we've got unhelpful air just about everywhere except livermore showing up in orange. the north bay, the same picture. the changes coming our way on wednesday. tomorrow, we'll have the same conditions we have today. but moderate air quality prevails, and here's why. a storm is coming, ranking 2 on the storm impact scale. it will be heavy at times with strong wind gusts, bringing much needed rainfall. but there's concern about flash flooding in the areas of the camp fire. there could be some mudsliding there, as well, because of the rain. kristen? >> spencer, thank you very much. and by the way, you'll see on the bottom of the screen, we have a crawl for you showing you the air quality index for all of the different cities in the bay area. now, looking outside from our tower camera in san francisco, you can see how bad the air

looks from last monday, evolving all the way through today. >> just remarkable. laura anthony is live at oakland international airport today. >> reporter: laura, you're looking at what people are doing to get some fresh air. we found plenty of people here at the airport who are eager to get out of the unhealthy air for the holiday. in nenetimeantime, in downtown oakland, we found a group trying to help those who have no choice but to be outside. with at least one more day of dirty air forecast for the bay area, a group of east bay activists combined efforts and money to bring in a new shipment of nows of high quality masks. >> if you're stuck outside, you can't go inside, the masks are better than nothing. >> reporter: the masks are going toeople like little mac, who told us he lives on the street. >> it works better. i don't really smell it, my nose

is not running that bad, i'm not coughing. but it's raspy. >> reporter: in downtown oakland and throughout the east bay, the skies still appear more brown than blue. while some were wearing masks, more than a few have opted to go without. at the oakland international airport, we found travelers as they waited in line to check their bags, looking forward to going somewhere else. somewhere with fresh air. so why are you headed? >> portland, oregon. >> do you expect to breathe up there? >> i expect to go on a nice, long walk, even if it rains mpblts >> where are you headed? >> smoke free pennsylvania. we'll be there for ten days. we'll be breathing much easier. >> reporter: for those arriving in the bay area, it seems many have gotten a heads up from friends and family about what to wear. >> looks like you came prepared. >> i did, yes. and i have an m-95 at home.

but yeah, got to be prepared. >> reporter: you can see there are still plenty of people arriving with their m-95s packed. that last guy came up here from los angeles and we all know that los angeles, the air quality can be a little bit worse sometimes than here in the bay area. i checked it today. in downtown l.a., the air quality index is green, as in good. here in oakland, still red. in oakland, laura anthony, "abc7 news." >> okay. laura, thank you very much. san jose state is facing criticism for opening up campus today after last week's closure because of the bad air. thousands have signed a petition asking the administration to cancel classes before the thanksgiving break. matt keller has that story. >> reporter: higher learning with high numbers on the air quality index. >> i wasn't feeling very well, you know, but i managed to stay alive. >> reporter: san jose state officials announced over the

weekend classes would resume today after they were canceled last week on thursday and friday. that was the first time they closed the campus since the 1989 earthquake. >> we don't make our basis on other schools or other businesses. we do it based on what we feel and our experts feel is the right thing for our community here in san jose. >> reporter: the air quality index average this morning in san jose is 155. friday last week, it was 190. thursday, it was 191. the air quality is improving, but it's still in the unhealthy range. >> i think it was a big inconsistency with the standard in which the administration has decided to close campus. >> reporter: a petition was started on change.org asking the administration to cancel classes. more than 11,000 signed it. students always have an opportunity to make up work when not feeling well. >> i guess because i had tests canceled last week, i would rather get them done and get the school work taken care of.

but also, i stayed indoors when i could otherwise. so if i didn't have to be here, i would be indoors. >> reporter: the wellness center here ran out of mass on friday. they got a new shipment this morning, so they're handing them back out to students. matt keller, "abc7 news." >> for a look at school and other closures all around the bay area related to the poor air quality, go to our website, abc7news.com. improvement may be coming for bay area air quality, but experts say it's too early to let our guard down. members of the bay area air quality management district met in san francisco today. the agency is continuing to monitor the region's smoke levels and say patterns can shift hourly even as the weather changes. >> it's important that people continue to be vigilant, while first smoke is very unpredictable, we have unhealthy air quality right now, and it's best to stay indoors with windows and doors closed versus wearing a mask. here are the latest numbers

