overnight fire in a townhouse complex forces 18 people from their homes into the rain in the south bay. the flames are out but the investigation just beginning. good thursday morning. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. the fire broke out just before 12:30 this morning in a townhouse complex not far from oak grove high school. by the time crews arrived three of the four units were on fire. all 18 people who lived there including eight kids managed to get out before firefighters got

there. officials had to call for backup twice before they got the fire under control. investigators say one unit was destroyed, two badly damaged. the fourth may be livable but the people had to find somewhere to stay because the power had to be shut off. investigators are trying to figure out how that fire started. christie smith is at the scene gathering more information. she'll have an update later. >> turning to the weather and the nbc bay area microclimate weather alert. let's take you outside live look at san francisco and palo alto and san jose. the rain is letting up. you could say today is the calm between two storms but it's not calm on 101 in the south bay. an overturned fuel tanker shut down all lanes of southbound 101 in morgan hill near ten avenue. crews are cleaning up thousands of gallons of fuel spilled on the roadway. precautionary evacuations are in effect to homes in the immediate

area. right now investigators trying to figure out if the roadway played a roll. the rain and wind knocked down trees. here is a photo taken by our director on the way to work, this huge branch was blocking the road in mountain view. this morning we have all kinds of things in place. let's check in with christina to begin with. >> good morning to you. yeah, we have a lot of aftermath from the system that came through yesterday. today we have another one right on its heels. it's going to move into the bay area before the night is done. this is what we're working with now. pretty strong wind, although the radar is looking a lot better this morning this time yesterday, i can tell you you want to give yourself extra time. roadways are still slick out there, you're going to find a lot of debris because we did have really vong wind out there yesterday. it took down trees, power lines went down. throughout the day that wind is going to continue albeit much lighter than it was yesterday

afternoon. so this what we're working with. the showers are scattered in nature, very light. still, though, you want to give yourself time. there are pockets ponding, puddles, really want to watch out. you don't want to lose control of your vehicle. so you know what, let's bring in anthony slaughter live in los gatos. anthony, you're talking about lightning, we had a light show out there. good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you. we did have a little lightning as we were driving up here this morning and overnight as you mentioned there was lots of heavy rain and strong winds. los gatos is one of the places hit the hardest with the winds, up to 66 miles per hour last night during the heaviest part of the storm and sustained above 30 miles per hour since yesterday at this time. so, all of that wind coupled with the heavy rain we got really not good news for all of the trees and power lines that still stand in los gatos. you know the thing about it this morning it is very calm here right now so.

the wind gusts are far and in between, but there was just a wind watch update. i'm sure christine will have more on that. it goes into effect tonight through tomorrow morning. we're not done yet even though it seems calm and things seem to be winding up. but there is another storm coming and we'll be here tracking it as it moves in. i'm live in los gatos, i'll send it back to you. >> thank you. looking cute in that hat as well, anthony. keep it up. we have showers on the radar. we'll be checking in with you and more of that wind as well. i can tell you we have a whopper storm system on the way tonight into tomorrow morning. i'll detail that. right now let's check the roads, all of the rainfall yesterday with our own mike inouye doing double duty last zblixt just like you, traffic and weather. as you know we had the rain it was causing folks to slow down which is why it caused a big commute. not major issues so that's

better news. 101 northbound with the headlights showing you the sheen on the road, water is kicking up from the tires but it's starting to calm down now as far as the volume. nothi nothingto speak of. that's our concern, not through the south bay, look at the green blocks in the upper right-hand corner where the wet road is on our index. a lot of orange this morning. the southbound where there are wet patches. south 101 is closing, the flares are out at dunn. there is a crash we talked about south and it's involving a fuel tanker. we don't any the highway played a factor. it's 85,000 pounds. however, chp is investigating whether the winds tor wet roads played a factor. christie smith will give us an undate. northbound side is clear but a distraction because of the activity. we're looking to the bay bridge toll plaza. the wet roads and the pud

youling. no closures down the on and off ramps. the oakland hills is a concern overnight. we often hear about limbs that have fallen so i'll let you know. so far none reported. >> our coverage of the storm continues of course all morning long. we'll check back in with christina loren in a bit. any time we're not on air you can visit nbcbayarea.com and check out live interactive radar. >> 4:36. fire crews have not figured out what caused a cabin of a plane fill with smoke. >> leave your belongings and get off this aircraft. go. we cannot breathe back here. go. >> that youtube video was taken by a passenger. you could hear a frustrated flight attendant trying to get people off the plane. the plane was flying from l.a. to oakland so it didn't have to

detour but oakland firefighters did meet it. everyone made it off the plane okay. >> the san jose firefighter accused of having a sexual relationship with a teenager will not face sex crime charges. the "mercury news" reports that prosecutors refused to file the charges against mario but would not say why. he was in court yesterday for a hearing. he has been charged with selling meth to an undercover officer. officials began investigating following claims he had abused the boy. he was arrested on february 13. >> the man convicted of trying to bomb a bank could find out how long he'll spend behind bars. he pleaded guilty one count of attempt used of a weapon of mass destruction after he was caught trying to set off a car bomb outside an oakland bank. the bomb was a fake. his partner an undercover fbi agent. the former marine was found to

have a history of mental illness. he faces up to 15 years in prison. >> a campbell man sun der arrest accused of trying to kill his family with his car. it happened down the street from west mont high. the detectives say anthony mcsherry's two kids and mother were in his acura when he slammed into a home. after the crash one witness says the driver got out and ran but a neighbor caught him. others helped rescue the mother and kids. they were not seriously hurt. >> when i came around the corner here, the car was in here, the hole in the bushes and it was smoking and there were kids in the car screaming and crying. the mother was in there. >> two people inside the home were not hurt either. mcsher have i charged with attempted murder and driving under the influence. >> it's 4:38. more on our weather alert.

