that breaking news, these raging flames and thick black smoke borne from a fire in san jose. this is south downtown near an auto recycling business and roofs supply stomp people this as these pictures show, this is an intense fire. i want to give you a live look from sky 7. the response has grown to four alarms, bringing out additional fire crews, and i just looked a few minutes ago and it seemed like they were making great progress. you see to the right of your screen, flames still active there, but they're throwing everything at it. it looked like it was close a few minutes ago. here we are with another massive burst of updates as we continue on abc7 news at 4:00 as well as the abc7 news app. with that we sail good afternoonle. i'm larry beil. >> and i'm ama daetz.

14 territories are going to the polls. >> we'll have team coverage. first the latest on the coronavirus. >> this is the latest area to declare an emergency due to the coronavirusout break. this allows them to get aid. >> we reported a short berkeley reports its first. you see 16. now 17. the number of death has spiked to nine in the united states, all of them in washington state. more states report positive test results. north carolina is the latest to confirm a case, and we'll go down the list here.

>> in florida, a woman traveled to italy. she tested positive. her sister travelled with her and she also testified positive. >> chris nguyen joins us live in the north bay. >> reporter: that brings us to 11 total countywide. health officials are trying to determine how they came into contact with it. new details from the santa clara county health disepartment. the highest risk group includes people 80 and older. we're recommending people at higher risk avoid mass gatherings such as parades, sporting events, and concerts

where people are at arm's distance from one another. >> they opened an emergency operations center this afternoon ensuring emergency services will continue as more coronavirus cases are confirmed. >> our plans are up to date, take into account everything we know about the virus and how it's emerging, and as the mayor indicated, we're ready to move to the next stage if and when we receive guidance that that's appropria appropriate. >> in downtown san jose, more than 1 million are expected to be at this event. >> making sure we don't have visitors coming in from high-risk countries. their films will be leer and we're not having visitors come in from communities in the united states that might be at risk either, such as washington. >> while concerns grow over the coronavirus, businesses hope customers will show still show their support. >> you have to get out you.

can't stay home because of the virus. people, take your precautions, but understand one thing. life goes on. >> city and county officials urging the public to not panic. santa clara county health officials are also saying this afternoon that organizations that primarily serve seniors should start canceling mass gathering such as bingo nights or movie screenings. we're live in san jose. i'm chris nguyen, abc7 news. >> it has global contractors and non-profit groups scrambling to deal with patients, public information, data analysis. >> reporter: the response to coronavirus shows how labor-intensive it is to treat patients. as the outbreaks grow, listings on glassdoor are growing.

it's not surprising to see openings for nurses. however, glassdoor's economists did find other kinds of specialties in demand. >> i'm was surprised to see the global public health response does mean more demand for workers such as communication specialists or consultants who can help organizations craft the right public health response. >> reporter: also in that realm there were funds from the bill and melinda gates foundations. south asia was hard hit. >> it would be hard to find specialists in any field right n now. that being said, there's a lot of attention on the outbreak and that will make it easier for organizations to find the right talent very some posting the

jobs have not yet been funded meaning some of the employers are thinking longer term, not knowing when the coronavirus will resolve itself. they want to have plenty of resumes available to fill future jobs. in southeast, david louie, abc7 news. >> the fed slashed its benchmark rate by a half percentage point. the largest cut since the 2008 financial crisis. it took 15 minutes for the small rally to evaporate. the dow dropped 785 points, nearly 3%. the nasdaq and s&p 500 both finished down around 3% as well. google is giving free access to its advanced hangout video conferencing features in response to the threat of the coronavirus. it will allow employees, educators and students to work from hangout meets for free through july 1st.

google has also banned nonessential travel for employees and they're pulling the plug for the cloud meeting and it will only be available online. there had been an event planned for tomorrow at the bill graham auditorium. it brings community services together in an effort to help those who are living on the streets. the city hasn't said when it plans to hold the event. gucci has canceled its upcoming san francisco fashion show. the cruz 2020 fashion show was canceled. just last week georgio armani held its fashion show without public present. >> you've heard the advice, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, sanitize your environment to keep you and others healthy. there's one habit that cannot be

broken with soap and water. we're shown why it's so important to stop touching your face, luz. >> i know. this is kind of my routine. i get to work, touch my i.d. tunld this door handing and come in and touch so many surfaces and that's how this type of bacteria can spread. we all do it. one, two three, four, five -- five times, five times in 36 seconds. >> reporter: according to the cdc on their website they list several things. one is avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. we did a little experiment. we all touch our face. i touch my face maybe five times in the last minute. i want to know how many times you do it.