that we have on the camp fire for you. 77 people are dead, making the wildfire deadlier than the 1989 earthquake. and nearly a thousand people unaccounted for. firefighters continue to make progress. the fire has burned 151,000 acres, but containment is up to 66%. the camp fire is not only the deadliest wildfire on record, but the most destructive. nearly 12,000 single family homes have been destroyed. with the need for assistance so great, many are pitching in to help those displaced. one church is stepping up to find people who are still unaccounted for. our reporter has more on those efforts. >> reporter: the east avenue church in chico has opened its doors as an emergency shelter to hundreds who have been displaced by the camp fire. >> one month shy of 22 years. >> reporter: that's how long blair has called paradise homes

before flames overtook his house. he would not be sitting here if not for his partner. >> she got me out and just ba barely got out. we barely outrun those flames. it came from all four sides at once. >> reporter: with all their belongings destroyed, this sanctuary is now home. >> people have walked in here and done an amazing job. not because i've done any of the organizing but because we gave them permission to come in and do what they do best. >> reporter: as part of the operation to provide food and medical aid, organizers are working around the clock to track down those on the missing list. >> you hear cross referencing, every person we have in our facility, were people on that list. and last night, our medical team was seeing people one by one and were successful in identifying 12 people on the list. >> reporter: the work to cross off more names on that list is in the early stages.

the butte county sheriff says they're getting a more accurate count on the number of people missing, but it's a pain staking process that can take time. numbers if someone has been found so detectives can remove their names. you can find them on our website, abc7news.com. two men have been arrested, accused of breaking into a cal firestation during the camp fire. robert depalma and william earlbacker face multiple charges, including vehicular theft and looting. both are from come cal. and they are currently being held in jail. finland is responding to something president trump said while he visited a fire zone. >> i was with the president of

finland who said we have a much -- we're a forest nation, he called it a forest nation, and they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things. they don't have any problem. and what it is, it's a very small problem. >> the finnish did not speak about raking the forest, but about a surveillance system finland uses to monitor forest fires. if you would like to help victims, we have a list on our website. >> >> at least two people are dead and two others wounded including a police officer in a shooting at a chicago hospital. do gun fire broke out on the city's south side around 3:30 this afternoon local time. witnesses say the gunman shot a woman in the parking lot outside of the hospital. sources tell our sister station

that the woman was a doctor reporting to work and shot by her former fiance. the suspect then reportedly walked into the hospital and shot some more. at this point, we know the suspect is -- we know the suspect was killed. the officer was taken to another hospital and listed in critical condition. it's been a week and a half since the camp fire began. >> we have both sides of the road engulfed. >> the official fight against the flames through the sounds of dispatched aio. and the

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the camp fire started around dawn on thursday, november 8th, and overwhelmed the communities and first responders. there was so little they could do in the initial hours. and a reporter from kqed radio is with us. great to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. >> she pored through literally hours of dispatch tapes, and she's here to give us a sense of the first day the flames spread. as you listen to these tapes, your overall impression of what you heard on those tapes? >> well, heartbreak is really kind of my takeaway from it. it's really painful to listen to this unfold, this disaster, and to see the challenges as they began mounting, like from the beginning. >> did you have a sense of fear or grave concern on the part of deputies and the other emergency first responders, did you get

that sense as you listened? >> yes, you have a sense of grave concern. they're very professional, so they're not screaming or freaking out on the radio tapes themselves. they're communicating information in a very professional way. but the information they're communicating is about people who are trapped, even first responders, who are trapped and in grave like threatening danger. so that gravity really comes through. >> so that point, let's listen to some of the things that you found. the fire started about 6:30 in the morning, a week ago thursday and spread quickly. listen to this dispatch reporting as authorities realized that this could get bad fast. >> eyes on the vegetation. the fire is going to be difficult to access, camp creek road, nearly inaccessible. >> it was very ruggeder the rain, and they knew it was going to be a challenge for them. >> yeah, so even getting into put out the fire was going to be a challenge off the bat.

