live, this is abc 7 news. developing news in the east bay. several fires near byron turned destructive murng multiple buildings. here a live picture from from sky7 flying over the area. you can notice the scorched earth of course but also the smoke blowing hard. gusty winds in that area have fanned the flames and pushed them to grow rapidly this afternoon. good evening thank you for joining us i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristen sze. the first for a fires broke out at 1:00 p.m. per this the area of byron and mountainhouse. calfire says they are dealing with seven fires that burned 500 acres. >> carlos sausalito is live at the scene. what are you seeing there now? >> clearly the wind playing a huge factor in helping spread the flames. hear the how willing winds out here. look behind me here this is one

of the seven vegetation fire that erupted after 1:00 this afternoon along byron highway here in the south discovery bay area. now, fire officials say a total of seven fires have now burned 500 acres. the flames have been krifen as i mentioned which the strong winds, gusts we're told as strong as 40 to 50 miles an hour. now so far no reports of any injuries. but several outbuildings have been either damaged or destroyed. now we do have sky7 video. sky7 was above the scene of several structures as they were going up in flames. we saw a vehicle on fire as well as a trailer. also we've seen multiple agencies out here trying to battle the fires from the ground and the air. we have folks with calfire as well as with alameda county and contra costa, the east contra costa fire protection. now, we have also seen multiple fire retardant drops by plane as well as water drops. officials doing everything they

can to keep this fire contained, to keep it from spreading to several homes here. we do see a lot of farmland here. but a very rural area. but still there are several homes that officials are concerned about. now, again, behind me is byron highway, which is closed between i-20 a and highway 4. no cuss of the fire has been given fire investigators are working to determine that but because of how unpredictable the winds have been, zero% containment has been given. recording live in contra costa, abc 7 news. carlos, thank you. and you can see the wind gusts that carlos was talking about in the flags. look at them. whipping about, rippling over the building. let's check with meteorologist sand patel. >> yeah, kristen, the winds have been stiff in the area. let me show you the current conditions. 67 degrees relatively humidity is 46%. winds right now out of the southwest gusting to 24 miles an hour. now what's happening is over the

higher terrain the winds are stronger gusting to 49 miles an hour as the wind flows down the hills and into the byron discovery bay area. it speeds up and dries out the air. the downsloping winds are not helping the firefighters. look at the gusts continue through the night, gusting 26 miles an hour at lower echlgss even stronger. at the higher elevations they have to battle the winds and blaze. dan. >> sandhya thanks. now a look at the fires in byron from sky7. we're staying ton op of the story on air and online and our reporter on the ground. we'll have an update on abc 7 news at 6:00. last month's huge construction fire in concord was intentionally set. that's according to the bureau of alcohol tobacco and firemans which today also released surveillance video of a suspect. shot moments before flames began shooting out of the building.

laura anthony has more. >> reporter: the video starts with a man walking along a fence. seconds layer he hops the fence and ducks under plastic sheeting with what appears to be a bag in s hand. about a minute later the suspect reemergings. the bag is gone but there are flashes of light coming from behind him as he quickly jumps over the fence and runs away. >> i couldn't believe what i've seen. it's really scarey. >> tim nicholas and his family were among 250 residents that ee vticced in the middle of the night as the flames ripped threw next door. >> i have grand kids with me. and it's just -- i think twice a night before i go to bed. it's scarey. i mean knowing there is people out there doing something like this. it's crazy. >> now the bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms is offering a 25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect scene in the video. >> he could could jump the fence looks like he has been trained. >> he owns the restaurant near

the fire and his business was closed for a woke. >> i hope for everything to get rebuilt as soon as possible. and try to get everything back to normal. >> so $25,000 reward. >> i'm going to start looking at my cameras see what i can find. >> no one was seriously injured. but the fire caused an estimated $55 million in damage. in concord, laura anthony, abc 7 news. all right did you feel it? a quake hit near concord just before 4:00 p.m. a little more than an hour ago. the usgs says it had a magnitude of 3.1. hit two miles northwest of concord pch more than 170 people reported feeling it stas far as as santa rosa absan francisco and san mateo. not big but got our attention. in san francisco a body has been found on the grounds of san francisco general hospital. abc 7 nuts reporter melanie wad roe is there live with the latest developments on this.

melanie. >> reporter: yeah, dan, this is the are that investigators have be spendg most of the afternoon and all of their attention. this is some sort of parking lot that is behind the power plant here on the campus of san francisco general hospital. but we're told not part of the hospital. it was about 1:00 this afternoon that a hospital staff member found this woman's body in an interior stairwell. not accessible to the public or patients, according to the department of public health spokesperson who updated the media at 40 this afternoon. the case is being investigated by multiple ace the department of public health, san francisco sheriffs department, san francisco police department, and the san francisco fire department. late this afternoon we saw the medical examiner's van leave and take this woman's body. the cause of death unknown at this time. we're also not able to share the age or approximate age of the woman. now, the department of public health spoke person says that they were not acting on a missing person report when this woman's body was found.

