>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. >> flames and smokes today in the north bay during what is traditionally one of the bay area's most dangerous months for wildfires. but it was part of a controlled burn set intentionally by calfire to prevent future fires. dan: thanks for joining us. today's controlled burn took place in an area that has been virtually untouched by wildfires. ana: abc7's cornell barnard is in glenallen, where smoke has been seen all day. cornell: a lot of folks concerned about that smoke. they have been seeing it all day. some of that smoke still visible on the hill. today it turns out this was a controlled burn, all about preventing future disaster fires. it's a long hike up the mountain

for these calfire cruise. their mission on this october day, to start a fire. fire crews are sparking this prescribed burn across 15 acres of jack london state park all in the name of fire prevention. every step is monitored to make sure the fire does not burn out of control. >> as soon as i get established, it will go up and -- it gets established, it will go up into its own thing. >> we continue to be in that drought. we are trying to get ahead of the ball. cornell: there are acres and acres of dry brush here. this is anarea of jack london state park that is not seen a wildfire in decades. >> this is the perfect place to be doing this type of management, to control fuels, improve the forest health, and frankly make everything healthier and more prepared for when a wildfire does come. cornell: calfire says creating

ground-level fire breaks can reduce the threat of future wildfire battles. >> by consuming these fuels today, and optimum burning conditions, we are bringing that fire to the landscape which makes it more healthy for future generations. cornell: researchers from uc davis were flying a drone over the fire, collecting air quality data. >> we are monitoring air pollution from smoke plumes. cornell: speaking of the smoke, it could be seen for miles. what was your reaction when you first saw that this morning? >> my first reaction was 2017. cornell: mark said the smoke brought flashbacks of the 2017 wildfires. >> we happen to be on the phone with my son. i. turned left. called 911. they said it was a controlled burn. cornell: calfire alerted the public days before this controlled burn took place, but had to repost messages on social media today after calls to 911 started coming in.

a lot of folks around here very relieved to know this is a one-day controlled event. live in glenallen, cornell barnard, abc7 news. ama: a major change to the way resources are sent to wildfires could be coming. as abc7 reporter zach fuentes found, the goal is to help communities before wildfires devastate them. zach: california has tragically seen the devastation wildfires can cause. the hope is fire activity stays calm this year. first responders know things can change at a moments notice. >> the last few years have been absolutely challenging for the troops on the ground. zach: wildfire agencies respond during active fires. the work does not end there. >> post recovery of disasters, whether it is a debris flow disaster associated with the wildland fire, or another type of these disasters. zach: the push is to get the post recovery work started

before disaster strikes. though local agencies mobilize ahead of time, senator padilla introduced the fire act to get federal resources like fema to also respond before disaster. >> just as we do with other disasters, let's get resources and personnel imposition toe -- to either try to minimize the scale of a disaster, but certainly to respond more quickly. zach: in a rare move for the senate the fire act passed there unanimously. the work is to get it passed through the house, which rests largely on the shoulders of congresswoman zoe lofgren, who expect success. >> this is one key piece to make sure that fema is modernized and doing what they need to do, pre-positioning, better responding to the need. zach: last year in california wildfires burned more than 2.5 million acres. so far this year more than 366,000 acres have burned. experts say the risk of a large wildfire is still learning.

the hope is that the fire act can also benefit other states that know the devastation we know all too well. >> all communities deserve better. we must do better. that is what these efforts are about, making sure we do not grow numb to the increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change. zach: in san jose, zach fuentes, abc7 news. dan: in the sierra, the national weather service reno issued a fire weather watch for the tahoe and truckee areas this weekend. it is in effect from friday evening until saturday morning. over a year ago the caldor fire, which you see here, destroyed more than 1000 homes and threaten south lake tahoe. this weekend's fire weather watch is due to the long stretch of warm and dry weather, plus strong wind gusts. ama: new details in the case of a family captured in merced and founded. the prime suspect of the --

accessory after the fact and arson. his brother pleaded not guilty last week. jesus is accused of kidnapping and killing an eight month old baby, her parents and uncle. investor get us say he was a former employee of the victims. both brothers are expected back in court on december 15. dan: a former art teacher is accused of sexually assaulting two students. san jose police arrested him yesterday on multiple charges, including two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. according to invest getters, the teacher assaulted students while working as an art teacher in san jose school in 2016 and 2017. detectives believe there may be other victims. they are asking anyone who had any inappropriate contact with him to please come forward. ama: a fed up san francisco jewelry store owner is looking help to catch a suspected thief. they sent us this video showing a man grabbing a gold chain off

the counter and running out of the score -- the store to a waiting car. it happened yesterday in presidio heights. they say this was the third such incident this year. she says she will be keeping her door locked now during business hours. dan: the new report says elon musk will gut the workforce at twitter if his ownership bid goes through. according to the washington post, musk told prospective investors he plans to cut 75% of twitter's workforce, about 5000 jobs. the report also states even if musk's bid to buy the san francisco-based company falls through, massive cuts are coming. musk and twitter are expected to close the $44 billion deal by next friday. ama: expanding internet accessibility in the heart of silicon valley. the city of san jose is on a mission to provide free wi-fi to nearly 300,000 residents by next year. abc7 news reporter dustin dorsey has the details.