that firefighter who made that call sent another camp to scout out to see if they can get down that road. they quickly knew we've got to evacuate that tiny town of polga that was close to the first ignition point. >> they saw flames within the first ten minutes. >> yeah, they got eyes on it very quickly. but the fire itself, they couldn't get to, to put it out. >> so it just spread. at one point, it was spreading at something like 80 football fields a minute, impossible to stop. you mentioned the evacuation of the town polga. paradise was completely devastated in the hours to come. listen to authorities talking about what was happening in paradise. >> be advised the town of paradise is under mandatory evacuation. the town of paradise is under mandatory evacuation. >> talk a little bit more about those mandatory evacuation orders. some people got out, but a lot

did not. it happened so fast. >> there's been a lot of discussion about what kind of alerts were sent, if they chose the right type, this came up again in the north bay fires about the wireless emergency alerts, which high jack your phones. that was not used in this case. and it's easy to go back and say this should have been done, that should have been done. but it really became clear that the general practice, which is to go door to door in a mandatory evacuation was not going to work. >> it's moving so quickly. so that end, they were going door to door, ordering mandatory evacuations. authorities went door-to-door, trying to get people out. listen to the dispatchers discuss this. >> they have personnel that are in a creek with 40 people on hoffman. so i don't know if i'm going to get through. >> didn't know if he was going to be able to get through.

one of the biggest prob proble traffic. and one of the most horrifying things, seeing all those burned out cars on the side of the road where soany people were found ultimately to have perished there. trying to get out. listen now, as some people were found dead in their cars, you could hear the growing concern and growing realization that this was getting worse very quickly. >> we've got both sides of the road engulfed. >> the fire is starting to crowd. do we have any assets to drop water in >> traffic is at a stand still. we request air resources to drop water. >> what sense did you get as you listened to this part of the tapes when they realized some people could not get out and the traffic was really bad? >> in that cut, when he's saying can you drop water, he's asking them to drop water on the stopped cars in traffic. >> desperate. >> yeah, desperate.

and it came a twofold problem. one problem was getting people out, like opening the roads to basically let as many people out as possible. but then the second problem became how to get resources in, get firefighters in, get help in for people who needed medical attention. >> we'll wrap up here, but one thing i'm sure you saw on those tapes, these were dedicated people doing the best they could in a crisis to respond the best they could. >> absolutely. i think this -- i don't know kind of what more could have been done. i think a lot of soul searching will be done in the days to come. but my heart and thoughts are with all the first responders and residents still looking for their loved ones. >> thank you for this great work. going through all those tapes. suki lewis, great to have you with us. >> thank you. >> kristen? >> heartbreaking. but also eye opening to listen to that. the fires have not just affected people, of course, but their

pets are also out of homes, some left stranded, others in shelters. kate larson is live in paradise now with that angle of the story. kate? >> reporter: yeah, people didn't have time to grab much when they evacuated from these homes in paradise, which you can see are mostly level. but putting pets in the car was usually a priority. so that means when it comes to finding shelter, evacuees are drawn to places that allow their cats and dogs. dogs in strollers. puppies in picnic baskets. and cats in kennels. the fair grounds has become a haven for evacuated pet owners. >> i lost my home, i lost everything. >> reporter: with the flames quickly approaching, rosemary keasler left her house with nothing but her dogs, chargy and snookie. >> they are my familyfamilyfamiy

>> reporter: her friend told her about a shelter for pets. >> if i cannot take my dog here, i'm going to stay in my car. >> reporter: they had to leave their cats behind when they evacuated. >> unfortunately, we had a car full of kids, so we couldn't take the cats. >> reporter: but chris got a call from someone saying they found shorty and identified her through a microchip. and he's been getting pampered ever since. >> gave us a kennel, food, kitty litter. she's probably more spoiled here now than at home. >> reporter: animals are pretty resil resilient. many pets are wondering around and volunteers are out feeding them in these burned neighborhoods. so chris is hoping to be reunited with his three other cats. pet reifications are one thing, but people are finding missing family members. at 5:00, we have a story of a

brother searching for his big brother for more than a week and a half. i was surprised myself how this one turned out. that's coming up at 5:00. i'm kate larson, "abc7 news." >> kate, thank you very much. the sheriff of butte county has received the meme treatment thanks to his leadership during the camp fire. this instagram account with merely 2,000 followers has been posting various memes as a tribute to the sheriff, such as chuck norris sleeps in sheriff pahoney pajamas. clever stuff. here are some others circulating. santa claus is worried about being on his naughty list. and he has taught old dogs a variety of new tricks. the sheriff certainly did do himself really well during this crisis, and he's getting rewarded by the meme treatment.

all right. we are just happy that the air is finally improving. >> and rain is coming. >> i have some new tricks for you. we've got rain coming our way, strong winds, and significantly improved air quality. right now, we still have the smoke and the haze hovering over the bay area. temperatures are not a wide one. temperatures are ranging from about 60 at the coast to low 60s, right around the bayshoreline. san francisco is one of the milder locations. 64 degrees. and 67 up north at cloverdale. let's look at that smoke and haze from sutro tower. it has not gotten much better. we'll see some improvement by midweek. rainy pattern begins wednesday. breezy, cooler, with improved air quality. right now, of course, we're still looking at poor to very poor air quality over most of the bay area tomorrow.