we're about to interview people. in one minute you touched your face once. did you notice? >> no, i didn't. i guess it was natural. >> i'm try never to touch my face. sometimes it's just instinctive. >> with the coronavirus, oh, yeah, i heard i'm not supposed to touch my face, it's true, but i have been washing my hands a lot. >> reporter: you should. just wash your hands and leave it at that. but also avoid our face. >> never touch your eyes, nose, our mouth with a bare finger f you need to itch, use a tissue, cover it up so you have a protective barrier. >> reporter: with no vaccine, the best way to avoid illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. according to a study publishing in 2015, we touch our face an average of two dozen times in an hour and 44% of that turning including our face, nose, our mouth.

in san francisco, luz pena, abc7 news. >> thank you so much. we've dedicated one page on our website to all of our stories go. to abc7news.com. you'll find today's headlines as well as practical information about how to protect yourself. in the south bay an investigation is under way in connection to a san jose cold case homicide. investigators began digging a hole behind gar dino's restaurant. this morning a large hole could be seen under a canopy along with a pile of dirt. san jose police are looking for something connected to the cold case, but it's still unclear what exactly they're looking for. residents say they're concerned. >> if there was a homicide there, it would be hard to believe. >> i don't understand how somebody could be under that concrete. really sad bad things happen in the world unfortunately. >> right now there's no word if police found anything. an area is blocked off for the investigation, but traffic is

not impacted. a hate crime incident at a san jose elementary school sunday investigation this afternoon. mount pleasant elementary school district officials say a racial slur was written on a poster at robert sanders el men tre school last week. they were brought in to investigate. last year there were two similar incidents at other schools. >> these hateful actions are not going to intimidate us or set us bck. >> a new video surveillance system will be put in at all district campuses. >> at a reunion today, the high school was open but not at their original campus. they've spent nearly two weeks split up due to the discovery of a cancer-causing chemical in brown water under the campus. for now, all of the m

students have been moved elsewhere. price gouging. our coronavirus coverage continues with a look at the sky-high prices for items in high demand. roaming the park, the new addition to the herd and what makes this a big deal. another sunny warm and dry day is winding down in the bay area, but we see an end

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california getting its wish today. we spot people voting. as you can see behind us, in san mateo, san jose, and oakland.

the govern signed legislation to move the primary to march so california could play a more influential role in the presidential election. >> camera crews caught up with the governor at a polling station. he declined to say who he was voting for but said recent endorsements to joe biden are a huge boost. >> joe biden just won virginia, one of four states holding a primary. >> voters will not only be casting their ballots, but some will be registering to vote, taking advantage of new rues in california. abc7's chris wray y-- kris reye with more. >> there were some questions that kept coming up. got you some answers. at different polls stations around san francisco and in san mateo county, a steady stream of

voters. some of the more common questions. >> this is the first election this has happened in california. people can register to vote at their polling places if they're another registered to vote. they can change their party preference too. >> sign the ballot. get it to us. if you're going to mail it today, make sure it's before midnight on election day, and if it gets to us by friday at midnight, we will be able to actually tabulate that. >> reporter: voters casting their ballots for different reasons. abraham field voted because of his grandmother. >> she's 60 years my senior, but we still had a lot in common. that's what brought me out today. >> my biggest issues are climate change. i work in climate change. work for the city. >> the most important issue is presidency. i'm voting democrat, of course. it doesn't really matter who the leader is. >> reporter: we didn't see any longer lines than usual, but this voter says you still have to be patient at the polls.

his mail-in ballot didn't arrive. >> i found there were several people in that same situation and there was so much frustration and confusion that they just ended up walking away. >> reporter: all right. it is getting busier now that people are getting out of work. if you want to get really strategic, you can go online, look at wait times at different voting centers, and we should see preliminary numbers tonight. >> all right. kris. thank you. the former mayor and assembly speaker willie brown hosting movers and shakers as well as active and retired politicians for lunch at john's grill. he displayed displeasure at how things have been conducted. he would have preferred town howl meetings instead of national debates which he described as reality tv shows.

>> a fire hydrant caused a big mess this afternoon. take a look. you see this watt every gushing up. this is crazy. they stopped the water from gushing, but some minor flooding did remain on the embarcadero. >> we do need water from the skies. >> we do. not going up, but down. >> it was almost warm enough to take advantage of water sports, not that was a water sport. you know what i mean. >> insure no rain's on the way. i'll get that in a moment. dry conditions, sunny skies across the bay area right now. it's been a mild to warm day. this is a lovely view from sutro tower looking out over san francisco where it is now only 67 degrees. it was 70s earlier. we have 70s at oakland and gilroy and 65 at pacifica. and looking toward the golden gate, you can see we've got a little hint of some low clouds offshore right now.

