stay well, california, huge, unprecedented, not enough help to fight the flames. frustration in the santa cruz mountains. some people taking matters into their own hands. heartbreak in the north bay. neighbors are told to get ready to evacuate while others have already lost their homes. we're going to take you into the fire zone in healdsburg. >> singed but surviving in vacaville. you'll hear from a homeowner who lost his home and what he'll do next. and the largest to control. now breaking news as new evacuations in santa cruz

county. >> i jumped out of bed. thank god. or else i'd be sleeping in the house on fire. >> he lost his house, he left es on his come o >> in vacaville. fires reached the neighborhood. >> i was on the roof, i didn't know if the leaves would pick up and get embers. >> that man was able to save his home. but the house across the street burned to the ground. one resident, current conditions made for the perfect storm. >> i think it's unprecedented with the heat and the humidity and the wind, it was inevitable. >> good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm ama daetz. thank you for joining us. to the north, we have the lnu lightning complex fire and to the south the czu august

lightning complex. the largest fire is the scu lightning complex burning east of milpitas. cal fire says 137,000 acres have burned. that's 214 square miles. bigger than the city of san jose. a fire bee afr analyst with cal fire explains how he's able to calculate how fast and far it's moving by using a technique called spotting. >> right now the spotting distance is up to three quarters of a mile. what that means is we'll have that brush ignite and once it ignites, it throws embers out three quarters of a mile ahead of where the fire is at. >> he says he's seen the fires spread at a rate of 120 feet per minute in grass. this fire is 5% co >>sthae siea is live with the sthani >> fire is moving southwest, fire.

i wachblt to step out and show you what we're seeing. this large plume of smoke every five to ten minutes or so. it's billowing and tower higher than what we're seeing now. it may be hard to see in the distance there. there is a helicopter flying through dropping water. we have seen that happen every so often here. resources certainly are sparse. earlier today, we did drive up mount hamilton road, one of 22 neighborhoods stretching across five counties under mandatory evacuations. now, most people have packed up and left. but not homeowners bill tier then. he moved his cattle to a safe place but then came back, hoping to save his house just a mile from the fire lines. >> rough, rough estimate, maybe four or fi5:00 this afternoon, it's going to hit here. we've been wetting the roofs on the houses and being prepared for it to come. hopefully, we can get through

it. >> cal fire is working around the clock battling steep terrain, the dry heat and low humidity. all of that paired with a lack of resources is making this fire grow out of control. >> a large plume of smoke. the biggest concern cal fire has right now with a i lot of the fires burning close together. as i mentioned, of fire that's burning closest to the city of san jose. it's getting very close to several of the other fires in the area. that's what they're working on right now. live in san jose, stephanie sierra, abc 7 news. stephanie, thank you. cal fire posted this video from its helicopter as it flew over empire grade and boulder creek in santa cruz county. they pointed out the intense spotting in the area which you can clearly see. >> the czu lightning complex fire burned -- new evacuations were ordered this afternoon for the canyon and santa cruz county. evacuation warnings have been issued for downtown scotts

valley and thetaru mpus as well. and shelters in santa cruz county are near capacity at this point. officials are asking how to -- staying at hotels or vacation rentals to leave immediately in order to free up space. abc 7 news reporter kris reyes is live with the latest there. >> reporter: good afternoon. downtown scotts valley is exactly where we are. since that evacuation warning came out, more residents driving by. their cars full of belongings. they have been told at any moment they could be told to get out of here. by the way, cal fire is stationed down the street. this is where their base camp is. they're hoping they're not having to move locations. as they also said, you never know. this is a very unpredictable fire and one that they haven't seen in this community for years. >> this is cal fire video over boulder creek in santa cruz county. just one of many fires the crews

are trying to get under control. here's another. on the ground, the air was thick with smoke. this is what it looked like in evacuated communities like ben low man and boulder creek. about 28,000 people have been evacuated. cal fire preparing to issue more warnings. with the fires growing rapidly and zero percent contained. >> this is almost unprecedented. we've had very little significant fire history in this area. yet, we have these amazing huge red woods everywhere. some of the fires were allowed to smolder because we didn't have the resources to put eyes on them because we were busy battling other fires. >> it hasn't burned like that in a long time. there's a ton of fuel up there. when i heard propane tanks exploding close enough they were at the top of my road, i got out of there, too. >> reporter: you know, we're actually starting to feel the wind pick up a little bit. that can't be comforting to

anybody around here. we're going to get briefing from cal fire at 6:00. we'll bring that to you live. from skr santa cruz county, kris reyes for abc 7 news. north bay, 131,000 acres burned. those fires are burning in napa, sonoma, solano, lake and yolo counties. describing extreme fire behaviors with some making runs in multiple directions. that's what we saw yesterday when a finger of the hennessey fire pushed. there is no containment. one of the biggest priorities for firefighters there is the wall bridge fire near healdsburg. we're live with more. >> reporter: this has been a day of worst fears that came true and worst fears that did not. depends who you're talking about. we began with the fire chief in healdsburg, we ran into him in the fire zone to get his