nice improvement on wednesday, thursday, friday. moderate air quality in all regions on those three days, thanks to the approaching storm. overnight, the haze lingers. overnight lows in the mid to upper 30s. pretty chilly in the inland valleys. around the bayshoreline and the coast, lows in the low 40s. tomorrow's highs once again, under hazy conditions, smoky conditions. 61 at half moon bay. mainly mid 60s around the bayshoreline, and low to mid 60s inland. let's bring in that storm. it comes in on wednesday, ranking two on the storm impact scale. we'll see showers heavy at times. wind gusts at 20 to 40 miles per hour, improving the air quality. forecast animation, taking us into late tomorrow night. a few showers developing tomorrow night up in parts of mendocino and sonoma counties. by the middle of the morning commute on wednesday, we'll see pockets of moderate to heavy

rainfall developing. mainly in the north bay and along the coastline and through san francisco. it will spread more widely by the hours of the morning commute that are winding down. and still, at 9:00 wednesday morning, moderate to heavy showers. widespread, before it breaks up and tapers off in the b followed wednesday night by rain showers. wind gusts will range from 20 to about 30 miles per hour or higher by 9:00 wednesday morgue. and, again, the combination of the rain and the wind will move that stagnant air out of here. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. rain will continue with periods of showers on thursday, thanksgiving day. friday, rainy for shoppers, and saturday morning showers. clouds lingering on sunday and

partly cloudy and dry on monday. much-needed rain is coming our way and much for which to be thankful on thursday. >> well said. thank you, spencer. down to the final contestant, but who is going to take home that coveted trophy n in. >> and the company that w

can't wait to find out. tonight we'll find out who will take home the trophy. >> the "dancing with the stars" finale is hours away, and four couples are vying to be the 27th season champions. >> natalie brunell has a preview. ♪ >> reporter: it's been a season of unforgettable performances. and dramatic surprising sendoffs. >> juan pablo and cheryl.

>> reporter: 13 celebrities now down to the final four. ♪ evana lynch and her partner clinched three 10s. >> you have become a warrior. >> reporter: radio host bobby bones and sharna jived their way to the finale. >> i was picked to go home first. i was the worst person on the show. the fact that i've been able to last and i've never danced before. >> reporter: joined by milo and whitney. >> milo always delivers. >> reporter: and rounding it out, social media star alexis wren and her partner, allen. who captured america's hearts revealing their dance partnership has blossomed into a row mmantic partnership. each couple just two dances away from the chance to be crowned the mirball champion.

tonight, they'll perform a repeat dance and the freestyle rue meoutin routine. you still have time to vote at livevote.com. don't miss this two-hour thanksgiving dance spectacular. natalie brunell, abc news, hollywood. >> that's going to be good. you can see the season finale tonight at 8:00 right here on abc 7. the investigation under way into a fire inside a market that was caught on camera. the dramatic video and what police are saying today. vandalism of scooters left arou

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live where you live, this is "abc7 news." here are the stories making headlines at 4:30. bad air continues to choke the bay area. numerous land mark and schools are closed and san francisco's cable cars are not running and you can see why. but relief could be on the way with rain expected to move in on wednesday. for those who lost their home in the camp fire, it's been a challenge to find a place to stay. our reporter tweeted out photos of a church in chico that's opened its doors. abc wourld news tonight tweeted out this photo after a shooting

in a chicago hospital. and someone set fire inside a san francisco market sunday morning, all caught on surveillance video. the store's owners spoke with our reporter melanie woodrow and is hoping someone will recognize the man and turn them in. >> there's no short an of surveillance cameras inside mid city market on gary street in san francisco. several of them captured multiple angles of a man setting a fire inside the store sunday morning. employees called the owner to tell him. >> i opened the cameras to see, and i saw the flames inside the store. my heart dropped. >> reporter: in the video, you can see the man unrap a roll of toilet paper and light the end of it. >> he was using the lighter, and the fire stashted going. >> reporter: by the time anyone realized, the man was going.

