breaking news in america this morning, fire emergency. a fast-burning wildfire exploding in california overnight. new images coming in as residents flee under mandatory evacuations. thousands of acres burning in a matter of minutes. the big concern right now about the conditions. campaign kickoff. >> this is a serious moment for our nation. >> joe biden and kamala harris hitting the ground running. the fund-raising numbers just in overnight, and vice president mike pence on the attack this morning. his claim about senator kamala harris. a perfect storm. the new warning from the head of the cdc about the fall and the thes mosk. and the new push from students despite outbreaks in schools. plus, nine days without power.

the growing outage after severe storms in the northeast and midwest and the stunning damage to crops in the heartland. rush the season? the early arrival of pumpkin spice this year. and let it flow. how president trump wants to improve your morning shower. good thursday morning, everyone. and we begin with breaking news from california where a wildfire described as explosive is raging out of control. >> the so-called lake fire broke out near lake hughes about 60 miles north of los angeles and quickly grew to more than 10,000 acres. flames are threatening at least 100 structures in the area. >> mandatory evacuations are under way, and crews warned overnight that they have zero containment. kabc reporter veronica miracle is there. >> reporter: here in l.a. county the lake fire is sucking up everything in its path. you can see firefighters here

protecting this property as fire creeps up along the hillside right behind it. now, this fire is so powerful, it created enough force to make several fire tornadoes and while firefighters haven't confirmed if any of the homes have been destroyed in this area, several people believe their homes are gone. >> incredible images there from veronica, and hundreds of firefighters are already on the ground, but with the fire burning at a rate of 55 acres per minute, even aerial attacks are doing little to stop this spread. we will give you more information as we get it. we turn now to the biden/harris campaign kickoff. the history making democratic ticket making their first appearance together. senator kamala harris sharing her personal story but also going on the attack and overnight, her rival, vice president mike pence returning fire taking aim at harris' track record. a new poll shows 40% of americans approve of biden choosing harris as

his running mate, 36% have no opinion right now. here's abc's ines de la cuetara. >> reporter: this morning new momentum in the race for the white house. >> for the first time your next vice president of the united states kamala harris. >> reporter: joe biden and kamala harris appearing together for the first time as running mates. >> everything we care about, our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in, it's all on the line. >> reporter: the pair helping raise $26 million in 24 hours. >> we are ready. we're not going to take it anymore. we've had enough. >> reporter: laying out plans to make sure every ballot is counted this november despite the pandemic. >> voting by mail matters. having drop boxes, having early voting, having enough poll workers. >> reporter: but president trump says funding for the postal service, one of the sticking points in stalled coronavirus relief talks in washington,

could jeopardize mail-in voting this fall. >> they don't have the money to do the universal mail-in voting, so, therefore, they can't do it, i guess, right? >> reporter: trump also laying out a laundry list of attacks on harris. >> she's very bad on facts. she wants no fossil fuels. she wants to defund or at least sub stantly reduce money going to police departments. >> reporter: vice president mike pence overnight building on those claims. >> where joe biden said he'd be willing to cut funding to police she said recently that she thought we should reimagine the police. >> reporter: but earlier in the day trump surrogates sending mixed senates calling harris both too soft on crime and too tough. >> i don't want someone who says that they are not going to be tough on hardened criminals. >> she fought to keep inmates locked up in overcrowded prisons. >> reporter: biden already firing back. >> donald trump has already started his attacks calling

kamala, quote, nasty, whining about how she's, quote, mean to his appointees. it's no surprise because whining is what donald trump does best. >> reporter: his campaign accusing trump of, quote, melting down after the president tweeted, the suburban housewife will be voting for me saying biden wants to flood suburbs across the country with low income housing. >> they're going to in my opinion destroy suburbia. >> reporter: according to one recent poll, trump's support in the suburbs has dropped by nearly 30% since 2016. and overnight new details emerging about the democrats' convention next week. the 13 candidates who ran against biden in the primary will appear at a virtual event, and congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez will speak, but she'll only be allowed one minute, kenneth and mona. >> our thanks to ines for that report. now to the coronavirus and a new warning from the director of the cdc. >> he says unless everyone wears