a look at fremont. the roads slick but no raindrops at least for now. >> let's check in with christina who is going to have a busy morning. >> good morning. especially tomorrow as well. we're expecting the most active time frame from the next storm in the heart of the morning drive. we'll be here. look at this. these are impressive totals. three inches of rainfall in los gatos over the past 24 hours. petaluma over two inches, same for cupertino, parkside, 1.66. looking good across the board with good totals. that's going to make a difference. a dent in the drought we're experiencing. this is what we're watching. we do have shower activity. mostly up in the santa cruz mountains around san jose you might encounter drizzle. nothing too heavy. the heavy rain arrives tonight. you'll be able to get through a nice evening commute tonight staying dry up until that point. after yesterday was really,

really rough. as you head throughout the day temperatures are going to climb in the 40s and 50s into the 60s. a couple upper 50s out in san francisco, but downtown about 61, 66 in the east bay and 63 in the south bay with the timing of the next storm system in the next report we could be adding additional 2 to 3 inches on the valley floor. let's check in with mike, though, if you got to get out the door we know the man who can help us get there on time. >> west 580 looking at the headlights and the sheen on the roadway as you travel through dublin around el charo. we look at the maps, looks calm. livermore, that quadrant, looking toward west 580, damp roads with the green highlighting there. we have a crash westbound 580

around union canyon road. there was slowing over the last five minutes. it sounds like everything is off to the shoulder but i'm tracking that. we don't want anything unexpected. a smooth drive through the castro valley y, in the north bay san rafael, to the southbound 101, glowing lights, sheen and water on the roadway but not a big concern. south from novato, to the richmond/san rafael bridge. >> still ahead, one of the bay area's wealthiest cities the center of an fbi investigation after several homes are vandalized. >> an armed robber foiled by a brave bay area customer. we'll tell you how it went down.

one of the best things about covered california is that millions of people will qualify for financial assistance. it's important to remember that the lower your annual income, the greater financial assistance you will receive. enroll now at coveredca.com.

welcome back everyone. a very good thursday morning to you. those nutrition fact labels on nearly every food pack could get a new look. michelle obama and the head of the fda will announce proposed changes. those include bolder bigger type

to make labels easier to read and making serving sizes more realistic and using measurements that are easier to understand like teaspoons instead of grams. the changes would take several years to implement. to a developing story out of you crane, police on high alert after dozens of pro russia gunman seized buildings. ukraine's acting president warned forces not to leave the base and said any movement of troops will be considered military aggression. lawmakers were expected to approve a new government. in the meantime, a respected russian news organization is reporting ukraine's fugitive president viktor yanukovych was seen in a moscow hotel today. he is reportedly asking for russia's protection from quote extremists. he is wanted for murder in the death of dozens of protesters who died in clashes with police

in kiev. >> the circuit court of appears ordered google to take down a movie called the innocence of muslims. the panel ruled it causes irreparable harm to one of the actresses in the film, this woman. she was tricked into appearing in the movie, many in the islamic faith were offended by the movie. at one point the state department blamed the video for the attack on the consulate in benghazi t theory has later been disproven. more fallout for general motors t automaker could be fined up to $35 million for delaying a recall linked to 13 deaths nationwide. for that and the rest of the news before the bell let's go to hampton pearson live at cnbc's washington bureau. good morning. >> we've got futures now poised to open in negative territory, this coming after stocks yesterday eased out small gains and the nasdaq touched a 14-year high. american airlines which is

merging with u.s. irways is no longer giving special fares to people who book last minute flights due to a relative's death bringing it in line with u.s airways. another development in the general motors recall of faulty ignition switches, the government is opening a proposal of time limits. it wants to know if gm followed the process. have a great day everybody. >> you as well. thank you. >> going to have a great day when it comes to the forecast. let's see. if you like rain. >> i think everybody in california at this point likes rain. good morning to you, scott and laura, as you know we need every drop in the bucket we can accumulate. light shower activity starting to move over the santa cruz mountains. that's the only place we're watch forge showers. you'll see mostly clear conditions by the end of the day. mark my words.