employees ran with water and extinguishers and put it out before it reached bottles of lighter fluid. he estimates the fire, which destroyed merchandise and a section of the store. >> all this is damaged. this one here. this is damaged. >> reporter: costs $20,000 in damages. >> i don't know what's wrong with these people. >> reporter: the san francisco fire department has the surveillance video and is investigating. they say it appears to be an isolated incident. in san francisco, melanie woodrow, "abc7 news." >> if you recognize the man in that video, you are asked to call the fire investigator working on this case. the number is 415-920-2933. there were no classes today at a high school, but dozens of students still went to campus to grieve for a classmate who died this weekend. 16-year-old lucha garo died in a

house fire sunday morning that also injured two other people and a firefighter. lucha was a student at the high school. counselors and staff were at the school today to provide support for people that knew her. about 75 students went to deal with this loss on campus. they wrote letters to lucha and created a poster with heartfelt messages. >> i just wrote that your smile will live on forever. your radiance will live on forever. >> this was a student who was loved by her classmates and her community. she will be deeply missed. >> the high school will hold a memorial service to remember lucha on sunday. one of the companies that oerates electric scooters in san francisco is rolling out a new feature to keep the vehicles from disappearing. it seems to be a persistent problem. in the first two weeks since the electric scooter was returned to san francisco, more than 200 were either stolen or severely damaged. to prevent that, they are installing cable locks and

integrating its use into their app. >> the device will allow riders to lock the vehicle to a post, to a bike rack, to wherever. and when they turn of the app, it will automatically unlock. when they park it, they lock it up and take a picture of it so that we know it's locked and parked correctly. >> the new locking mechanism also appear in early december. their competitor says they have used wheel locks and alarms to deter thefts and are into locking technology. if you were wondering how to make a difference for victims of the butte county fires, kids in the south bay are lending a big hand. we'll show you what they're doing to help. i'm spencer christian. here's a look at the setting sun, under smoky conditions. but conditions are about to

on thousands of giftss this weekend at ross. most stores are open thanksgiving, six p.m. to midnight. reopening friday at seven a.m. with extended hours saturday and sunday. yes for less.

and you realize you are the the hostess with the mostest. you know when you're at ross yes! yeah! that's yes for less. entertain in style all season long. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less. with the poor air quality continuing today, many are still rushing to buy masks and many schools are closed. >> this is live at walnut creek where you can tell the air quality wasn't good, although it will get better starting tomorrow. >> thankfully. here's amy hollyfield. >> reporter: masks are still a hot commodity in the bay area. even though the air has looked like this for more than a week, people are still out looking for these protective devices. >> we tried to get them last week and couldn't. then we went out of town for the weekend. >> reporter: andrew gray said it

was so nice to spend the weekend breathing in fresh, clean air. >> it was lovely. we were monitoring the air quality and watched it drop. >> reporter: now he needs masks. he found them at his third store. this walnut creek ace hardware store. they don't even have the double strap masks anymore. but these are considered better than nothing. >> we're out of these, and ace distribution network is out of them at the moment. but we have sold about 21,000 masks. >> reporter: if you can find a mask, you still might have trouble finding much to do today. alcatraz is closed, and so is the visitor center at the golden gate bridge. this sign at diablo valley community college confused some, who held out hope the campus would be open. >> i thought we had school, so that's why i'm here. >> reporter: this is mt. diablo. i know you can't see it, you're

going to have to take my word for it. the air quality here still unhealthy. students here tell us they agree with the decision to shut down classes today and will use this extra time to study. amy hollyfield, "abc7 news." >> check this out. butte county public health showed this air filter after five days of use during the camp fire. a reminder to change your air filter. >> good reminder. you have to change the masks, too, because they too get saturated. and people are turning to air fillers and masks to protect themselves from the bad air. >> michael finney is here with a closer look at air purifiers. >> this is marv, who is with a corporation, consumer reports says this model scored very good overall, which primarily

considers how well models remove dust and smoke. it pretty much says what it is you're trying to do other than the test chamber, right? >> not really. >> tell me about that. >> our mission is to help people breathe better, period. and if they breathe better, they live better. so we design everything around breathing, feeling and living better. that's why the filter, that's why the air chamber. that's why it's all built that way. but we don't build it for any other reason. >> do people think about you when they don't have asthma and other long problems in >> it's funny, michael, we've gotten the most intelligent questions from california. we're in texas, right? but austin and california have a sister. the kind of questions we're getting are so intelligent, you should rename yourself the critical thinking state. you just won't quit with the critical thinking. and that's great. we're counting on it.