but now that her body has been found they also can't say whether or not she was a missing person. furthermore, they don't know whether or not the woman was a patient at the hospital. here is what else the department of public health spokesperson had to say this afternoon. >> we're very concerned that this happened. we don't know how this woman gained access to the area where she was found and we are absolutely looking into that. we're very concerned that that happened. >> reporter: and the reason they are concerned about that is because this area is not accessible to the public not accessible to patients. it's unclear how she got into this interior stairwell. . they are looking at video. they don't know if the surveillance video that might be available here will provide information about that. this is not the first time a body has been found in a stairwell. you might remember in 2013 the body of lynn spalding was found in the stairwell, missing for 17 days from her room at sf general hospital. but, again, the department of

public health spoke person is saying they don't know at this point whether or not this woman whose body found today was a patient here at the hospital. live in san francisco, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. melanie thank you. a southwest airlines jet made an emergency landing in san jose late this afternoon. this flight was on its way from san francisco to los angeles when smoke was reported in a cockpit. the origin of the smek smoke was actually the cabin opinion the san jose fire department says the crew told them a passenger was smoking a cigarette in the bathroom. one of the most closely watched ballot issues will be the recall of judge aaron persky his controversial sentencing of former stanford swimmer brock turner for raich will in effect ask vote tors decide between the independence of judges and political sentiment. abc 7 news reporter david louie covered rallies on both sides of the recall. >> reporter: with mail in ballots already being cast both sides cht judge aaron persky recall organized final week

rally, the yes on recall rally was noise. >> women united can never be divided. >> no the on recall was quieter with the judge surrounded by flo judges. >>ment thoets who want him removed from the bench for the controversial sentence made their position clear. >> if judges like aaron persky continue to sit that they can do whatever they want they could have-free reign over the lives of women. >> moufr a soul disrupter as the vice mayor madding la krosk orr was. >> the san jose police stepped in and ordered steve white to stand back. the man in the cross rars judge persky shook hands and thanked supporters trying to defeat the recall. among them district attorney jeff rosen who was initially ultimates about the sentence but sees judicial independence, the reason why he is against the recall. >> to recall a judge for one bad

decision is something that would have dramatically negative effects throughout our criminal justice system. >> judge persky sized up how he sees the recall going. >> my gut feeling is it's close. i'm cautiously optimistic. we'll go until the very end getting the word out there and getting voters to stop and think about this. >> while voters serve as a de facto jury determining the judges fate, the ballot next tuesday will contain the names of tu candidates both women running to fill the seat if the judge is recalled. ? san jose, david louie, abc 7 news. as the nba finals, the basketball version of groun day. >> is it may not be as spunsful as drama fild b thas what you got music and mfor.ovies >> he has a point. we look at the pros and cons of the matchup whether a drem team is really a good thing. >> b.a.r.t. creates a rapid

response team. the latest move to make trains cleaner >> consumer reports does a 180 >> consumer reports does a 180 on tesla's model i call it like i see it. >> consumer reports does a 180 on tesla's model the race for governor has turned into a scam. gavin newsom's trying to elect a republican who was endorsed by trump. and villaraigosa's being bankrolled by a handful of billionaires. it's everything that's wrong with politics. and none of it is helping struggling families. here's my pledge to you. i'll keep our budget balanced. invest in affordable housing. fight for universal healthcare. and stand up to donald trump. as governor, you can trust me to do what's right- because i always have. i thought after sandy hook, where 20 six and seven year olds were slain, this would never happen again. it has happened more than 200 times in 5 years. dianne feinstein and a new generation are leading the fight to pass a new assault weapons ban. say no to the nra and yes to common-sense gun laws.

california values senator dianne feinstein say no to the nra and yes to common-sense gun laws. to california schoolsd, need big change. marshall tuck is the only candidate for state superintendent who's done it before. less bureaucracy, more classroom funding. marshall tuck for state superintendent. marshall tuck.