reaction as we looked at the damage. >> breaks my heart. this is our backyard. this is my backyard. >> reporter: healdsburg fire chief responding to the desolation he saw along mill creek road after the wal bridge fire ravaged this area and many homes last night. the remnants only hint at what used to be in this rustic area that had not burned for half a century and made up for lost time. no lives lost but plenty of residents need to start over. >> does anybody know how many houses burned here last night? >> no. people are throwing around estimates, 15 to 20. there's no confirmed numbers. where in healdsburg, a few miles away, people watched the smoke in the distance and the firefighting planes above and contemplated a warning they may still need to evacuate. so far it's not come to pass, which feels like a break in this community that in the past three years has already endured so much. >> we're scared as hell.

this is unprecedented times for us. >> reporter: as we come back live, that is black soot from the fire moving past healdsburg. that smoke seems to have thickened in the last few hours. you talk about what they've been through, through power outages, they've been through covid-19, they have been through fires. now they're going through another one. we should know more information at 6:00 tonight in sonoma county. they're going to hold a virtual meeting with politicians and local representatives. people who are working on this evolving trauma. they will be taking questions. live in healdsburg, wayne feed man, abc 7 news. >> we'll get the answers, wayne. thanks very much. the lmu complex fires causing problems in solano county. laura anthony is live with that part of our coverage tonight. laura? >> reporter: well, hi dan. i'm actually at the southern edge of this fire here in

vacaville. from the ground today, it looks better than yesterday. not so much active flame. still for folks like this homeowner behind me, the damage is already done. today we spoke with the fire chief for the vacaville fire protection district. that's a separate agency from the city fire district. we talked with the chief, howard wood. he's been doing this for 40 years. for him all of this loss is i ki it is personal. my dad was the chief before i was. it's been a long line. >> reporter: obviously, a lot of emotion in this area. it's really coming to light as the smoke is starting to lift. just exactly how many homes have

been lost here. like i said, unlike yesterday, it's a bit cooler. the winds are down. we haven't seen any big flames. what we've seen is a few spot fires. unlike yesterday, it seems that fire crews are able to contain those or keep them from at least igniting any more homes. they've been able to do a little more of this structure protection. [ inaudible ] a number of animals. as you know during the fires, the folks evacuate and try to get their animals out if they can. a lot of them are left behind. we did come across quite a few of them today looking bewildered but safe, nonetheless. finally, we saw a little bit of normal out here today. that is up in the hills and an area, lots of the homes burned. a u.s. postal service delivery man was making his rounds. we saw him delivering mail, dan and ama to a mailbox that's attached to a home that's no longer standing. live in vacaville, laura

anthony. abc 7 news. thank you. new information on the pg&e worker killed. he was found unresponsive in his car just outside vacaville. >> the employee was in the gates canyon area clearing infrastructure, power poles and lines to make the area safe for emergency responder. once again, please keep the family and pg&e in your thoughts. >> our condolences as well. this is the first reported death in connection to this week's bay area fires. the employee's name has not been released but we are told he was from the vacaville area. woodward fire burning in the national seashores threatening 1600 structures. they've been given evacuation warnings. including an 11-mile stretch from a lima to -- it's burned 1500 acres along the marin coast. resources stretched thin but holding the line along the north

and south sides. there's zero containment. the firefight at the peak of mount hamilton, east of san jose. at one point, the observatory was threatened. so far the facility escaped damage, we're glad to tell you. officials say tonight some residences were burned but the telescope domes and the visitors centers are okay. all staffers safe and residents safe as some areas around the observatory did not burn last night. so there's some concern that the fire could circle back around. let's hope that doesn't happen. temperatures are cooler. that is making things a little easier. helping a little bit today. for more on the fire conditions, let's go to meteorologist sandhya patel. huge help for the crews. here's a look from the view from the mount tam cam. we're still seeing a lot of smoke and haze. what's not good is that shaky camera.

the winds are beginning to pick up. even though they're on shore bringing that higher humidity, take a look at the current conditions near the hennessey fire. 86 degrees. northerly wind picking up to 14 miles per hour. humidity is up 30%. near the gamble fire, it is 90 degrees, 25% humidity. south winds at 6. we take a look at the 24-hour wind trend. those winds are going to come up, up to 17 miles per hour. that will make it a challenge heading towards 7:00 p.m. for the crews on the fire lines. near the czu august lightning complex fires, 77 degrees, 45% humidity. the winds are increasing to 13 miles an hour as far as the gusts go and they will remain gusty and switching directions, which will pose a threat to those firefighters battling the blazes. take a look at the winds right now over mount tam gusting to 33 miles an hour. a full look i co uama. sandhya, thank you.

a last minute reprieve for uber and lyft before they put the brakes on services here and across the street. a court stepped i

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disruption of rideshare has ben put on hold. a law requiring it to make its drivers employees instead of independent contractors. abc 7 news reporter david louie has details and reaction from drivers protesting outside uber headquarters. >> reporter: stakes were high as the noontime rally by rideshare drivers was building momentum. they were rallying outside uber headquarters, but lyft was under the same order to classify drivers as employees under state law. >> uber has had well enough time to make decisions.

