>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7news. ♪ >> >> everything gone. >> i tried to get as many people as i could. >> inhaled a lot of water. >> some friends that didn't make it. ♪ ama: one fire disasters in decades. a catastrophic tragedy unfolding across maui. the loss of life is not fully known.

dan: the destruction is devastating. thousands of people evacuated from their homes. 11,000 still without power. the governor speaking earlier this evening, stating it this way. >> we are 48 hours in and there is tragedy on the roadside, in the homes. all of us will have a loved one on maui that we know of that lost a house, that lost a friend. ama: tonight, team coverage on the state of the emergency on the ground and the rebuilding process that lies ahead. dan: thank you for joining us. here's what we know at this moment. the number of dead is up to 53. that number is likely going to go much higher. a number of people are still missing. it's estimated the wildfires destroyed 1700 buildings. the initial official count is at nearly 300. ama: none of the fires is fully contained with the one that tore

through lahaina at 80%. hawaii's governor visited the town for an up close look. >> what we saw was the utter devastation. we walked from end to end today as a team. what we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in hawaii state history. dan: fire fighters say the current weather could cause the fires to spread rapidly so there is still danger. ama: we are getting a firsthand look at the damage from those who have lived there for many years. dan: one man tells us he's thankful his family is safe but deeply saddened by the loss. ama: j.r. stone joins us live with his story tonight. reporter: i spoke with emerson timmons who has lived there for 18 years. wednesday, the roads were closed and he was not home so he got on a bicycle and rode through the burn area to get to his family. he realized what he was witnessing was unlike anything

he had ever seen. this is his story in his own words. >> if you know island life, we are all one big family. it hurts. it hurts to see everyone suffering like this. i couldn't leave because the roads were closed. i got on my friend's bike and i had to get back to my family because there's fires elsewhere. this is downtown front street. mission impossible. you are not supposed to go through the town. i just had to get to my family. i went along the ocean and went through line a town. i realize the documenting everything at that point. here's all the restaurants. everything that used to be here. no more. up on the road, the reason that they were there is they were

trying to get out. they were trying to escape the fire. all the cars got trapped and all the people were stuck in those cars, trying to get out. they had to run for their lives. every -- not everybody could make it. so much sadness and so much loss. it's profound for me because i live here for so long. that's the library. i'm going to stop right here. this is where the tree is. the leaves are burnt but the tree looks pretty good. personally, i think the tree is going to make it. the bright part in the whole story i guess. nothing else. my bike got a flat. i had to walk the rest of the way. unfortunately, -- for got a ride. these people didn't have time.

there's a fire. run. they don't have anything. they are out on the street right now. reporter: his father lived on front street back in the 1960's and the location where he lived was destroyed. he has a nonprofit pray for maui and is working to help those on the island. for more information, go to our website. j.r. stone, abc7news. ama: we are hearing from some of the fire survivors. david ono happened to be on maui for vacation. one man spent hours fighting the flames, trying to save his home. >> i battled the fire for three hours. i couldn't do it anymore because i didn't have any protection or respiratory stuff. reporter: describe that to me. you are trying to fight the fire. realizing the whole community is in trouble. >> spraying it down with a

garden hose. if i had a fire hydrant, i could have put some water down on the house and saved it. i just sat there and thought. i said, i have to move. my physical body is going in. i ran with a lot of heat at my back. i ran to the left over here. we live close to the ocean. i ran to the ocean and just gave in. reporter: it -- you save yourself by jumping into the ocean. >> yes. reporter: when you looked back, what did you see? >> devastation. everything gone. ama: so sad. much of the video from these fires is staggering. the scenes of explosive flames overtaking apartment complex, streets, resorts. the areas where the fire has been extinguished, the effort

has moved to locating the missing. some may be in shelters. president biden issued a federal disaster declaration to help with resources. lauren martinez spoke to first responders to get a sense of what these teams are up against. reporter: air operations fro the national guard, navy, and army responding to maui. help is on the way from around the country and here in the bay area. >> it's important for us to support their needs. reporter: christopher landry is the acting chief or the oakland fire department. he helps process resource requests from fema. he helped coordinate a 30 member team for maui. the incident team comprises of different specialists from around the country. one of them is from the contra costa county fire district. >> they've asked for mission ready packages. canines, dogs which remains dogs as well as live

mine dogs as they's -- they are searching neighborhoods. reporter: the massive disaster response for the wildfires is familiar to harold chappell. the retired chief of the memo fire district was also a member of the national urban search and rescue program under fema, which is being deployed to maui now. >> it's about just working together to solve the problem and helping them understand your capabilities. what you can do for them. and then doing it. talk to the locals, gain their trust, understand their needs. massage the relationship. be humble. reporter: he has 40 years of experience responding to catastrophes. he said the good thing about bringing in outside help is it is -- isn't personal. recovery teams must respect the fact that to the locals, it's personal to them. >> oklahoma city bombing, world

trade center. every one of those, we would locate the remains and every one of those, the locals wanted to do the recovery. reporter: the coast guard says 57 people have been rescued and there have been no reports of missing persons in the water. lauren martinez, abc7news. dan: the help is just pouring into the islands tonight from fellow hawaiians to so many others in the continental u.s. this scene sent to us from inside this cosco in maui today. a -- for food, water, supplies as they wait for aid. we want to make it easy for you to find ways to be able to help out and pinch -- pigeon. if you go right to the front page of our website, you can find a number of organizations accepting donations, from a newly created fund to local food banks and more.