8 here's a beautiful view from our rooftop camera. skies are blue. this is a list of our forecast features. warming trend peaks tomorrow. a much cooler pattern will develop by the end of the week and this long dry spell is likely to end on saturday. but how long a spell has it been? last rain we had, measurable rain in san francisco, the 28th. from the 29th to now, we've had 35 consecutive dry days, getting close to the record this time of year of 43 days set back in late 2014 to early 2015 and in 2016, 43 consecutive rain-free days. here's what may bring us in a dry spell. friday evening shows rain moving into the area, showers overnight into saturday morning and even into saturday afternoon. looks like we're going to get enough wet weather to officially end the dry spell, but we don't

expect to get a lot of measurable rain. just enough. >> overnight, clear skies. we'll see a few patches. overnight moving in the mid- to upper 40s and tomorrow we'll be able to experience the peak of this warming trend with high temperatures near 80. numerous inland locations will see upper 70s. 78, 79 degrees. mid 70s around the bay shoreline and then we start to cool down a bit on thursday with sharper cooling, further cooling with high temperatures reaching only into the upper 50s in most bay area locations. only a few inland spots on friday will top out at or above 60 degrees. saturday it gets even cooler along with the possible of rain. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. once again, quite mild to warm. increasing clouds friday. light rain or showers on saturday. don't forget to spring forward to daylight saving times saturday night into sunday. clouds will linger into sunday.

we'll have brighter skies and milder conditions early next week. maybe we'll start another dry spell. i'm hoping not, but could be. >> we don't want that. >> no. the istonnic "sting" hits the stage in san francisco and pays a visit to us right here at abc7. i'm 7 on your side's michael ...doesn't mean you got to spend a lot! because denny's brought back the super slam™. with eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage and pancakes. all for just $6.99. the $6.99 super slam™ is back! see you at denny's! like getting the best everwifi experiencen. with wall-to-wall coverage-there's a win. plus, added protection for your connected devices.

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the case began today in the martinez courtroom. >> michael finney joins us for that along with where air travelers get a break in exchange fees. >> the defense tried to deflect attention away from reynolds and instead shine a light on a co-worker. he along with reynolds faced eight accounts of animal abuse reduced to seven. now he received one misdemeanor account. today the defense attorney tried to establish that the overcrowded and dirty conditions of the training facility where the result o o o o o not his client.

closing argument could begin as early as tomorrow morning. a u.s. senator is calling on airlines to waive the fee for travelers in light of the coronavirus outbreak. senator richard blumenthal of connecticut wrote open letters to several major airlines urging them to allow travelers to make the best decision o for their health without the burden of high fees. those are his words. some airlines are already waiving fees. not all flights and dates get this special treatment. check first. i've got a list of all of those policies posted on our website, abc7news.com. i think this is going to go on for a while. but please check. not every date, not every flight. you could get caught. >> you made a great point. the airlines -- if people are looking that i'm going to have to pay the fees, they may not book at all. >> right. until the airlines are betting things are getting better in the

future. otherwise you're not going to book. google canceled their big event. the airlines need people to keep booking. >> thank you, michael. a sflaan francisco-based company that make shoes out of resielked plastic bolts is now making handbags. they're using their water bottle yarm and plastic to make the bags some of far rothy's has used more than 50 million plastic water bottles for it shoes and bags. >> it's remarkable. and they look great. >> they do. the last-minute campaign stop in the east bay for

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we choose to go to the and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. president kennedy knew settling for half-measures wasn't good enough. so when candidates say we can't guarantee health care for all, make college affordable for all, combat climate change, or create a world at peace, remember that america is best when we strive to do big things, even when it's hard. i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message.

it's super tuesday. we're expecting a special report from the network as soon as the polls close. we'll bring that to you as soon as it happens. of course, the big issue, the democratic presidential candidate. >> presidential candidate joe biden made a last-minute stop near jack london square. >> reporter: the former vice

president walked into the diner and ordered one of his favorite. >> and he paid in cash. >> biden worked his way through the restaurant chatting it up with friends and sitting down in booths for a while to take selfies. >> what feeling are you left with knowing he's walking through your restaurant right now? >> it's a wonderful feeling. we're honored to have him here, and out of all the candidates remaining, i think i'm most proud to have him here. >> biden swayed that undecided voter to vote for him but not others outside. >> boo. go home. >> a small band of bernie sanders supporters congregated on the corner. >> what do we want? a new deal. when do we want it? now. >> reporter: oakland's