that's why to get their -- together. >> lyft shut down at midnight arguing that the change would result in less flexibility for drivers to set when, where and how many hours they could work. >> this company acting like a baby, shoot down the -- it's going to hurt everyone. shame of this company acting like that. >> reporter: then came word that the shutdown was averted when the court issued a stay to allow companies to agree to an appeal process. uber and lyft have until tuesday to agree to a timetable to adhere in mid-october. lyft said in a statement, we do need to continue fighting for independence plus benefits for drivers. lyft said its drivers want to remain independent contractors but with additional benefits. uber issued this statement. we are glad that the court of appeals recognized the important questions raised in this case and that access to these critical services won't be cut off while we continue to

advocate for drivers's ability to -- >> we need to know that our passengers are safe. when you take away our rights, we can't keep everybody safe. >> there is one other important aspect of this legal challenge, proposition 22 on the november ballot. uber lyft and three other companies put $3 million into that ballot measure classified drivers as contractors. david louie, abc 7 news. and the party is over for airbnb. the company issued a global party ban at rentals to address the ongoing issue with unauthorized parties during the pandemic. the new policy also includes an occupancy cap of 16 guests. airbnb says the ban will remain in effect indefinitely. our smoky skies could be

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the university of wisconsin madison tweeted out two different views of the brightness of the fires across our area in northern california. the view on the right is pretty stark. the university posted images of the smoke from the fires. experts say the poor air quality will likely continue until the fires are contained and that may not realistically happen until september 1st, ten days from now. good evening everyone. let's take a look at the satellite picture. this is visible satellite picture of the smoke across the region. we're still seeing quite a bit of smoke across the bay area. you will notice just how hazy it is. but i do want to show you a glimmer of hope. some spots along the coast that have actually seen themoky skies mix out a bit because of the winds. look at live doppler 7. no rain to speak of which would really help to wash things out. but we do have the possibility of rain easterly next week.

temperatures compared to 24 hours ago down 19 degrees in napa. down 11 degrees and san carlos. it is in theable. even concord and livermore in the low to mid-90s. a good ten-degree drop. the on shore winds playing a role. take a look at the air quality now. this isn't so great. around the santa cruz mountains, the south bay, peninsula, anywhere from moderate to unhealthy air quality. so obviously if you smell smoke or see smoke, good idea to stay inside with your windows and doors shut. just avoid the smoke if you possly aoshe eaay a the north concord to santa rosa. golden gate bridge camera, it's still visible. it's hazy. 67 in san francisco, 74 in oakland. currently 82 in san jose. here's a live look from the mount tam cam. this is where the air quality is awful right now as you will notice. 89 in santa rosa. 87 in fairfield.

88 in concord and livermore. for my east bay hills camera, watching the layers of smoke there. smoky and hazy the next few days. a warmer tomoray. dorry, a it' heat wave moay. with a sligh chance of air quality tomorrow continues to suffer. it's going to be in the poor to unhealthy range. spare the air alert up not just tomorrow but through sunday because of the wildfires in our area and around the state. hour-by-hour forecast showing the fog returning along the coast around parts frt bay into tomorrow morning. as we head into the afternoon and evening hours, the fog will linger near the coastline. that higher humidity should help the firefighters. hazy skies in the morning. mid-50s to low 70s. not quite as warm tomorrow afternoon. 96 in antioch. 87 san rafael. 80 in oakland. your accuweather, seven-day forecast, spare the air the next three days. a little warmer. still smoky. slight chance of showers sunday

night into monday, possibly into tuesday. >> dan and ama. >> sandhya, thanks very much. >> when we return, we'll have

finally tonight, the fires are prompting people statewide to do what they can to help out. the students, staffers and vets at school of veterinary medicine volunteered to treat injured an mams. an 11-year-old draft horse named ava, she was the sole survivor owned by >> rescued by good samaritans and taken to the university. >> goodness. also in yolo county, a reminder from the sheriff's office and an ma'am services, if anyone needs help getting large or small animals moved out of the way, give them a call. they will get the job done. they posted these photos on the twitter page today. they are there to help. world news tonight with david muir is next. we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm ama daetz. for and i can't patel and all of us here, thank you for inviting us into your home. our next newscast is coming up at 6:00.

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tonight, several major stories as we come on the air. the big night ahead for joe biden. and steve bannon under arrest. president trump's former chief strategist arrested and charged, apprehended on a yacht. once a key part of president trump's inner circle, steve bannon arrested and charged with defrauding hundred of thousands of people donating to the "we build the wall" campaign. bannon allegedly using hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations for personal expenses. authorities arresting him on a $28 million yacht. bannon pleading not guilty. what the president is now saying about him tonight. joe biden's big night more than three decades in the making. tonight he will accept the democratic nomination for president. touring the stage today and what we learned biden will do tonight after president obama made a

plea for americans to vote and