next at 5 clorks live team coverage on the tight to save homes and properties in the north bay. for some, the effort is personal. and thousands forced to flee, now hoping to get word on what happened to their home. one couple went the distance to find out if their home is okay. and big changes are coming for two local counties in the battle against covid-19. health officials do have a warning. >> live, breaking news. >> this man has man fire history. this burn and all the acreage that was saved in 2017. >> that meant a lot of fuel was ready to ignite. this friar has now sent tens of

thousands of people fleeing once again. the city of calistoga is evacuating. >> one family is shocked their house is still standing. with embers burning, they are ready to rebuild. >> it's one of the things we take for granted. power, water, ho w do we do thee things. >> good evening. thank you for joining us, the fire in napa and sonoma counties has quadrupled in side. it's bigger than the city of san francisco. there's no containment. some of the evacuations have been downgraded. and at most 29,000 people have evacuated from their homes and more than 100 buildings have been destroyed. >> the big concern right now is over the community of angwin. everybody there was told to

leave today. they are in a run and gun battle and the fire advances there, stephanie sierra is on the scene for us live. stephanie, people who live there are worried tonight. >> reporter: yes, very worried, dan. it's hard to put in words the pain and fear they are feeling. i just spoke to a woman with three children in her car. she is trying to get back to home to save her pets and horses. worried she might not be able to get there in time. it's those stories that are so heart breaking. it's happening not far from where we are, just six miles from angwin where we found some people have stayed behind. dave babcock calls himself an ordinary guy. but to his neighbors, he is a hero. >> i have just begen going a

here and cleans out the gutters, trying to make them safer, and you see a start on the fire and it's a gutter. >> overnight, he is taking turns with his neighbor to track the glass fire and keep the six homes on his street safe. >> i was up watering stuff and just watching what is happening. >> reporter: this is brave what you're doing. are you scared in. >> no, i'm a firm believer in god. i pray >> reporter: evacuee william kenner relies on faith. >> 12 vehicles, two cabins. it's been in my family 105 years. >> it's gone? >> yeah, all gone. >> reporter: now, all he can do is help out. >> i tried to protect my frenld's place. it burned down there in harden road and this kicks offer, glass

county. we're expecting it to come over the hit. boing the best we can. >> reporter: hoping his neighbors don't live through the same pain. we are back with you live along 138 in st. helena. and it's gotten smokier as the day goes on. and just gives you an indicator how close the fire is to that community. now, before we go, i do want to mention crosswalk community church. it's an evacuation center and many families who are leaving angwin or in in the process of leaving, had they are welcome there, they can check in and stay over night. >> stephanie, thank you. firefighters are making progress but the long fire season is taking a tol

very little rest. let's go to abc 7 news wayne. >> a lot happening just in the last five minutes after a very, very quiet day. smoke appeared on the mountain, near calistoga road. we did see chp but no other action. we are in skyhawk. residents have been gone since sunday. and others could not wait. today's story begins with it-nothing like an eight-mile hike to learn the hate of your home. they are hiking and hoping it did not suffer the same fate as so many others. >> the fire was coming over the mountain. i was on the phone with my son, and i said, skyhawk is doomed. >> reporter: sonoma county's

warning system worked better than three years ago but still the line of cars stretched bumper to bumper for a mile and half as the glass fire grew, flames roared down the mountain. adam worried the fire would overtake them. >> we took two separate cars and we were not together. and i thought, we have to say good-bye to my husband via text message. >> reporter: the nature of the fire, the flames hopscotched, destroying some homes and sparing others. and this man stayed home until fire tarted a burn a fence. >> reporter: it worked. first responders moving in, and santa rosa city buses picking up senior residents and carrying them to safety. and one of three homes destroyed in oakmont.

>> it took me an hour and a half or longer to go a few short blocks. >> it sh it be that way? >> probably not. >> reporter: this couple found their home in skyhawk untouched. >> the house is still there. we're in relief. >> words can't describe the emotion and what we went through, and what is to come and what our neighbors are facing. >> they carried two bottles of sparkling wine from their refrigerator. >> they will be celebrating tonight because their home did not meet the fate of those in front of us here. most of the homes in the skyhawk neighborhood did survive. one other story. they moved in their home two years ago to the day that they were evacuated. imagine they had lost their home on the two-year anniversary. live in santa rosa. >> wayne, thank you. here is a look at areas that

are under mandatory evacuation in napa county. yellow is under a warning. that means be prepared to evacuate and here is the order in sonoma county, indicated by the orange area. the yellow is the evacuation warning zone. we have a detailed list of evacuations on the website and the abc 7 news app as well. many of those who had to evacuate ended up in hotels in marin county. the ordeal of having to flee from fire again. >> p.j. and his fiance came to wine country and staying at an airbnb sunday night. >> we grabbed what we could and went over to her parents' place in santa rosa. >> reporter: soon, it wasn't safe there either. >> the ash on the deck, on the cars, it looked like hot snow.

