what bay area kids may find under the tree. >> reporter: with black friday in the history books, clock is ticking. to find out what they want. >> disney princesses, favorite is elsa. >> fingerlings if you can find one. >> reporter: big if? >> adorable interactive pets that respond to sound, motion

and touch. >> reporter: one of the hot of the toys. >> reselling for hundreds if not thousands of dollars online. >> reporter: not number one. >> kitty buzz. >> your own smart device made just for kids. >> reporter: no place quite like bay area, toy trends are different. maybe no surprise. >> one is lol surprise. >> a little doll with all sorts of accessories hidden inside a puzzle ball. >> phenomenal on yooub about unboxing. >> reporter: that's what this is about. >> kids opening up lol surprise and look so excited. >> reporter: used to delight in other toys. annabel has no clue how retro she is. >> she chose it. >> reporter: some toys. >> watch the top of the

>> hatchimals we are into the seei not seeing this year. >> reporter: for real tiger. time to call the toy police. get it? toy police? abc7 news. too fun. string

cameras clicked as president trump signed official proclamation for national pearl harbor remembrance day. japanese attack on hawaii that killed americans. "uss arizona" still sunken along with remains of some of the crew members. works to make sure a dark chapter of world war ii doesn't repeat. japanese-americans removed from homes and placed in internment camps. joined by

compared travel ban to forced evacuations at beginning of the world. return to racial profiling and tool to attack muslims in america. >> my father said to stand up to what is right. racial profiling was wrong in 1942 and it is wrong now. >> several speakers shared details of experiences during the war and called for solidarity among racial and religious communities to fight the travel ban. 7 on your side is holding health insurance hotline. >> team of experts answering questions because next friday is deadline to sign up for insurance starting january 1st. >> michael finney is in the production office. >> ton of experts here. roomful here and here. any questions you have about affordable care act and covered california, we can handle them.

call us at (415)954-7621. or you can go to abc7 news facebook page. we have experts answering questions there too. we've been doing this five years, since the beginning of covered california. and who has been with us every year is susan pfeiffer, joining us now. thanks for being back. >> i love being back every year michael, you help the community so much. we appreciate it. >> you're so nice to do it, you help the community. national coalition of 100 black women and been here signing people up for insurance. you're hearing from mothers this year? >> interesting phenomenon, mothers with adult children, usually sons. >> of course. >> don't have insurance, late 20s, early to mid-30s, mothers calling to ask how to help them get insurance. >> telling them to get on computer and get going now? >> do it now, train them right. also questions about the

deadline, confusing people this year because of the federal deadline shorter than the cover california deadline. >> what is the deadline? >> end of january, 31st is the deadline in california. >> start on january 1st? >> december 15th. >> two deadlines but we have extra time. >> because we have cover clifornia, the best in the country. >> excellent. thank you very much. appreciate it. love seeing susan here every year. going to be here until 8:00, going live on facebook if you want to watch us there. any questions you have, again be here, (415)954-7621. reporting live from 7 on your side offices, i'm michael finney. >> terrific resource michael. good job. here to answer weather questions, including air quality. >> i'll do my best. live doppler 7, we had haze in the air. air quality is declining as some smoke from southern california is working its way up to the bay

area. overnight chilly inland, mainly clear skies. mid to upper 30s there, 40s around the bay. hazy sunshine next couple of days, bright on sunday and milder than average with highs in 60s. longer forecast. next seven days milder weather monday and tuesday with highs up to 70 degrees inland and gradually taper off next week. sunny, mild and dry. love to see rain. >> thanks spencer. >> even for warriors things must have go on. >> show must go on and going beautifully. warriors closing in on franchise record even withou steph curry. who is best college

good evening. without steph curry, and draymond green and patrick mccaw, warriors beat charlotte,

5-0 on the road trip. with victory in detroit would complete first 6-0 road trip in franchise history. kevin durant triple-double. and naturally he figures to carry most of the scoring burden while curry's ankle heals. but k.d.'s got a lot of help. >> plenty of firepower with k.d. and klay leading the way. but so many playmakers, continuity of being together so many years helps in situations like this. doesn't feel dramatically different when key guys are out. guys are tough and competitive. hell of a trip. would be great to finish it off but probably toughest game of the trip tomorrow. >> despite struggles, raiders in three-way tie with the chiefs

and chargers so it's basically a playoff game for silver and black. chiefs lost 6 of last 7. free-fall, started season 5-0, raiders feel like starting to get game together, starting with big offensive line. >> i like our group. we have a good group. big, physical, protect the quarterback, open holes for our backs. so yeah. that's -- they're responding exactly how we want to respond. sometimes things don't go exactly how you want but you persevere, stand for the things you believe in, maintain good character, continue to work. that's what we've done up front as a team. and so we should expect to play our best football down the stretch here. >> injured steelers linebacker ryan shazier underwent spinal surgery. it's unclear how much damage

there is. shaysier's teammates not thinking when he can play again or come back, just want him healthy and able to walk. heisman will be awarded soon in new york. but bryce love won annual award for top running back in college. rushed almost 2,000 yards and played past six weeks on injured ankle. second stanford player to win this, toby gearhart in 2009. >> everybody can relate to it. something about that football family. i'll do anything for those boys. grind in the off-season. honored to represent them and university as a whole. oklahoma quarterback won player of the year, likely the heisman as well. while the giants wait for giancarlo stanton to make a

decision. marlins traded dee gordon to the mariners for cash and minor leaguers. .308, 60 steals, 114 runs scored. abc7 sports by river rock casino. wait for jaugiancarlo continues >> love how hunter pence is trying to lure him. >> he wants the dodgers i think. we'll see. >> thanks for joining us. more coming up. >> continue to cover the rapidly growing fires in southern california with reports from the air and ground. also body cam video into the newsroom. community meeting in san francisco where police showed residents what happened when officer shot and killed man. we'll have your reaction to had a you're watching. >> that's it for this edition of abc7 news. i'm kristen sze.

>> i'm dan ashley. for spencer christian, larry beil, all of us, appreciate your time. hope to see you again at 9:00 and 11:00. >> 7 on your side hotline is open until 8:00 at night to answer health insurance questions before the deadline for covered california. >> great resource, take advantage of it. we'll see you later tonight. ♪ [vo] the season of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event.

♪ this is "jeopardy!" today's contestants are an operations specialist from new york, new york... a director of global food safety from milford, connecticut... and our returning champion -- a research scientist from nashville, tennessee... whose 3-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! [ cheers and applause ] thank you, johnny. hey, ladies and gentlemen. thank you very much. warm welcome. appreciate it. only 2 1/2 weeks to go before christmas. my, how time flies. time's been moving pretty quickly for kyle, our champion.

he's been with us all week. katia and joe, welcome, and good luck. here we go. put you to work in the jeopardy! round with one daily double awaiting you in one of these categories... followed by... you tell us where. ...comes next. followed by... and finally... kyle. the state university in for $200. katia. what is the university of vermont? -you are right. -state university for $400. kyle. what is the university of kansas? -yes. -state university, $600. kyle. -what is ole miss? -yes. mississippi. state university for $800. kyle. what is the university of illinois