a mask, this fall could be the worst america has ever seen despite encouraging trends across much of the country. searcherexaini why this fall could be a, quote, perfect storm and now more teachers are protesting the re-opening of classrooms. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, nearly half the country seeing deaths on the rise from coronavirus, and though hospitalizations are decreasing, infections are increasing in some of the nation's largest cities. houston reporting nearly 1,000 virus deaths as texas schools prepare to start the school year. >> the countdown to the first day of school in person is like a ticking time bomb unless we do this right. >> reporter: county officials say children should not be in class, but the governor says that decision is up to local districts. just north of san antonio, this school adding plexiglas barriers and mandatory masks for everyone. >> they make me feel safe, but i'm just really, really excited to go back. >> reporter: in georgia nearly

1,200 students and staff quarantined after dozens tested positive in cherokee county now forcing the closure of two high schools, and at the school where these images of students without masks went viral and dozens tested positive, students are now protesting the decision to switch to partial online learning. >> we shouldn't be forced to go online because others are fearful. >> reporter: president trump wednesday reiterating his call to re-open classrooms. >> so sitting in isolation with a computer looking at a laptop is not the same as being out there in the real world. >> reporter: the president also hopeful for a college football season. the big 12 now planning to play despite other major conferences canceling or postponing the season. at notre dame two players now fo their lkitive for covid-19 ringing fansntstadiums in so-called pods, groups of people who agree to sit together wearing masks but stay distanced from other groups. cdc director dr. robert redfield

warning if people don't wear masks, we could see our worst fall ever. >> we are not asking some of america to do it. we all got to do it. >> reporter: but not everyone is listening. >> you're a bunch of idiots wearing masks. you know it's not real. look at you fools. >> reporter: in tucson video shows a man yelling at a grocery store employee wearing a mask. his son carrying him out. researchers warn with current virus levels a fall resurgence threatens parts of the midwest and east coast including new york. after an uptick of cases in one brooklyn neighborhood, new york city is now working to get all residents there tested. as the world awaits a vaccine, colombian officials say they arrested two florida men wanted in the u.s. on charges they illegally sold a bleach-like chemical as a miracle cure, andstti mounting as businesses are closed. >> let's get rolling and start bowling. >> reporter: outside michigan's capital, protesters from the bowling industry upset they've been shut down for months with no word on when they can

re-open. meanwhile, amc announcing they'll open 100 theaters by august 20th and plan to open two-thirds of their theaters by september 3rd. kenneth, mona. >> andrea, thank you. the fbi is investigating a shooting that forced a military helicopter to make an emergency landing in virginia. officials say the air force helicopter was hit by a bullet during a training mission. a crew member suffered a minor injury. it was flying at about 1,000 feet preparing to land when it was hit. weather systems are causing power problems in two parts of the country. a storm with hurricane-force winds knocked out electricity to more than a million customers in the midwest and also damaged 10 million acres of crops in iowa. meanwhile, in new york some people have gone nine days without electricity after tropical storm isaias. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. more flooding is possible today in the baltimore area with

another round of storms expected to move through. some areas got nearly four inches of rain on wednesday. extreme flooding also hit southwest arkansas forcing evacuations after eight inches of rain fell in the region. that's a single day record for august. no rain will be in that area today but it will be hot. some cooler air moves into the northeast today, 85 and rain in minneapolis, and the fire danger continues across much of the west with windy and hot conditions. 85 in los angeles. coming up, a mistake at the dmv results in the most bizarre license photo we've ever seen. but first a new threat from uber and lyft. why millions of people may soon be unable to get a ride. and our favorite story of . what he did to save his mother's life.

