a house in the south bay goes up in flames overnight and firefighters make a startling discovery inside the burned out home. >> new details on the massive fire that reduced a san francisco construction site to rubble. >> and a man is recovering this morning after he was hit by a tour bus in san francisco. what witnesses say the driver of the bus did moments before the crash. >> a live look outside, you see the bay bridge, beautiful at 4:30. it's monday, march 17th, st. patrick's day, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you.

again 4:30. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check that forecast with meteorologist christina loren. top of the morning to you. >> top of the morning to you, ladies. we've got a great looking day shaping up for your st. patrick's day. i can tell you no green on the radar, no green all week long. we still have a chance for rain in the forecast for today, what you need to know, it's breezy and it will be for the first part of the morning. then the winds are going to start to die down. we've got a sunny finish to the day. it will be cooler. i've got your full forecast. thanks for joining us this st. patrick's day morning. let's say good morning to mike inouye. >> good morning. we're going to look toward san jose. this is northbound 101. at the top left corner of the screen where it says live, there are lights. i don't see flashing lights but that's about where there would be this crash. we're talking about northbound 101 approaching that 280 interchange i saw slowing up until a couple of seconds ago

when it changed to green. there was a car reportedly off the road. sounds like it hit a pole. it's out of lanes. nothing in that live shot but watch that as you come to the interchange. the rest of the south bay t overnight construction crews we expect are not there but i'll tell you about one for the east bay and a major crash overnight in concord. you have to see this. we have that in the next report. >> thank you so much. investigators say that an overnight fire in san jose was sparked by a marijuana grow operation. the fire was reported after 10:30 last night. investigators say up to 70 plants were found in the garage. people were home at the time. they managed to get out and they are cooperating with police. crews had to shut off electricity to the block before firefighters could go inside. san jose police say the homeowners are cooperating with the investigation. also new this morning the red cross is helping two people

who had to run from their redwood city home when it caught fire. investigators say this started in a bedroom at a home on the corner of johnson street and vera avenue. this happened after about 11:30 last night. it was under control about a half hour later. investigators say the home is unlivable at this time. the cause of that fire is under investigation. >> 4:33. a driver is credited with getting neighbors out of their homes when a house went up in flames in mountain view. he was driving his friends when he saw flames in a home. he stopped the car and called 911, then ran into homes banging on doors to get neighbors out in case the fire spread. the person who owned the home that caught fire was out of town but has been notified. investigators say the fire caused significant damage. >> the wife comes to the bed and shakes me. get up, get up,ing there's happening.

all i could see is red trucks, about six fire trucks. >> feel bad for these people, you know. at least they weren't home, that's the good news. boy, that's a tough one. at least they're safe. >> investigators are trying to find out what started that fire. new details on the massive construction fire in san francisco last week. it turns out certain changes to california's fire code may explain why the fire was so severe. according to the "san francisco chronicle" buildings six stories or higher used to be required to have non-combustible exterior walls. but state lawmakers and then governor arnold schwarzenegger rewrote the codes to allow builders to use wood frames which are cheaper. while the cause is under investigation the wooden frames helped the flames spread very quickly. new this morning police are looking for the driver who hit an elderly man in milpitas last night officers found an

80-year-old man unconscious in the intersection of south park victoria drive and canton drive east of 680. the man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. witnesses say he was hit by a gold chevy pickup truck that took off after the crash. a 60-year-old man is in critical condition as well after he was hit by a tour bus in san francisco. the man was in the crosswalk at the time. investigators say the bus was making a left turn on mission street from seventh. this happened yesterday morning. a witness says he saw the bus driver speed up when the traffic light turned yellow. >> there was a few people running through the light but i have no idea, like i know that the light was changing red and he tried to make the light. he was going faster than what i think he should have been going. >> the bus operator grayline of san francisco released this statement saying quote our company has been in business for 25 years with a perfect safety record. to my knowledge this is the first incident as such.