dustin: covid has changed the way we live our lives, from working and even schooling at home, accessible at home internet is more than a luxury. just ask this evergreen high school student. >> it was not such a necessity back then, but where everything is online, everyone is doing stuff with the internet, in this day it's really a necessity. dustin: gutierrez and his family use the internet at their home in their daily lives. thanks to free committee wi-fi from the city of san jose, they are able to live without interruption. the sj access initiative is one of the nation's first school district wide networks that currently provides wi-fi for communities surrounding five schools in the eastside union school district. laptops, from books and ipads are available for use at san jose public libraries, not just for students, but anyone in these highlighted neighborhoods. >> we know it's important also for the parents to be able to

find jobs. it is critical for the grandparents to get access to health care. this is a huge economic and social barrier for too many families in this country. we are eliminating that barrier for thousands. dustin: with the addition of wi-fi in these neighborhoods, nearly 160,000 residents now have free access to internet. the project will expand in the next year as well, adding three more committees that will total to around 300,000 residents, as many as the city of st. louis. >> it is necessary for all of our cities and families to have access to wi-fi, to engage in the resources and opportunities that the state provides and the resources they need to be full participants in their community. dustin: the oak grove high school free committee wi-fi will launch by the end of this year. the mount pleasant and silver creek areas will be available by early 2023. dustin dorsey, abc7 news. dan: after the break, drop, cover, and hold. that is what hundreds practiced

doing today as part of the annual earthquake preparedness drill. we will remind you what else you need in the event of an emergency whe

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get exclusive offers on select new volvo models. contact your volvo retailer to learn more. dan: today is the great california shakeout, the state's annual earthquake preparedness drill. ama: it took place today, 10/20 at 10:02 this morning -- 10:20

this morning. drills were held across the country. dan: we have a look at the different bay area groups that participated. >> the point is to where -- is to raise public awareness about having a plan no matter where you are. it is not a matter of if an earthquake happens, it is when. students in san francisco took practice taking cover under their decks. -- their desks. drop, cover, and hold on. mayor breed joined the kids in this trail. in oakland, committee leaders focused on reminding people to play in evacuation routes and have go bags ready. in the minds of many speakers today, the 1989 earthquake which injured 4000 people and killed 63 in the bay area. oakland mayor libby schaaf shared her experience from that day and why she always has her go bag ready to go. >> every window in our apartment

building was broken. my bed was full of broken glass. there was a crack in my wall. i lived on the fourth floor. i could see the sky through it. now because of seeing that glass in my bed, i go to bed now every night with a pair of 10 issues under my bed. -- of teenni -- of tennis shoes under my bed. >> bart staff triggered the shake alert early warning earthquake system this morning to ensure it is working correctly. once that is triggered it automatically slows trains down to 27 miles per hour, then all trains come to a very brief stop. if there were an actual earthquake, trains would need to stop so tracks could be inspected for damage. something you can do today along with getting that go back -- go bag ready is download the my shake app. it gives an early warning and provides damage information in the event of an earthquake. in the newsroom, karina nova,

abc7 news. dan: great information. we have a lot of resources to help you prepare for an earthquake, including what to pack in your earthquake kit. find it on abc7news.com /preparenorcal. ama: coming up, coyotes spotted in the middle of the city, became a more common occurrence during the pandemic. as we begin to resume our pre-pandemic routines, what will it mean for human and pet interactions

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ama: it is a scene that became more common during the pandemic, yuri images of coyotes wandering empty -- eerie images of coyotes wandering empty beer area streets. -- bay area streets. >> it will take time for us to get back to normal. >> i picked up my dog and acted big. >> susan is describing the moment she saw this coyote ready to pounce on a cat. she walks in the presidio often. >> my dog stays right by my side. i have a leash, but she is tiny and stays by my side, so i'm hypervigilant. >> images like this become an almost common, coyotes wandering bay area streets in broad daylight. a director at project coyote. >> we are seeing at least increased reports of human coyote interactions locally. that is not necessarily in conjunction with an increase in

coyote populations, but just a change in a number of factors. >> one of those like the -- those likely factors is the pandemic. >> globally people were posting videos on social media showing typically wild animals moving through main thoroughfares. >> while images like this likely are not going away for good, the doctor says it should not take too long for the coyotes to figure it out. >> in terms of how they might readapt to increased traffic again or changes in human behavior, they are pretty smart. >> in the meantime she wants people protecting their small dogs, putting them on leashes and picking them up if you spot a coyote. >> we had a very large one come out right in front of me and i was able to grab my dog. >> have you adjusted your behavior as far as when you walk? >> yes. today i don't have the dog because in this area i walk her less. i tend to take her to the beach, where it is safer.

