news as hundreds of wooden pallets catch fire in the bay. why investigators are calling the fire suspicious. >> and in a small california town, almost half the town is destroyed. >> we are tracking mid-week showers. >> and over here, we'll update that traffic flow. >> and looking live at downtown san jose, we see the sun starting to rise. this is tuesday, september 16th. this is "today in the bay." >> good morning.

thanks for joining us. i am kris sanchez in for laura. >> yes, you are. and i'm sam brock. breaking news we've been following all morning long in the the south bay, firefighters are fighting a fire in a pallet yard. >> let's get the latest from bob redell, who is live at the scene. still a lot going on and the fire is now out. >> it is. good morning to you, chris and sam. fire is out and it looks like within the past few minutes, the fire department has it under control. this is what greeted firefighters when they arrived

on scene this morning. you could see the fire was already engulfed. part of the problem with pallet fires is that they're wood, they're a lot of fuel and the way they're stacked, there's a lot of oxygen in there. it has fuel and oxygen. they burn very hot, they burn very fast, they take a long time to put out. the fire department had an alarm for a second one. the main goal was to keep it contained, which they succeeded for the most part. i'm talking about businesses next door. they were able to do that with the exception of some cars that were damaged or destroyed. >> flames were really, really, really close, almost inside the fence. we had to really book it from both sides to get all the cars out. everybody came out safe and cars came out safe, too. >> reporter: people working the adjacent buildings got out okay and as far as we know, those

businesses were not damaged. the fire department didn't believe anyone was here. there was no forced entry. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you, bob. we are also following developing news out of the most destructive fire of the california fire season thus far. hundreds of firefighters are working to protect what is left of the tiny town of weed near mount shasta. more than 1,500 folks would have to evacuate. that would constitute more than half of the town's population. weed is about 70 miles north of reading. strike teams are now among those protecting 500 homes that are right in the path of the king fire that is burning between lake tahoe and sacramento.

that fire doubled in size yesterday. right now it is only 5% contained. >> tourists and locals along the baja peninsula are getting their first good look at the damage. the cat degree storm, ripped through coastal resorts yesterda yesterday. >> meteorologist rob mayeda joins us now. we need the rain badly. >> we could see some showers. winds at 60 miles per hour and it track back across the gulf of california over the next 12 hours or so. but then as the moisture spills off into southern arizona, that is where we have the potential for some flooding rain.

some rain being expected up in the mountains and deserts of southern california. there's another system here to the south, that as we get towards the weekend may impacted but notice the clouds here off to our west. this will bring showers north of north day. you'll see high clouds out of that system later on. near 70 in san francisco. it mid 80s for high and close to the low 80s for the north bay. notice those temperatures cooling. temperatures rea crash was here.

let's look at the map. moving now as traffic dissipates, heading north in toward the sunnyvale area, we have the jam approaching oakland road. that's where bob redell just reported the fire. the overpass is open. it was closed for a few minutes this morning. the rest of the south bay moving very nicely. pleasanton now has the typical build and flow for a tuesday morning commute. to the bay bridge, no big surprises. it's tuesday so the maze also looks slow heading toward the bay bridge toll plaza. the meet. >> we had a lot of.

>> while we're on the topic of bridges, the golden gate bridge has activity on that we're should tell you about. golden gate bridge workers are on strike today. the ferry captains are on strike but it will not affect traffic this morning. union workers says they've been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract. the sticking point here, rising health care premiums for its employees. it will reportedly last until 3:30 this afternoon. >> now you will be slapped with a fine if you don't give bicyclists a three-foot buffer

zone when you're passing them. steph, that rule makes sense. certainly those of us who bike like the rule, however, you need to allow three feet of space. up see in san francisco around market, there are signs that show people, looking there are bicycles allowed use of the full lane. drivers must wait to pass them now or pay up. the new law gives more protection to bicyclists. there were 152 bicyclists hit. some drivers feel cyclists get

enough room on the road. >> there's too many bikes on the road right now for the cars. that's why all the accidents are happening. >> reporter: do you think drivers should get more protection? >> sure. we have to watch out for the bikes all the time. >> it's okay. it's a good law. i think people should pay attention, yeah. >> reporter: if caught violating the new law, violators will get hit with more than $200 in court fees and up to $1,000 more with fees if there's a collision involved. at all times, lane drivers have to wait to pass, unless there's a buildup of five or more cars, they have to pull over. cyclists don't want drivers to