it's all there for you on our website abc7news.com. ama: let's bring in sandhya patel now, monitoring these wildfires and the weather that is driving them. what is the outlook for firefighters? sandhya: things are improving. i know it's complete -- not completely calm. to see the destruction is devastating. gusts 20 to 26 miles per hour. nowhere near the kind of wittiness that they experienced in the last couple days. as we look ahead, it will remain breezy with gusty wind occasionally. not expecting strong wind. over the last 12 hours, they've seen scattered showers and humidity that's running higher at times. showers still in the forecast. that should help the firefighters. dora has weekend. it's a category 3, moving away. high-pressure is also weakening to the north of hawaii. that should also help to notice

that the wind does drop off over the next few days. this is favorable weather for the firefighters. ama: thank you. there are so many stories and testimonials coming out of the wildfires. we are following the island recovery on the abc 7 bay area news app, were -- available wherever you stream. dan: new development about driverless cars. california regulators just approved the expansion of those controversial self-driving vehicles in san francisco. tim johns sat in on that meeting and is here with the story. reporter: now, nothing will change right away. that's important. way moana cruise have not set a date of when passenger services will begin. it's an issue that divided opinion for many folks in san francisco. that was obvious by the hours of public comment at today's meeting. >> you guys aren't stupid. don't be stupid. reporter: after hours of public

comment, the california public utilities commission voting thursday night to expand the use of robo taxis by companies. the commission's vote coming after months of heavy debate across san francisco with everyone from politicians to first responders to everyday citizens weighing in. >> it's not ready for prime time. >> i trust them more than distracted drivers or angry drivers. reporter: they will be able to offer rides to paying customers in the city at all times of the day. assume to be reality that will cause more problems than it's worth, says the union president. >> they've interfered with fire trucks, first responders, killed pets, caused traffic jams, stopped with no reasons. reporter: he also worries about the potential economic impacts of allowing more baton a miss vehicles on the road. many cabdrivers are worried they could soon lose their jobs. >> you can't just take those away and expect that there's not going to be a big problem with

our economy. reporter: not everyone is concerned. the vote might have been years in the making but tech experts say this is just the beginning. that's not just for these vehicles but aim general. that includes this man who says the vote could help usher in a new boom in the city by the bay. >> if san francisco would like to be the world capital for ai, this is one way to prove that we are at the cutting edge. reporter: as far as those technical problems we've seen, he says with time they will only continue to get better. >> there is no perfect software or machine. the improvement is coming from the use of the machine or ai. reporter: in a statement, the spokesperson for mayor breed's office said they are committed to integrating these vehicles into the city but they added, they remain challenges that need to be resolved. they are studying the decision and possible steps. tim johns, abc7news.

ama: moving to the east bay caria -- bay. the fire in oakland is finally out after a 24 hour fight. you are seeing the view from site -- sky 7. it began around 5:30 last evening, pouring smoke into the air. as we watched the breaking last night, the huge plumes of smoke could be seen from across the bay. environmental groups are calling for tighter regulations on the facility. the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. schnitzel steel a mailed statement earlier reacting to the air quality concerns. it reads, we are focused on operating responsibly. the company has made long-term investments in air emissions controls to get going on to say, stormwater treatments to mitigate the environmental impact of our recycling activities. dan: travel up people from the

disaster at maui. we have expert advice for changing plans, canceling trips, and saving money. ama: micro dosing moms. the mother's turning to mushrooms to help them cope with parenting. dan: the stage is set. everything you need to know about outside lands opening up

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it's the mobile made free event-happening now. get started for just $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get one free line of unlimited mobile. comcast business, powering possibilities. dan: wildfires causing a disruption at the airport. the state of hawaii is discouraging all non-essential travel into the airport. major airlines helping customers rebook their trips. they are waving their cha

fees for inbound and outbound travelers who have but to travel to maui. clint henderson has some advice for those thinking about changing their plans. >> if you are looking to cancel a trip for -- months from now, that is too much to ask for a full refund at this point. the resorts will be running just fine by christmas time. for now, i would take a wait and see approach. i wouldn't go to them. dan: he says if you have a trip planned in the next couple weeks, don't go to maui. ama: there's a new craze with moms in the bay area. micro dosing mushrooms. micro dosing is when a person takes a small dose of something, in this instance, silicide been. of full dose of magic mushrooms can create a trip. some others think taking a small dose can help with anxiety, depression, and feeling more grounded. >> i get frustrated when people say to me, mushrooms are mommies new little helper.