as you know the warrior begin the effort for a second straight nba title tomorrow evening with all the games right here on abc 7. we hope you'll tune in. . but they'll play game one without the star forward andre iguodala. he sat and watched the team work out today at oracle. iguodala wasn't on the floor for the last four games of the western conference finals suffering from what the team calls a lateral contusion on his left leg from this >> making progress slow are than we expected. but i think just being realistic, it is what it is. >> the team says iguodala will

be reevaluated prior to game 2. fingers crossed he will get back the warrior and cavaliers are the first two teams in any professional sport to meet in four straight championship series. >> fans are excited but a few feel that something should be done to prevent so-called superteams from just dominating the landscape zpla abc 7 news reporter chris wynn has the story. >> reporter: at sports basements in campbell employees stock the racks with merchandise ahead of the nba finals between the warriors and cavaliers. >> whether it's cavs or warriors, you know, consistency is consistky they're always the best. >> the best team of the era, up against the best player of this generation. in what typically would be hailed as exceptional matchup but instead brought mixed reaction from some. >> we don't need to see lebron after four years this is enough get someone else in there. >> now as the two teams prepare to meet in the finals for the fourth consecutive year, some say the nba should do something

to prevent superteams like the warriors from dominating the game by boosting the league's luxury or repeater taxes which would make high priced teams account costly to maintain. but sports consultant andy doll itch says that's unlikely. >> you can plan to do something in sports whether it happens is more difficult. leagues have enough challenges worrying about superteams shouldn't be one of them. >> periods of dominance aren't anything new in the nba michael jordan and six final appearances within an eight-year time span. magic johnson shot to stardom in the 80s and who can forgot shaq and koby teeming unup for the three-peat. that's looks good as the nab tries to building the international audience. >> who knows if it's a weapon or four or five games thap that's why they play and it's great. to me it's never old. >> local warrior fans enjoying the journey as much as they can.

chris wynn abc 7. it's the only place to watch the nab finals presented by youtube tv. tomorrow coverage at 5:00 with the dubs on 7 pregame brought to you by comcast business. nba count downtakes over at 5:30. tip off at 6:00. stay with us for toyota after the game. jimmy kimmel live aires at 10:00 p.m. and abc 7 news at 10:30. a big night tomorrow. and it will like that the entire finals right here on abc 7. well moving on b.a.r.t. is taking new steps to make sure urgent cleaning egg needs are taken care of on trains. abc 7 news was at mcarthur station where a dedicated cleaning time is positioned there have been recent complaints of needles and other issues in train hallways we have reported on this a number of times. b.a.r.t. case says the clean team with clean messes from cars as the rts reports come in.

the team will be stationed at lake merit. all five of the system lines go through either lake merit or mcarthur station. that's why they're stregically placed there. a big reversal for consumer reports. it's now recommending the tesla model 3. >> it is a sea change. michael finney with the story. interesting that they do this. >> this is my favorite consumer story today. consumer reports called for a change and tesla basically said we'll get on it. and then they did. last week consumer reports said it could not recommend the new model 3 because the stopping distance was too long. tesla said it could rectify that remotely. then did. and new testing consumer reports found the model 3 s stopped -- model 3 i should say stopping distance reduced by almost 20 feet making it comparable to other compact luxury cars, the kind of fix you see here is the first ever in the auto industry.

a new survey i career building finds that 80% of companies say they plan to hire recently college grads this year up 6% from the year before. and there is even more positive news near hi half the companies say starting salaries will be higher than last year. many at $50,000 a year and more. most hiring opportunities are in information technology, consumer service, and business development. the small town in the bay area has a new title. weltiest town in california and the u.s. los altos -- probably not a big surprise. has a lot of unopen spaces the uncorporated town of 8,000 a few miles south of stanford up against poolt there. house household is 343,000 a year almost four times higher than the rest of the state. many homes there are worth at least $2 million.

and almost 85% of residents there have a bachelors degree or higher. >> really. >> that's a beautiful place. >> it's true. >> nice place to life. >> thanks, michael. >> now the accuweather forecasts with sandhya patel. good evening, everyone. hard to miss the major drop in temperatures inland. i want to show you live doppler 7. inland areas a few thin includes. g sits along coast right now. look at the 24-hr temperature dr. platz. it's drastic in antioch 31 degree. concord 24 dlops. and you will notice why it's the on shore wind that's gusty coming off the cool ocean water right now. 38 miles an hour at fairfield. 36 at sfo. and even places like san jose gusting to 24 miles an hour. now that wind is going to continue to how will in the overnight hours. so do expect the gusty winds through tonight. tapering in the early morning and picking back up again tomorrow afternoon. get used to the win.

it's expected around this time of year as you know. spring can be windy. a live look from the east bay hills camera. you can see the clouds passing through. temperatures right now, 50s. san francisco oakland, you need a sweater or jkt if you step out ppt san jose 66. it's currently 63 in gilroy. a live picture from the sutro tower camera. certainly enjoying killeener area as we look towards downtown san francisco. santa rosa, 75 temperatures in the 60s from napa to concord. all areas today in the 50s to 70s. a far cry from the 90s we saw yesterday. kgo roof camera showing the wind blow heing on the embarcadero strong gusty winds continue overnight. cloudier in the morning with spotty drizzle. breezy and cool tomorrow afternoon but heats up again this upcome weekend. i do want to show what's happening later on tonight. the fog we have is going to expand. tomorrow morning tlourt the commute time you see some spotty