get slapped with fines. >> so that's good to know. >> that's right. it's the responsibility on the cyclist to pull over and let the drivers go on through if there are five cars backed up. >> thank you, stephanie. >> volunteers will begin walking the canyon in napa talking about the damage done in last month's earthquake. the impact study will take them about three days to complete. the team will be going door to door assessing each residents immediate need. that would include counseling and stress reduction to housing and referrals for certain services. the volunteers have been trained and everybody taking part will be wearing i.d. badges and vests. >> the timing is now. >> and a new address campaign by

the nfl does not go exactly at planned. >> plus, a hazing investigation at a bay area high school. what two football players find themselves accused of doing to a fellow teammate next. >> and looking live at san francisco. it is the nice clear part of the day, which usually means it's nice and cool because we lost our covers. got a tip for the bay area investigative unit? e-mail the unit @nbcbayarea.

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here's a live look at san francisco this morning. mostly clear right now. should see highs close to 70 and in san jose clear skies, highs approaching 80 this afternoon.

mike? >> let's start now with just a quick recap of today's top stories. firefighterss firefighters are on the scene of a lumberyard fire. >> and police say as you expects robbed an elderly couple twice. the second time they badly beat both victims, stabbing the wife and stealing their safe. >> and high schools understood ens are accused of hazing, accused of holding the boy down and shaving his head. >> and a marketing campaign not going the way the nfl or cover

girl expected. >> you show your gold game. here's an example using the ravens, whose colors are unfortunately black and purple. it didn't take critics long to figure out how to use this to call attention over domestic violence. they used a bit of photo shop and you'll see this on your twitter feed today. >> you'll see an alert in your phone's general settings tomorrow. a few new features like being able to respond to a text without leaving the screen you're in. and u-2s song was supposed to be a gift. a lot of people fussed about it online, leading them to respond

"gee whiz, folks, u-2 gave you a gift, not a venereal disease." now, roku was the first tv device to market, invented by the same guy who invented the dvr. roku is his sixth company and roku means six in japanese. >> now kris said she would shun the new song. >> it shows up in your shuffle. >> what if it were the boy band. >> you don't just drop stuff in somebody's house. here's a puppy. it's a puppy. >> it's a gift. it's a gift. take it. >> it's just really hard to get rid of. >> like puppies.

>> marin county is turning to technology to track mountain lions. they will install 100 motion detection cameras. they hope the cameras will give them a better idea of hot spots and improve land management training. >> we are not anti-puppies, by the way, here in the bay area. >> the city says they will focus on educating people about water conservation. new water restrictions went into effect last month and since then the mercury news reports nearly 50 people have been warned. >> today governor brown will sign a landmark measure that

will require cities to replenish their supplies of groundwater as they take it out or wait for it to replenish. it would force local governments to keep their groundwater basins at sustainable levels, essentially only taking out as much water as is naturally replenished. if it doesn't rain, you can't take the water out. california farmers say the new law could take them out of business. the new law will take years to be implemented. >> 6:18. right now a quick check of what's going on in fremont as we see some pretty reasonable traffic flow there. we're going to be talking with mime momentarily but first we're joined by meteorologist rob mayeda. people have known about the water crisis for a long time here. it shouldn't come as a surprise that governments are cracking

down. we could use more water. >> that would be nice. right now we have just patchy low clouds. we'll talk more about the shower chances, which could impact part of your thursday morning commute coming up in just a moment. san jose to san francisco, patches of clouds over the coastline. 51 degrees. almost feels like a fall morning there. 50s and 60s for temperatures right now. we'll see a day today that will be pretty mild. places like san jose and san francisco, close to 70 degrees in san francisco. we're also watching moisture from two weather systems. tropical storm now odile looks to be mainly impacting parts of southern california. it will track out towards the

gulf of southern california, but then the moisture will spill out toward southern arizona and bring potential for flooding toward tucson. notice this system to the west. this will push clouds our way looks like for thursday morning. the north bay could see some light rain at times, which would be nice to say. a rain total projection, generally less than a tenth of an inch of rain. it will possibly wet down hilltops along the coastal range. today mostly sunny skies, close to 80, 70s near san francisco, low 80s around the north bay and mid 80s out toward the tri-valley. as high pressure builds in, we'll see 90s back in the forecast around the tri-valley to start the weekend. time to check your tuesday morning commute with mike. >> we'll start in the south bay