police say the bus driver is cooperating with the investigation. there is no word whether he will face charges. >> 4:35. this morning an 18-year-old father accused of biting off part of his newborn's nose could enter a plea in court. joshua cooper has been charged with aggravated mayhem and child cruelty causing injury or death. investigators say he bit off part of his one-month-old son's nose because the baby would not stop crying. doctors expect the baby to survive but found the child suffered a skull fracture in addition to the nose. >> the family of sierra lamar, marking two years since she vanished. family and friends dedicated a bench at her old school in fremont. the lamar family and volunteers searched for the 15-year-old every saturday since she disappeared two years ago and they say they are not stopping

now. >> just hoping somehow, somewhere we'll find her alive still. >> garcia torres has been charged but her body has not been found. >> a developing story, malaysia airlines thinks the copilot aboard the missing boeing 777 spoke the last words as he said quote all right, good night. communication was reportedly made after one of the jet's communication systems had been switched off and the plane switched course. the search areas expanded as australia announced it would take the lead scouring the indian ocean. >> crews repair a plane after the panel on the wing fell off in midair. you can see the hole it left. passengers snapped this picture while the plane was still in the air. a delta spokesperson says a detached panel did not affect the plane's ability to fly. it took off from atlanta and

landed safely in orlando. >> there is no threat after tsunami following two powerful earthquakes in chile. the u.s. geological survey reported the earthquakes yesterday afternoon. one registered at 6.7 magnitude, more than 100,000 people briefly evacuated as a precaution. only minor damage was reported. turning to our microclimate forecast, a live look outside a san francisco. you can see awfully beautiful there, the lights twinkling in the distance. also take to you the peninsula. this is pretty nice in palo alto. >> not bad. can't complain. maybe about a monday work day but we'll get through it. >> hey, good morning. the luck of the irish with us this monday morning. that might make it easier for you to get up and get going. it is a holiday and you know what, a lot of people have been celebrating st. patrick's day since friday so travel cautiously out there. i know it's a lot more car this is morning than usual. as we head throughout the morning it's going to be windy.

keep that in mind. the winds are going to relax. as we head through the first part of the day. we've got a beautiful day shaping up. our hills are green and we're counting on a pretty good shot of rain through next week. temperatures are now in the 40s and 50s, headed to the 60s, a couple of 70s today. i'll take you through your extended forecast. right now let's check on the alert. mike, you had something to show us. >> we have an unfortunate incident, a serious crash, we'll take to you a video we have. this is willow pass road. it is closed right now, has been since last night and expected to be through much of the morning here. this is 11:40 last night. chp or officers local to the concord area responded to reports of a hit-and-run. the person died as a result of

this crash. near sixth at concord you see these flares. the victim, that person was hit was pronounced dead at the scene so sounds like a serious scene being investigated now. it involved a pickup truck and possibly two tone truck f. you have information dahl concord pd off highway 242 on willow pass road. this is not affecting the on or off ramps but a serious situation we continue to follow. there will be reroutes but there are surface streets a couple blocks from what i understand. we'll track it as the commute continues. the rest of the commute the freeways moving but we have unexpected closures southbound getting on at davis street for southbound 880, usually we have those ramps open so watch that until 6:00 a.m. 880 fast coliseum, a lighter volume of traffic north with the hail lights toward the bay bridge toll plaza. an easy flow from oakland to san francis

francisco. >> still ahead on "today in the bay," the people of crimea voted to break away from ukraine and join russia. we'll tell you what's next for the region. >> plus, honda recalling nearly 1 million vehicles, we'll tell you which models are affected and why.

welcome back everyone. we're taking you live, can you make it out, that's the skyline of philadelphia. they are expected to get really slammed by a storm headed their way, up to nine inches possibly. oh, to be a californian. european union may announce more sanctions after 97% of voters in crimea decided to leave ukraine and join russia. tracie potts shows us what happens next is unclear. >> reporter: americans are protesting. the white house is talking tough. >> the more they escalate the longer this goes the greater the costs will be. >> reporter: the people of crimea have spoken. 96% to break away from ukraine and join russia.