the whole thing is scary. you have been through it and been through it. >> reporter: hotels are totally booked. one manager told me they went from 40% occupancy to 100% in just 15 minutes, as the evacuees fled with all their belongings early monday morning. some hotels allowed pet cats, birds and dogs. the craft family monticito. >> panicked and scared. the fire was close to our house again. but this, i didn't see flames last time. but this one, you see flames and you get staired. >> you step outside and all you can hear are sirens. >> you knew it was time to go. >> reporter: when do you evacuate, you think it's a fwhuns a lifetime event. you don't think it's going to happen to you twice.

so when we had the family for dinner sunday night and said good-bye at 8:00, there was no way to predict. >> reporter: sad and surreal is how those in the hotels describe their home. >> you need to come to california. >> i'm lesley brinkley. >> of course heat, humidity and the winds, critical factors on the fire lines. sanity? >> yeah, we are seeing a change in our air, and that is in the form of a southernerly surge with the fog along the coast and the smoke getting pushed as you will notice from the glass fire, away from the bay area, but the smoke impacts do continue as you take a look at and the current conditions, the humidity has crept up. the winds are light.

it should help the firefighters. and large fire loose thak create their own weather. it will be tough. the wind will switch directions and the heat is going to build. and the temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, the next few days, and cooler weather arrives this up coming weekend. i will be back with a closer look that coming up. >> all right, thank you. this is a busy tuesday evening. coming up, san francisco goes from red to orange. the first county in the bay area reach that tier. contra costas county also reaching that. and getting ready for an

in the tubbs fire. the flames, the ash, it was terrifying. thousands of family homes are destroyed in wildfires. families are forced to move and higher property taxes are a huge problem. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims so families can move without a tax penalty. nineteen will help rebuild lives. vote 'yes' on 19. new at 5:00, uc berkeley announced it will continue

online school for the spring semester. some in-person courses will be offered but they will start online and be limited to 25 people. students will not be required to take in 46 person classes or be present on campus for the semester. meanwhile good news for san francisco and contra costas county. and contra costas has gone from purple to red. here is a look at what it means to consumers. >> under state guidelines, it could allow restaurants 50% capacity. a limit will be imposed. >> and ra dense urban area. and still international traffic and things like that. and we want to be careful. it makes a lot of sense. >> it will not regress but

should take them on a road to recovery. >> they will be willing to take a measured risk. i think some of the older customers might not be able to move inside yet. >> reporter: they continue to follow safety measures. >> we know we have the tools to be able to manage covid transmission in our communities. it requires us to do simple things. >> reporter: in contra costas, it really was a citizens distancing, and making good choices. and wearing masks, and doing the right things, and the businesses open. >> retailers, restaurants and theaters, going from 25 to 50% capacity is welcome. >> we have been successful in bringing the foot traffic back. so having that increase to 50%, we believe it will be a game changer. >> work will soon begin on

draining santa clara county's largest reservoir. it's part of a massive plan to replace anderson dam. here is the story from san jose. >> reporter: soak it all in before changes come to anderson rev voir. >> the amount of damage that would be done is quite substantial. >> reporter: under orders from federal regulators, they will begin draining the reservoir down to 3% of its normal capacity to keep quish and field life alive for the time being. it's the first step to replacing the ageing anderson dam that was birth in 19d 50 and can be in danger if there is an earth wake. the $576 million co-protect will prevent a repeat of a flooding in 2015. a former valley board member

lives up against the creek. >> we have to be able to release water fast enough to draw down the residence noir to capture the storm rather than let it spray. >> reporter: they are worried about landslides, and the district that doesn't expect any water shortages in the future, despite the draining of the reservoir. >> we feel comfortable we are off set that with the local supplies, and other things we are working on. >> reporter: now about to get under way. in san jose, nbc 7 news. cal fire right now is updating us

proposition 16 takes on discrimination. some women make as little as 42% of what a man makes. voting yes on prop 16 helps us fix that. it's supported by leaders like kamala harris and opposed by those who have always opposed equality. we either fall from grace or we rise. together. proposition 16 provides equal opportunities, levelling the playing field for all of us. vote yes on prop 16.