>> if you are wondering about your own safety, coyotes are not all that interested in attacking people. >> really this is a very rare circumstance. this is when you have really really bad levels of of situation. the animal has lost its natural wariness. >> the way to prevent these animals from becoming more comfortable is clear. >> the biggest things for preventing conflict is prevent any unintentional feeding happening in your backyard, so securing compost, making sure birdseed is cleaned up. ama: it's crazy, huh? dan: so many out wandering around. the pandemic upset so many things. ama: it seemed to upset everything. [laughter] dan: i think we are all wondering around a bit. meteorologist sandhya patel is here with the forecast. sandhya: we have to talk about the winter outlook. noaa's climate protection center issued their outlook for today.

la nina, cooler than average conditions near the equatorial pacific, continuing. this morning, the climate prediction center said there will be a moderate la nina continuing this winter. typically high-pressure blocking the storms from getting to the bay area. wetter than average in the pacific northwest. drier in the southern tier states. this is the third winter in a row with a la nina. equal changes of below, near, or above average precipitation in the bay area. it does not tell us a whole lot. we had equal chances. we have the possibility of above average temperatures. these are probabilistic. keep that in mind. we could see some variation. the winter outlook showing pacific northwest getting above average precipitation. central portion of california and the southern tier states getting below average precipitation. of course we are somewhere in between.

we could get atmospheric rivers. that could really change things up. we could get areas of low pressure systems sitting off the pacific. that could change things up for us. the winter outlook expected to be cooler than average across the northern tier states and northern -- and warmer than average for the southern tier states. as far as the drought goes, locally a bit of improvement, which he would think that means we are getting precip. we shall see. it is going to continue to get worse across the rest of california, nevada into utah, across the pacific northwest, way they are expecting a higher purpose ability -- a higher probability of precipitation. our weather improved today with the fog back in the picture. 15 degrees cooler in hayward compared to 24 hours ago. 50's coast side. 90's inland. life doppler 7 showing you that fog near the coast from our

south beach camera. cooling trend continues through the weekend. blustery saturday, possible sprinkles. shower chance for the middle of next week. your morning temperatures in the 40's, 50's. followed and high clouds to start the day. for the afternoon, cooling continues. for the weekend, that cold front coming in from the gulf of alaska brings the sierra showers and snow showers. the snow level will be down to pass levels by saturday night into sunday. in terms of rainfall, the pacific northwest gets the highest totals under a half-inch. for us, those winds will be getting blustery, especially near the coast. 35, 45, even higher wind gusts. fire danger will be elevated over our hills. fire weather watch posted for the sierra, gusts up to 60, bringing critical fire weather concerns. accuweather 7 day forecast,

windy with a of spindles saturday. breezy with higher fire danger sunday. well below average in terms of times next week. middle of the week we may see if you showers. dan: would be great. ama: san francisco is considering renaming stow lake because of the history of the person it is named after. three supervisors are behind the proposal. the lake got its name from william stone, an simile member who served on the city's park commission in the 1890's. he pushed entice a medic policies, including one -- antisem

ama: san francisco's long-awaited central subway is set for a soft opening one month

from now. today abc7 news got a look at the art installations inside the new station at stockton and washington streets. it is one of four new stations built for the t third line. shuttle trains serving the new stations and rides will be three through the end of the year. the full line will begin service in january. dan: the past meets the present in some cool new jerseys. the san jose sharks unveiled them today. ama: this look was unveiled by the california golden seals. the lettering across the chest mimics the seals uniforms from the 1974 season. dan: the sharks added their iconic teal. so far the team plans on wearing the reverse retro uniforms at least six times this season. i like those a lot. ama: those are pretty cool. that is going to do it for right now. thanks for joining us. world news tonight with david miller is next. i'm on the dates. dan: i'm dan ashley.

we will see you in a half-hour for abc7 news at 6:00.

tonight, the alarming rise in children in the hospital across the u.s. tonight. at least 34 states, children suffering from respiratory illnesses. it's not covid. so, what is this? tonight, authorities report 71% of pediatric beds in hospitals are now filled. a hospital in connecticut converting playrooms into hospital rooms for patients. the national guard on site today discussing a possible field hospital. in 34 states now, hospitals seeing this spike in cases involving children. tonight here, what parents should look for. erielle reshef standing by. also, the chilling images of a brother and sister at a front door, begging for help, saying they'd been held captive in their own home. they have several other siblings. the horrific images showing the bruising from being handcuffed.

the children said no food for days.