so you guys are helping us get better. you're asking hundreds of questions that most people don't ask, because they're not in quildfires. so yes, most of the work we do is for people with allergies, asthma, copd. they report that they have a life they couldn't have. we didn't build it for smoke or wildfires. it is not a wildfire purifier. >> does it work for that? >> heck yeah. >> what do people look for? people are thinking about this for the first time around here, what should they look for, for a home air purifier? >> to be clear, they completely work in wildfires. i bet we start customizing it much more for wildfires. but yes, i have texts about the relief. we just kind of came up and they've been working, and they're looking for low cost. everyone looks for value.

so they're looking for low cost, they're looking for relief. they want to make sure their kid is not suffering. when it comes down to it, it's about pain, suffering and comfort. so people will pay any amount of money to get that, we all do. so they're hooking for -- i can -- >> it's got to be quick. give me the top three. >> they're not really looking for particle counts, they're looking for feeling good about themselves and about their life, and they get it by lowering the part accouicle counts. >> are you selling more of these in >> we shipped 1600 of them here today. that was twice what we did last year. you're helping us, too. i swear, you're helping us be a better company, california. >> i wish we weren't doing that. >> thank you, michael. >> thank you. now your accuweather forecast with spencer christian. >> okay. we'll start with live doppler 7

hd showing still lots of smoke in the area around the bay area. it's going to last another day or so. tomorrow, most of the bay area under poor to very poor air quality conditions. but moderate condition also prevail starting wednesday everywhere across the region. that's going to be the look of things for the next few days starting on wednesday. the storm comes in ranking two on the storm impact scale, bringing in showers that will be heavy at times. strong, gusty winds, improving the air quality and bringing in much needed rainfall. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. the rain begins wednesday, followed by periods of rain thanksgiving day. friday and saturday and the strong gusts will clean the air, so improved air quality through the reminder of the week on wednesday. we'll see the showers tapering off, leaving us cloudy and season my cool. welcome relief is on the way. amazon goes to new lengths

to make your christmas easier, but is it a good idea. >> and the

[ready forngs ] christmas? no, it's way too early to be annoyed by christmas. you just need some holiday spirit! that's it! this feud just went mobile. with xfinity xfi you get the best wifi experience at home. and with xfinity mobile, you get the best wireless coverage for your phone. ...you're about to find out! you don't even know where i live... hello! see the grinch in theaters by saying "get grinch tickets" into your xfinity x1 voice remote. a guy just dropped this off. he-he-he-he. still a few days away from thanksgiving, but it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. at the white house, the president and first lady received the official white house christmas tree this

morning. it's a 19 1/2 foot tall frazier fir from north carolina. the tree will stand in the blue room as the center piece of the white house christmas decorations. >> you know you don't have to be the president to have your tree delivered. amazon is gearing up to deliver not just presents but live christmas trees. >> becky whirly has more now. >> reporter: buying a christmas tree can be a divine family outing. >> there it is. ♪ >> reporter: like in "national lampoons christmas vacation." but then there's getting the knots undone, hauling it off the car, and wrangling it into the house. sensing an opportunity, amazon today starting sales of its first full-sized live christmas tree delivery to your door. >> it's a real tree. >> reporter: the tech site

getting a first look at the process. >> everything is easier to order on amazon, so it makes sense for people doing a lot of shopping. >> reporter: here in san francisco, the tree is delivered by a courier in a box and wrapped in twine. amazon says customers can order everything from a small charlie brown christmas tree to a tree between 6 and 7 feet tall. they'll range in price from $20 to $110, depending on which type. this one cost $110. >> oh, that looks good. >> i know, it looks really good. il thought it was take at first. >> reporter: amazon says they get the trees from local growers in north carolina and michigan. >> they have really strong needles. >> reporter: but natalie sayer in half moon bay, california, points out all their trees cost just $65. and says there's another thing amazon can't deliver. >> parents say these are the memories their kids are going to remember, walking through the field, cutting down the tree together, putting it on the car.