what's next? russia's parliament vote to annex crimea. the european union is expected to reluctantly announcing travel bans and freezing assets against those pushing for a takeover. >> that disaster, and the citizens at the end of the day will not claim the russians but us. >> sanctions need to be in force along with our european allies. >> all you can do is increase the costs significantly and hope that they don't move further. >> some military assistance to the ukrainians so they can defend themselves. >> reporter: despite the economic risks some fear president putin has the upper hand. >> he would walk into any negotiation and we're playing catch up. >> reporter: president obama called putin. both say they want a diplomatic solution. one concern is whether president putin will push beyond crimea into eastern ukraine.

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> thank you. with the deadline nearing president obama is meeting with palestinian president at the white house. the progress in the israeli palestinian negotiations. there are just weeks left before u.s. imposed april deadline expires for completing a framework for the peace talks. honda is recalling nearly 1 million minivans because they could catch fire. we turn to bertha coombs live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning to you. >> good morning. we have the futures pointing to a higher start. i guess appropriate to be in the green on st. patrick's day. the markets coming off a negative week with concerns about that vote in the ukraine over the weekend, also concerns about the economy slowing in china and germany. the dow posting its worst week since january t nasdaq slipping for a five-week winning streak. the dow at 16,065 after falling

43, the nasdaq at 4245 after slipping 15. more than two dozen state attorneys general have sent letters to big retailers urging them to halt sales of tobacco products in stores with pharmacies, this would follow a move by cvs/caremark, something that a lot of health officials have been pushing for for years. the effort is led by new york and ohio, the report says the letters don't mention potential legal action if retailers don't institute a ban or sales of e-cigarettes considering whether to regular you late. honda recalls 900,000 odyssey minivans because fuel pumps could crack causing a leak and possible fire. the recall affects the 2005-2010 models. honda says it won't have the proper replacement parts until this summer but will provide owners with interim parts. >> interesting. thank you so much. >> let's check the forecast with

meteorologist christina loren. get a peek at today and a windy start. >> a little breezy out there. good morning to you laura, peggy, everybody at home. happy st. patrick's day to you. maybe have a leprechaun come through the house. kids, check ahead. any foot steps, check for those. throughout the day my mom is a kindergarten teacher, she has that leprechaun stopping by. the kids putting their green outfits together, it's chilly out there, breezy, windchill factor, and then we warm you up. so temperatures now in the 40s and the 50s, happy monday to you. want to get you going, get your day started trixt weather's on our side. we don't have thick pockets of fog. the wind is keeping the fog from settling in. throughout the day look at your numbers. 70 degrees in the east bay. for some people 70 is perfection. some like it warmer, 69 in the south bay t peninsula 69 today. we have the warmer days ahead. if you are counting on the rain,

we are too. next week looking really good, 25th and 26th, the two days we'll watch. for this week mostly dry, bay area shows we're going to see a little cold front for the first part of the day, that's what's kicking up the winds, bring about the cooler temperatures. then all those clouds start pushing right back out to sea as offshore flow resumes flew the next couple days. as a result temperatures on the climb through wednesday. 78 on wednesday. the south bay 70 degrees in san francisco on wednesday. and then the numbers drop off as the storm system approaches. we'll talk about what we're expecting the showers coming up all morning long. we'll be tracking every microclimate across the bay area. back to you, peggy and laura. >> thanks so much. man to see a lot of green and controversy during celebrations and parades across the country. >> as new york gears up for the largest parade in the country the city's mayor will not be there for the first time in decades.

bill de blasio is skipping the parade because organizers refuse pro gay signs. he is not the only mayor missing, boston's mayor who is the son of irish immigrants will not march in south boston's parade after talks failed to include gay veterans in the parade. despite political tensions and weather issues spectators say they are go thing to show off their irish spirit. >> we've been out here 25-plus years. this is the best. if you are hard core irish you'll be here no matter the weather. >> last week the company that makes sam adams beer pulled its sponsorship of boston's parade. >> still ahead on "today in the bay," a thrilling come from behind win for the warriors on the road. >> plus, what to do -- what do jim harbaugh and a walrus have in common. we'll show you this video after the break. >> we're looking here, this is commute already but this is 580. we have an unexpected closure in

concord. and also a closure in east bay.