how will 2020 census data where there are more people, there are more needs for public services. that's why the census is used by the government to inform funding decisions each year. but that's not all. it's also used by nonprofits to inform services, by businesses to create jobs, and even by students for school projects. understanding how the population changes helps us shape communities across the country for the better. shape your future. start here. visit 2020census.gov.

back now with the police officer jumping into action to save a man in a wheelchair from an oncoming train. the officer saw the man was stuck on the tracks at a railroad crossing just as the train was approaching in lodi, california. she risked her life as you see there pulling him to safety with seconds to spare. uber and lyft are threatening to shut down in california if they're forced to make their drivers employees. a california court has ordered both companies to reclassify their drivers. right now they're independent contractors. uber's ceo says the company could suspend service until at least november. uber and lyft are currently supporting a ballot measure that would keep drivers as contractors. the 7-year-old boy being hailed a hero for helping to save his mother's life during a medical emergency. this is south florida's newest junior firefighter.

at just 7 years old, this boy saved his mom's life. >> 911, what is the address of the emergency? >> hello. >> hi. >> my mom is choking. she can't breathe. >> reporter: aidyn toban stayed calm as he explained his mom's condition. >> is your mommy completely alert? >> what does that mean? >> like are her eyes open like if you talk to her, is she responding to you? >> mommy. no, she's not responding but her eyes is open. >> reporter: aidyn was able to tell the dispatcher his mother recently had a seizure and provided their address. >> oh, my god. if all callers were like him, stayed calm, answer the questions. >> they asked if i could read and then i said yes and then i read a mail and gave her where i live and then they came.

>> it was awesome hearing the actual dispatcher's call that we got to hear and just how he articulated and just how he sounded so good on that. >> is that the police? >> yes. >> okay. aidyn, you did such a great job. you're such a hero. thank you for helping your mommy. >> and we provided first aid, and after speaking with aidyn, he told us a little more about what was going on and we were able to treat mom. >> i'm very grateful and i'm very proud of him, very, very proud of him. >> reporter: the rescue crew went back to visit aidyn this week. >> we think you did a fabulous job. yowere you re ao mommy. ltiim truck and handing him a bag of gifts including a firefighter's hat. >> he does deserve all of this and i want him to be extremely proud of everything that he's done. >> one for me too. >> way to go, aidyn. as you can see mom is doing okay there. just incredible. coming up, a massive sinkhole leaves hundreds stranded. also ahead, should you avoid going to the dentist right now because of the coronavirus?

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when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. back now with this video of a rare sunny skies lightning bolt in tampa, florida. the lightning hitting that tree out of the blue as thunderstorms moved into the area. in virginia flash floods opened up a massive sinkhole collapsing this road and stranding about 400 nearby residents. one car was swallowed up, and six others were damaged. new details about how the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on new york city. 6,500 businesses have closed their doors permanently since march, many of them retailers. hundreds of neighborhood shops have also vanished, and larger chains have left the big apple in favor of cities with lower rents. >> the state of retail in new york basically did an overnight shift with the onset of the pandemic in march. with people in new york city leaving town, it just became

essentially a ghost town over the last several months. >> many store owners have lost their lunchtime crowds as well due to people working from home. >> really hate to see that. and dentists are speaking out against the world health organization which is recommending people postpone visits to their dentist because of the coronavirus. earlier i spoke with dr. yvonne maldonado. we also discussed a new study raising concerns about how far the coronavirus can travel. we've been told for months to maintain six feet of social distance, but a new study out of the university of florida found the coronavirus can travel up to 16 feet away from an infected person indoors. how worried should we be about this? >> we've known that the virus can spread for a variable distance for some time, but the majority of the spread really occurs within that six feet radius, and it's -- and it indicates it's important to continue to wear masks and