>> reporter: so your choice this holiday season may come down to the traditional joy of the experience versus one click shopping with the ease of home delivery. >> really funny. that's biggy whirl beckbeckbecby >> i enjoy the experience, but i'm not sure. >> i'm with you. i used to love doing that with the kids, but now between gro kids, that's tempting. >> a secret santa brought some holiday cheer to hall mart shoppers. a man paid for all the items onlayaway in dishy. one woman was waiting in line if a man asked her if she was paying on layaway. >> who can afford to just pay

for everyone's lay away? he said, santa claus can. >> no balance due, and it was really a reality. >> that is the true magic of christmas. that's the christmas spirit walking amongst us. >> putting on a smile on someone's face. walmart did not say how much the mystery shopper spent. thousands of families in the south bay are getting much-needed help before thanksgiving. "abc7 news" was there where they're handing out food boxes, including beans, rice, eggs, bread and more. and families can choose between a turkey, ham, or chicken meal. the boxes save families $100 at the store. >> we've been doing this for 54 years. every year, a community gathers together to make sure that families can continue their own holiday tradition. >> sacred heart does a food

distribution next month and needs thousands of taio crurkey chickens to meet their goal. these are the two turkeys up for presidential pardon. peas and carrots from south dakota. go to the white house twitter page to cast your vote. despite the contest, both turkey also be spared. they will live at gobbler's rest at virginia tech, where students and veterinarians will care for them into old age. that's a cute name. >> and they're both going to be rescued. you know letters, writing them may be a disappearing art, but one group of kids are hoping hand write willing make a difference. >> those letters, we're going to be sending our prayers, our hope, faith and everything we can to support them. >> and what they're writing and why. >> and at 5:00, a facebook executive wants answers in her

brother's death. she says new video contradicts the word of police the night her brother died. >> when you see the video, there's -- literally he's walking down the street and gets stopped. plus, the reunion

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to take care of yourself. but nature's bounty has innovative ways to help you maintain balance and help keep you active and well-rested. because hey, tomorrow's coming up fast. nature's bounty. because you're better off healthy. it's the season finale of "dancing with the stars" followed by "the good doctor."

and stay with us for "abc7 news" at 11:00. the smoke in the bay area's air has become a call of action for school kids in san jose. >> they're writing letters of support. david louie has a hook look at they're writing and y.>> reporter: it started bought eighth graders wanted to do something to help victims of the catch camp >> here we are sending letters to paradise, but not only sending letters, but in those letters, we're going to be sending our prayers, our hope, faith, and just everything we can to support them. >> reporter: in a single day, they produced 40 letters, they have all 588 students participate. >> they lost so much, so we hope our letters of love and support can cheer them up. >> i hope to give them faith again, and to know even though

we are miles away, a lot of us care about what happened and i think it's a horrible tragedy. >> reporter: ashley frost believes this is only the beginning of her students expanding their perspectives. >> there is a desire and need but want to do more. roim the desire to help others is spreading. and wind mill springs elementary, fourth grade teacher lauren boyd is doing a coin drive to raise money for fire victims. >> it's important because my mom used to live in paradise. i just don't want to see all those kids struggling. >> reporter: they'll be sending out donation jars this week. you could call this an exercise in student activism. even at their young age, they believe they can make a difference. david louie, "abc7 news." >> that's great. >> it is. and the first batch of letters to fire victims will be sent out on wednesday to shelters in woodland. the coin drive is expected to

run until christmas break. >> wonderful effort. thank you for joining us here on "abc7 news" at 4:00. >> "abc7 news" at 5:00 starts right now. this is the second time they've canceled a tour on us. >> and it could happen again. more bad air means closures and more unhappy tourists. >> the chance to breathe easier is coming soon, but it will mean replacing masks with sandbags for some. plus -- >> it was a huge celebration every time they found somebody new. >> the hard work to find somebody missing after the camp fire is paying off. and -- >> we just thought this would be a way to show solidarity. >> by the bag and by the box. one north bay company does what it can to help those in need. >> live where you live, this is "abc7 news." >> well, as you know, another smoky day in the bay area. some say it feels like it's worse than ever. the good news, rain headed this

way should wash it all away pretty soon. >> but that rain could cause flooding and mudslides in the burn area. this is new drone footage from paradise. and tonight, the burn zone faces a new threat, not from fire, but rain. good evening, i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. while showers may be helpful in fighting the fire, the rain can present a new set of problems. >> environmental crews are trying to shore uphillsides to prevent mud and debris flow, and the rain could hamper search ef efforts for human remains. >> many homes and buildings are still smolders and are unsafe to search. >> it's very methodical and time consuming search. we still have a lot of area to cover. >> cal fire crews are trying to get as much done as they can before the weather turns. >> the rain will clear up the poor air quality we've been experiencing. for more on that, let's go to