the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. because the size of your wallet shouldn't determine whether or not you're in jail. vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail. happening now, officials are giving an update on the glass incident fire. it has burned 42,000 acres, and

firlts and the city of santa rosa will give a virtual update. some evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings. and the 29,000 people are in their homes. damage assessments are under way and so far, 113 structures have been destroyed. at least 80 of those at home, and homeowners were forced to leave, and the fire line they dug around the state park in kenwood. it splits the line with napa and sonoma counties. and the crews will have to battle some breezy to gusty conditions coming up tomorrow night to thursday with dry weather here in the bay area, dry conditions. what you're seeing here from the tower camera is a big change from what we were experiencing, fog rolling in san francisco,

sales force tower, barely visible. it's 70 in oakland. 98 in gilroy. sealing a difference today across the bay area, and the golden gate bridge. just close to that temperature. 10 in fairfield. still hot inland. you will notice on live zdopple 7 that the sea breeze has dropped the temperatures 23 degrees cooler in palo alto. down 20 in san jose. don't get used to that idea. i just alluded to the fact we're going see changes. heat advisory for all of the bay air except the coast thursday. there is a risk of heat illnesses, low 90s to mid 100s expected. air quality, look

we have good air quality. the breeze is getting open, and santa cruz, good air quality. i want to show you the snow forecast. what you notice, the snow is in the north bay around the glass fire. the rest of you should be in the good to moderate category, and air quality advisory, it's a spare the air alert. unhealthy air quality, right through friday, and saturday, a stronger sea breeze, it looks like we will see a change in the air, and the spare the air alerts friday, that will be the last day. look how hay za looking at oakland. temperatures rebound the next two days, and wednesday night to thursday morning, and increasing heat. and fire danger ahead. temperatures in the morning mid 50s up toer 60s. watch out for the fog

and 86. palo alto, and downtown san francisco, 78 degrees and fwhorth bay, north day, santa r. the weather seven forecast, pair the air through friday. dusty winds and fire danger tomorrow night to thursday. get ready. cooler weather this weekend. >> all right, we look forward to that. thank you. just over half an hour now, president trump and joe bid

happening tonight, the very first presidential debate between president trump and democratic nominee joe biden. history will be made as they face off in cleveland, ohio n just about half an hour. >> abc 7 is here with a preview of what to expect. liz, i expect a street fight. >> absolutely. this is a 90-minute debate that is expected to be get nasty. they will try to get under each other's skin as they face off for the first time, and most notably, it comes two days of

the major new york times investigation that shows the president paid little to no income taxes for years. 750 dlshs the year he was elected. joe biden released his tax returns and show he and his wife paid nearly $300,000 in taxes this year. it's a contrast to the president ahead of the debate. here is what each candidate has said about tonight. >> how many hours do you say you spent -- >> a little time. not a lot. i'm running a country. i don't have the luxury. >> he's going to want to get in a mosh pit. i'm going to talk about why i want to be president of the united states. >> biden says he is going to get personal as well. the president, and the topic of tonight's debate, biden and trump's record. the economy, covid-19, the supreme court, the integrity of the election, and violence in

the system. and climate change, and the president's taxes, and we will certainly be a top point of discussion. there is a local connection. one of biden's bests of the debate. earlier this summer, president trump for the father's death for covid-19. now, the first question will go to president trump with opening remarks, and a littled audience, and hand shake. abc 7 news. thank you. you can watch them face off at abc 7. coverage at 6:00 after "world news tonight." we appreciate your time. >> all of us here, thank you so much for inviting us into your homes tonight. we will have a special news cast following debates at 8:00 p.m. >> bye for now.

i'm to help california's 19 most vulnerable. over 24,000 homes were destroyed by wildfires in less than two years. too many of those victims are also hit with a sudden tax hike after their forced to move. it's wrong. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims and limits taxes on seniors and severely disabled homeowners. join firefighters and emergency responders in voting 'yes' on 19. they do one of the most deven in normal times.s, our frontline health care workers. and when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder.

prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. to invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone- rich, poor, and in-between. whether it's this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. for all of us.

tonight, the first presidential debate just a short time from now. the high stakes showdown. president trump and joe biden facing off in cleveland. because of the pandemic, no handshake. no opening statements. the first question will go to the president. his team tonight predicting it will be about his taxes than bombshell new reporting from "the new york times" that the president, in 11 out of 18 years looked at by "the times," paid no federal income taxes. and the year he was elected, "the times" reporting he paid $750. the same the year after. in his own move tonight, biden releasing his 2019 tax returns hours before taking the stage. tonight, the president down in the polls, hoping his pick for the supreme court will energize his base. and what joe biden predicts from the president tonight. how he plans to respond. the alarming new report about the coronavirus in children. new york city's