distance because of that variety of spread of droplets. >> researchers are forecasting along the i-95 corridor between virginia and new jersey we have not seen any evidence of improvement when it comes to the transmission rate of covid-19, but people in that region have been told they've flattened the curve, so what's going on here? why has the transmission risk not weakened? >> it's not going up, but it's also not coming down because people are -- businesses are open and people are still going indoors and the behaviors really haven't changed that much, so the behaviors need to keep changing. >> and this was a bit of a surprise. the world health organization is now urging people to avoid going to the dentist because of the infection risk unless it's an emergency. the american dental association is fighting back saying dentists' offices across the country have improved safety protocols and ventilation. what are your thoughts? >> i think it is a risk benefit calculation that needs to be done. the world health organization has to think about the entire world and different procedures and different countries vary. the american dental association

of dentists in the u.s. seem to be quite prepared, and i do think that it does need to be -- is an issue that needs to be discussed with your dentist in order to be reassured that they are ready to have you come in and that you are prepared to come in safely as well. >> our thanks to dr. maldonado. coming up, the early return of pumpkin spice. also ahead, how president trump wants to change your morning shower. hey, can i... hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today. mornings were made safe drfor better things. than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment,

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that capacity for each faucet, which trump says he needs to keep his hair perfect. next a big mistake at the dmv. but this one made the driver smile. >> take a look at jade dodd or at least what she looked like on her license. >> someone in the tennessee dmv made a mistake uploading her picture and upload a photo -- you see it there -- of a chair instead. >> she looks comfortable. next only the middle of august but that means time for pumpkin spice. >> dunkin' is leading the charge rolling out pumpkin spice offerings next wednesday including pumpkin spice lattes. >> it's the earliest release ever for the flavored drinks because pumpkin spice makes everything, oh, so nice. finally a man who is giving bruce lee a run for his money. >> he is a chinese nunchuck master. one was for lighting 21 matches using nunchucks in one minute. >> he also set a record by putting out 70 candles in one minute. he also stirs his pumpkin spice

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all day strong. . making news right now, developing news, a massive wildfire in southern california explodes to 10,000 acres in just hours. homes are threatened, families being ordered to evacuate. and more distance learning the hard lessons they learned t back in spring. and cautious words from governor newsom. california may be turning the tide against covid-19. good morning, everybody. it is thursday, august 13. aren't you excited? we're almost to friday and it is supposed to be a nice warm day out there for us today. mike will have an update on that in a few minutes, but first let's check in with jobina on that fire.

>> good morning. a lot of people this morning are searching online for more information about that fast moving fire in southern california that is threatening homes and also forcing evacuations. we'll take a live look. this is a live picture of the lake fire that has grown to over 10,000 acres in less than 24 hours. so far there is 0% containment. originally an evacuation sheltr was not established because of covid-19. advanta but overnight a shelter was opened. it started north of sants clari clarida. and the remote location is making ground efforts difficult. >> a tremendous amount of fuel loading on those slopes. and again, with the remoteness and the terrain, it will be

really challenging. >> and the winds are not helping either. take a look at this incredible video, the high winds pushing it up a hill. and there are over 500 firefighters at the scene, they are coming from several agencies across california and even outside of the state this morning. >> thank you, and she talked about the heat and i wi and winds in that those are playing big factors. >> and that is all coming our because in fact. something i saw on twitter, i haven't confirmed it, they haven't had a really good fire or cleansing fire, whatever the forest term is, to clear out that debris in like 80 years. so there is so much fuel down there. and the temperatures will get even the hotter than they are here. and they have chance of a thunderstorm today. so dry lightning and when the thunderstorm collapses, the possibility of locally gusty

winds out of that. so they have really messy almost the worst conditions you could put out there for the firefighters. and this is our excessive heat watch, it goes from noon friday through 9:00. and more of the santa clara valley was added and north bay as well. and there it goes until technically 7:00 sunday. either way, we're talking building temperatures mid-90s to almost 110 degrees. look at that, lack of clouds this morning. that means the warming trend is getting even more robust today. we'll have those numbers coming up. and as more classes resume around the bay area, education and keeping our kids safe takes on an even bigger role in building a better bay area. distance learning starts today for many students in contra costa county and for money any u that means a change in your morning routine. amy hollyfield is live with more on this.

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