4:53 now. we take a live look at oracle arena. the warriors will be back in action tomorrow night that will be against the orlando magic. good game. as for last night it was a thriller on the road in portland. >> warriors fell behind early down by 18 points in the third

quarter. that's when curry put the team on his shoulders, he nailed not one, not two, but three -- five threes in 12 minutes. to put the warriors up by four. klay thompson made a three with 20 seconds left to seal the 113-112 win for golden state. nba playoffs around the corner. right now it's all about college hoops. >> the denver cardinal the bay area team heading to the tournament this weekend. the cardinal earned the 10 seed in the south region and will face off against the university of new mexico friday morning in st. louis. >> how ever, the season not over for the cal bears headed to the n.i.t., cal is number 2 seed and will host utah valley wednesday night. also headed to n.i.t., st. marys. and usf. tuesday night and the dons host

lsu on wednesday. >> could that be an alma mater. how about this for an off season workout. that's 49ers coach there, jim harbaugh challenging a walrus to a push-up competition. this happened yesterday during a family trip to six flags in vallejo. no official word who won but harbaugh, looks like he took on the walrus. >> eye to eye. >> park officials say harbaugh also got a kiss from a sea lion, bottle fed a tiger and met an elephant. >> the nature connection there. >> let's check the morning commute on an early monday morning. >> push ups mike? >> quest for six flags. good stuff. i think the walruses prefer the flat front khakis. we're working out here, peggy, looking at all of the activity in the south bay. i'm watching it. 101 northbound outside of the

camera range a light pole down. looking at the entire bay an easy drive on the bay area freeways, here north 101 as you approach that 280/680 interchange, that light pole was taken out. no major injuries. traffic has been flowing. we didn't see flashing lights. we will jump up to a tragic situation up here in concord. overnight about 11:30 last night reports that a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle. here is video from the intersection, willow pass road at sixth, we still have the closure and police say probably through the morning commute though i don't know at what stage this could be as early as 7:30 when the sun comes up. they are continuing this investigation involving a pickup truck hit that person that was killed and dragged him. we're getting the details as they continue with the investigation. looking at san mateo bridge, i want to show you the easy flow of traffic. overnight a wind advisory for the san mateo bridge t benicia

bridge, watch them because there may be gusts especially the benicia bridge. back to you. >> still ahead on "today in the bay," firefighters find dozens of pot plants in a burned out home in san jose. we're live at the scene with how neighbors are affected right now. >> you heard mike discussing a gruesome scene as he talked about where the pedestrian was hit, dragged by a car, now the shunt on for the driver. >> a live look outside from the south bay this morning, we need for the sun but it's clear. should be a great day on tap. christina's got a look at the forecast. a lot more ahead.

good morning. i'm bob redell. we'll take you live to the south bay where a house burns because of a pot grow inside that was wired illegally. that story coming up. >> a tour bus slams into a man crossing a street in san francisco.

what witnesses say they saw moments before the crash. >> meanwhile, it's a mostly clear start to your st. patrick's day temperatures in the 50s now as you pick out the green. don't forget, you could get pinched if not. i have a big forecast. major changes coming our way. stick with us, i'll take you through all of the details. >> and weather related chp issues a couple advisories. we'll give you the latest for thata as well as a closure in the east bay. >> let's take you out on this st. patrick's day. seeing the bay bridge there looking beautiful on this sunday, march the 17th. this is "today in the bay." a very good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm peggy bunker. some people in san jose are waking up this morning to blinking alarm clocks after a fire at a marijuana grow house forced pg&e to shut off power to a block