we're expecting the clouds to linger over our local mountains but overall looking nice and sunny for our valleys. as we head through 1:00 to 3:00 today. the rain returns after 11:00 p.m. and this next storm system is a whopper. want to make sure you're ready for it. it's going to track further to the south and that means we could accumulate three inches of rainfall right here in san jose. 63 degrees today, temperatures not that cold as the systems come in. they are coming from the south. so we're not taking a lot of the cold air from the gulf of alaska and bringing it into the bay area. all of this rain is coming from the subtropical attitudes, that's why it's so moisture rich. we stop the clock at midnight. lots of rainfall, we meet back tomorrow morning we're talking about steady rain all the way from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and heavy at times. we'll be here to guide you but this system is packing a lot of moisture. we'll keep the showers going all

the way to 11:00 friday and the first part of saturday. let me give you a taste of what we're expecting. this is not including what we've already accumulated. three inches on the way to san jose. i'm going to time this out. stick around for that. right now back to you, scott and laura. >> thanks. you remember the dating game? this morning friends and family mourning the death of the first ever host, jim lang died tuesday of a heart attack. he is on the left. he was known for hosting the dating game which debuted in 1965. it was a job he held more than a decade. he was 81. one of the men who confessed to beating bryan stow will stay in jail longer than expected. marvin norwood was sentenced after admitting he beat stow in the parking lot of dodger stadium. because of time served and good behavior he could have been released any day now. however, a judge ordered norwood be held without bail while he

awaits a different trial for federal gun charges. the judge said that norwood a danger to the community and a flight risk. >> investigating vandalism, anti-wealth graffiti has been sprayed on cars and garage doors in atherton, it started several days ago. the fbi is handling the case because the bureau tracks movements. officials are not sure if this is an attack on the wealthy or some kind of prank. a man picked the wrong store to rob. police say michael korvin went in, he is pointing at the clerk demanding cash. the clerk wrestles it away. a customer slammed him to the ground. the customer and the clerk sat on the suspect until police arrived. >> goodness.

4:50. if you have been thinking about installing surveillance cameras, police can help. the police department teaming up with the neighborhood to provide residents with information about using camera. the workshop will be tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 in the classroom in city hall at 3300 capitol avenue. >> pg&e will demonstrate cutting edge tool to find out the condition of natural pipe lines. this is video of smart pig. it can make it around tight bends and turns and send back data about the pipe line's condition. pg&e stepped up the pipe line safety effort since the pipe line explosion in san bruno in 2010. i had to look it up. they call them pigs because they squeal. according to wikipedia.

>> still ahead on "today in the bay," an unusual sight for spring training. we'll show you josh's efforts. >> 880 moves past the oakland coliseum. slick roads, we'll talk about the full closure in the south bay coming up.

welcome back. 4:54. as we look at downtown los gatos where they have had lightning

strikes we're going to check in with a reporter there. and continue your weather coverage across the bay. josh reddick is used to making grabs for the a's but in spring training he made what may be the greatest catch. >> in the second inning, michael moore thinks he hit a home run. not so fast. reddick climbs the fence, stretches his body. like a yoga move to get that shot. watch it again. two innings later he did it again. after the game reddick told mors he owes him dinner. the a's beat the giants 10-5. >> i used to live down in arizona. it was such fun to watch. >> let's check in with mike this morning. we've got all kinds of stuff out there with the rain. >> we do. a lot of it has been cleared

from the freeway overnight but we continue to show you pictures. the bay bridge, there it goes, wind advisory for the bay bridge, san mateo, dumbarton even the antioch bridge. overall the green highlighting north of livermore, wet roads an issue. also slick conditions here. southbound 101, the closure starts at dunn and over to kenneth. caltrans ran out of cones but it's still closed. use monterey road or monterey highway. the northbound slowing has cleared. back up to the tri-valley we're looking at union canyon road, there is a slow lane blockage there a. crash involving a smaller car on its side. maybe on its roof. we are looking at slowdown and slick roads continue through the area so we're tracking that as the commute starts to build. >> still ahead "today in the

bay" as mike mentioned all kinds of lanes on southbound 101 shut down. the the whole lane as crews clean up thousands of gallons of gas. we'll have an update. >> a live look at the roadway in san jose this morning. we'll have live team coverage of the next storm making its way toward the bay area.

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>> >> breaking news. a tanker overturned closing part of 101 in the south bay. we'll tell you when crews think they will have things back open. >> strong winds, high surf hit the bay area. more is on the way. we'll have team coverage. >> and this next system is tracking further south than the one yesterday which means we are going to get hammered in the south bay. i'll tell hue could see upwards of three inches in the next 24 hours coming up. >> we're providing the break where we have the recovery after yesterday's storm so we'll let

you know what may be in the lanes. >> we have a live look outside at the bay bridge. it's wet out there. it's thursday, february 27 it is. this is "today in the bay." good morning everyone. thank you for joining us. i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. the storm has moved on but some of the damage evident. check this out. our director almost slammed into this branch on her way to work. this is just the start of it all. new storm moving into the bay area. we have our microclimate weather team in place. let's start out, there is our girl, meteorologist christina loren. >> and our ground is already saturated so with more heavy rainfall in the forecast, that concern for flooding is heightened as we head throughout the next 24 hours. we're getting light activity. i would say go ahead and put something, a hoody on to protect your hair or clothing but you don't need the umbrella all day. as we