drizzle. 7 "a" you notice the spots of green. wind chill out for the fog and drizzle. continuing even into 9:00 a.m. before the fog peels away. it will sit near the coast the afternoon hours for the rest of you. you will see a mix of sun and high clouds tomorrow morning wind chill out during the commute as visibility is poor and some damp areas around the region. you will need a sweater or jacket. mid-40s to mid-50s. a few mid-50s showing up. in the afternoon the cooling continues. inland 60s and 70s along the coast the 50s. and another breezy to windy afternoon for thursday. you can download the accuweather app and check out temperatures any time. if you are going to game one of the finals warriors hosting the cavs tomorrow at 6:00. it's 61 kriegs right before the game begins and as you line up waiting to get in, you might need a sweat shirt. it's definitely cool 9:00 when you come out, 56 degrees. friday afternoon will warm it up. 80s inland, 60s coastside.

warm to hot for saturday. notice the 90s inland and feeling like summer as we head into sunday as well. a low back at the accuweather seven-day forecast features morning drizzle, cool are conditions for thursday. but warmer patterns setting up just in time for your weekend plans to 60s to 90s summer microclimates expected this weekend but it won't last next week drop in the temperatures coming again. kristen and dan. >> thanks. just ahead, water fight. >> that's right. >> that's right. and the new bid to drain when the worst oil spill hit san francisco, first responders went to work. and mayor gavin newsom, he went to hawaii. man: newsome left the day after the spill for a four-day vacation in hawaii. the same gavin who said his job as lieutenant governor was so dull, he only showed up for work at the state capitol one day a week, tops. gavin's not gonna work as governor.

water writing are folk court battle and a environmental group that wants to drain the hetch hetchy reservoir. >> a hearing was held in frez fresno. the group based perkily says the reservoir violates the california constitution saying it floods a part of the park and an unreasonable method of water restore hetch hetchy says there are other reasonable places to store the matter. >> they would have to playbook sure the city water supply remained exactly the same. the access to the same amount of water would be the same before and after. >> the san francisco won approval from congress to billed the hetch hetchy dam in 1913. the rest invoice voir splays water to more than 2.5 million people in the bay area. the court now has 90 days to

reach a decision. getting the recognition they deserve. >> local newspaper staff go to washington to get when the worst oil spill hit san francisco, first responders went to work. and mayor gavin newsom, he went to hawaii. man: newsome left the day after the spill for a four-day vacation in hawaii. the same gavin who said his job as lieutenant governor was so dull, he only showed up for work at the state capitol one day a week, tops. gavin's not gonna work as governor.

ithe race for governort. has turned into a scam. gavin newsom's trying to elect a republican who was endorsed by trump. and villaraigosa's being bankrolled by a handful of billionaires. it's everything that's wrong with politics. and none of it is helping struggling families. here's my pledge to you. i'll keep our budget balanced. invest in affordable housing.

fight for universal healthcare. and stand up to donald trump. as governor, you can trust me to do what's right- because i always have. only marshall tuck will change that. year after year, policians fail to improve public schools. tuck turned around failing schools, raising graduation rates 60%. marshall tuck for state superintendent. marshall tuck. i'm ama daetz coming up on news at 6:00. >> anyone calling 911 in our city needs to make sure there is a live person on the other end of the line. >> san francisco's mayor calls for spending millions on more 911 dispatchers.

find out why he says now a critical time. also a "7 on your side" heads up about who you hire to work on your house. the rules aren't the same for every company. and the circus that's nba finals mtddy. nothing like the super bowl but leafed it to wayne friedman to uncover craziness. dan and kristen thanks see you then. finally tonight a defining moment for the staff of the santa rosa press democrat. >> they received a prestigious award. >> the pulitzer praise handed out in mork. among the honorees the press democrat for coverage of the sonoma wildfires. >> abc news alive streamed the event during which the president said the press dkt holds a preshl someplace his grandmother and father worked at the paper. >> my brother works contact connected there. my sister worked there. i mean, the family i have is the

santa rosa press democrat. >> the paper staff called it the proudest moment of their careers. and in this industry, that is a proud moment indeed. tonight, the new fallout. roseanne barr, back on twitter. less than 24 hours after her show was canceled, blaming ambien for her racist tweet. tonight, the maker of ambien saying the drug does not cause racism. and what the president has now tweeted. also breaking at this hour, the urgent manhunt right now. the suspect who murdered a veteran sheriff's deputy. residents being warned to stay indoors. the suspect is armed and dangerous. tonight, the body cam just released, in the case making national headlines. the violent arrest. what the new video now reveals, amid outrage tonight. did the officer go too far? the severe weather threat this evening. a state of emergency already in one region, with major cities now in the path. from oklahoma city to indianapolis, chicago brac