where we have the most dramatic issue. south bay 101 slows more than usual. a slow drive from 680 and there are some flashing lights just here at the top of your screen that says you're approaching tully road. we've had a series of crashes. there was another crash at oakland road and one farther closer to the airport. those have all moved to the shoulder but the distraction adds to the slow are ride. the rest of your build is on a typical pattern. 87 just starts to show slowing into downtown. 285 in the next 20 minutes will start to kick in. palo alto, 101 motor vehicles nicely up and down the peninsula. just off of 101, there is a concert so expect traffic there on the other side of the

shortlishor shoreline. this evening we have yanni and the a's have a game so that will cause traffic as well. and coming off of the maze, berkeley curve, a slow down as you approach the bridge. >> a yanni concert. >> i'm excited. put it down on my calendar. >> you're going to be tired. >> and at levi stadium, the team's new plan to get cars moving on game day. >> and the sun is starting to creep up over our local mountains and it is a nice mild start as well. it is 6:22.

>> fans say the constant stream of pedestrians also contributed

to delays leading to the niners considering slowing down the train's frequency. the faster train departures began after the complaints about transit during preseason games. any fix will take time and they are urging fans to continue to use mass transit rather than drive to the game. >> an air force veteran from pittsburgh has a warning this morning about a promising job opportunity that left him on the verge of bankruptcy. he said when he returned to the bay area, a recruiter found him through linked-in but after weeks of training, it turned out to be a scheme and he was left with over $30,000 in debt. >> i don't want anyone else to go through this, especially veterans.

>> now what all job seekers need to watch out for. we'll be investigating that tonight. >> and lawmakers decide on the president's plan to take down isis. what pentagon officials are doing today ahead of that vote. >> and a live picture of dublin over in the east bay where cars are moving with reasonable rapidity this morning. 6:27 on your tuesday morning. we'll have a look at weather, traffic and news right after the break. can't say thank you enough.

by being apart of it. yl (everyone) cheers! glad you made it buddy. thanks for inviting me. thanks again my friends. for everything, for all your help. through all life's milestones, our trusted advisors are with you every step of the way. congratulations! thanks for helping me plan for my retirement. you should come celebrate with us.

i'd be honored. plan for your goals with advisors you know and trust. so you can celebrate today and feel confident about tomorrow. chase. so you can. you know about the backup at the bay bridge. you expect that. we're talking about a dramatic

slowdown because of crashes in the south bay as well. >> and let's take you live to the opening bell and the new york stock exchange as we get this tuesday under way. at the nasdaq they're waiting on the federal open markets committee at the two-day meeting and talk of interest rates. >> and it just wouldn't be right to get your day started without a live look right now at the san mateo bridge. 6:30 on your tuesday morning. a lot in store on this tuesday, september the 16th. you are watching "today in the bay." >> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> and a good tuesday morning to you. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm kris sanchez. laura garcia-cannon is off this morning. lawyers on capitol hill will get a much more detailed look on president obama's plans to defeat the terrorist group isis. tracie potts joins us live from washington, d.c. we've been

hearing details through the last few weeks but what's happening today? >> right now the hearing is getting under way and we're going to hear from the pentagon, defense secretary chuck hagel will be talking about the military strategy in dealing with isis. just overnight there were more air strikes near baghdad trying to get at this terrorist group. the big question remains who is going to be on the ground in syria. secretary kerry coming back from paris got the support of 30 countries but the white house won't name who is going to send troops into syria to try to deal with this on the ground. a few allies have said they'll help us out in the air. secretary kerry is also headed to the united nations we've learned on friday to try to get more support for the iraqi government to go at this from a diplomatic angle. and finally here on capitol hill today, we're expecting them to move forward with a vote that would allow the president to

train and arm the syrian opposition against isis, but congress wants some safeguards on that. they want regular reports and a two-week heads up if we decide to transfer any arms to the syrian rebels. >> that was one of his four pillars of his strategy. thank you. >> the next time you see convicted killer oscar pistorius, he could be running in a qualifying run for the olympics. the officials say he's eligible to run as long as he doesn't -- the blade runner could have tried out while he was on trial but he chose instead to focus on

the trial. >> a rebel priest made the original call 200 years ago and mexico won its independence from spain. >> rob mayeda joining us. i just checked this out, the autu autumnnal equinox is in september. >> some patchy clouds closer to san francisco, 57 currently closer to san jose. we're seeing mainly clear skies outside right now.