that's not what micro dosing is. it is, mommy is present and aware and showing up maybe for the first time ever. ama: you can get more on this tomorrow morning on good morning america at 7:00 a.m. dan: we are just hours away from san francisco's biggest music festival outside lands, returning to golden gate park for three days of music, food, art, and everything else. the city says everything is in place for the 15th annual festival. it's expected to bring a much-needed economic boost to the city. >> we have generated over a billion dollars in economic impact to the city of san francisco. that is something particularly in these times that is even more notable than when we started. dan: headliners are kendrick lamar, odessa, and foo fighters.

mayor london breed was i golden gate park gearing up for the 220,000 people expected. >> amazing, transformative event. an opportunity to enjoy so many incredible artists. we want you to support the surrounding businesses. we have so many restaurants, bars, other places. ama: the cheapest ticket is a little more than $900. single day tickets are around $600. you should get a ticket because dan will be performing with his band on saturday. dan: it will be fun. we will be wondering about the weather, not just for outside lands but for everything going on. ama: sandhya patel is here for that. sandhya: you won't want to miss dan's show. let's take a look at the forecast for outside lands. morning drizzle giving way to a breezy afternoon. 62 degrees on friday. saturday will be a mix of fog and son. a little bit warmer.

that warming continues on sunday. mid 60's after the morning fog. let's talk about live doppler 7. showers showing up in southern monterey county. heading towards the big sur area, all in association with the former tropical storm. this was eugene and it has been producing measurable rain south of the bay area, even lightning strikes showing up. as it moves south again, there's a possibility we may see drops here. one thing we are noticing is with the south wind. dew points in the 50's which is muggy for our taste. let's get you an update on el niño. climate prediction center issued an advisory today. warmer than average sea surface temperatures continue near the equatorial pacific. greater than 95% chance el niño continues their winter. two in three chance it will be a strong event but they are saying

a strong event doesn't necessarily mean strong impacts locally. stay tuned. typically, the atlantic hurricane season is suppressed but not this time around. above-average hurricanes this year compared to average as you will notice. the average is 14. major storms, two to five. temperatures in the 50's to 70's. quite a range. we are looking at oakland and the air-quality advisory remains up until midnight tonight due to the smoke from the fire in oakland. as we take a look at a beautiful life you -- live view, you will notice gray skies overnight. isolated showers or drizzle. the humidity lingers through tomorrow morning. summer heat returns over the weekend. hour-by-hour, showers are still to the south. you will notice tomorrow, there could be damp roadways so keep that in mind.

humidity starts to exit and we hang onto that fog along the coast. 50's, 60's. afternoon highs will look like this. 80's inland, 60's coast side. a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. chance of morning drops. warming begins over the weekend. it will get hot inland. eventually, triple digits. 60's coast side. heat lingers through the middle of next week before it eases. , and

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dan: the taps are turned off for now what a -- anchor brewing but there's one bar that is pouring cold ones. ama: you can find a brew at the home of the giants oracle park. they will be serving the famous beer for the month at the center field location. anchor is available at other kiosks around the ballpark if you want one last nudge al -- nostalgic taste. dan: their first reason game ag

larry: the below hangs over the 49ers. they are getting ready for the first preseason game on sunday and they held to join practices with the silver and black today. kyle shanahan says he thinks the practices are more important than the games in preseason.

we don't know if he will play on sunday. jimmy had a blast against his old buddies. >> it was fun. just first play, he was talking. got things going right away. those are my brothers. i love those guys. >> good to see him. he looks healthy and good. just talking about how everything is here and how he loves it, how we miss him. >> he was the best quarterback here. 20 years since steve young. unbelievable record. you are either in the super bowl or the championship game. i hope no one insinuates that i've ever said differently. larry: patriots hosting the texans. bill belichick. why do i do this? stanford man to visit mills hooking up with tank dell. the bobbling catch for the touchdown. he gets it under control. it's ridiculous how he catches this ball. how? he's got it.

he doesn't have it. texas wins 20-9. d'amico ryans winning his debut as the texans head coach. sad news. sean dawkins has died. he played in the early 1990's, all-american ical pigot grew up. -- all-american at cal. there's no word on cause of death but sean dawkins passing away at the age of 52. this has been rumored for a while. the warriors gm expected to join espn's countdown show for the upcoming season. they won four titles. he resigned after this past season. the dubs will open the season against katie and the sons and will be at denver on christmas day. donations pouring into calfire ravaged maui. a thousand dollars for birdie he makes during the playoffs. maui is special to him because

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dan: on-demand. -- you can watch our newscasts live and on-demand. available for apple tv, google tv, amazon fire tv, roku. download and you can start streaming. ama: thank you so much for watching. dan: we appreciate your time. ama: have a great night. >> lou: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight -- bryan cranston, ronny chieng, and music from danielle ponder. with cleto and the cletones. and now, jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: thank you.