to our south, still watching tropical storm odile. it now appears most of that moisture will spin off toward southern california and towards southern arizona. we have a system to our west that will bring a chance of showers tomorrow. we'll have a chance of seeing rain in the bay area late tomorrow night into thursday. that's welcome news for us. we could see a tenth of an inch of rain. low 70s around san francisco, a nice day around the north bay and tri-valley, highs in the mid 80s. mike? >> looking at the south bay, an unusu unusually slow drive. we are starting to back up again after we had a little break. at the top of your screen just under the overpass, there's a

fourth of our crashes for tully road. we had a crash at tully, story, another at oakland road and another at trimble. it's still a distraction for some of them. that's what's causing this corridor to jam up. still following the typical build. we'll track that. that could ripple out to the rest of the freeways. 680 and highway 84 and the dublin gray showing a little slowdown. the bay bridge approach for these lanes are moving slowly and toward the bay bridge toll plaza. a nice easy drive through oakland where traffic throws past the coliseum. there's a concert tonight, a yanni concert over here and foster city side we're showing a smooth drive across the san mateo bridge. off of 101 there's that drake

and lil wayne concert. kris, you're rocking drake and lil wayne. are you going? >> you mentioned that yanni concert like five times now. >> the markets have been open for just a few minutes this morning. >> we'll check the numbers with scott mcgrew. good morning, scott. >> good morning. we wait on this two-day federal open markets committee, the dow industrial down 26 points as we take a look at the live big board in new york city. tesla gaining a bit, chris and sam. it got crushed yesterday, down better than 9%. it's up about a buck today. back to you. >> thank you very much. >> right now 6:36 on your tuesday morning. still ahead, the giants lose ground in the playoff race but they're about to get some much-needed help. >> we'll tell you how in your

orange and black update. >> got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? e-mail the unit.

6:39 now. let's talk giants baseball, shall we, as we give you a live and foggy look at at&t park.

it will be empty as the giants are on their final road trip on the season. the men in orange are four games back from the dodgers after a tough loss last night. >> amy gutierrez has more. give us some good news, amy, from the dugout. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. after a tough series, the giants couldn't get it together monday night and dropped a game to the arizona diamondbacks. >> one pitch can do all the damage. it's a pretty good outing but that pitch counts unfortunately. you're facing their big guy with the bases loaded and this is a park that the ball flies in. you got a mistake there. he didn't miss it. >> so the giants getting set for game two this evening. they are sending jake peavy to the mound. his last outing at at&t park he got the "w" and the giants ended up getting the sweep of the

arizona diamondbacks. josh's last outing here at at&t park, he pitched well but not long enough. he pitched six inning but didn't give up any runs. the giants were able to hit them up for five runs. and very good news to report on brandon belt. he has been taking b.p., skipper bruce bochy saying he could be activated as early as today. if not today, likely this week. i'm amy gutierrez on "today in the bay." >> our giants insider telling us there is a 99% chance that the sacramento river cats will be announcing a partnership with the giants as early as today. the river cats ended their affiliation with the a's earlier this month. baseball insider say the favorite to become the favorite

team could be national. >> and a pallet-fueled fire, why authorities are calling it suspicion. >> and a live look at didn't san jo jose, as the low clouds blanket us. we'll be back.

you're watching 15 minutes of continuous news, weather and traffic on "today in the bay." >> we begin with the latest on a big san jose fire we've been following for you all morning long out of san jose. this is video of when the fire started around 2:00 this morning at a wooden pallet storage yard near oakland street and 101. >> bob redell has been tracking

the stubborn fire all morning. bob, they were able to harness this thing a little while ago. >> reporter: they were. they brought in this front loader behind me. it has a backhoe attached to it. they're going to go through the pile of burned pallets to do what they call overhaul, which is separate it, make sure all hot spots are extinguished. this is what greeted the san jose fire department around 2:00 this morning when they arrived here on scene. this video courtesy of the firefighters. you could see the fire was engulfing piles of pallets when they arrived here. they knew they had to immediately go on the defense. they had the first alarm unit take care of the fire itself, the second alarm in the yard.

they were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading nearby. >> the little pieces when cutting the wood, the little pieces, that's what caught on fire and the next thing it blew up and it was a whole mess. >> everyone did get out okay. the fire department believes that there was no one on property where the fire itself started and they all -- also tell us that the chain link fence was locked. they actually had to force entry, which raises the question of what started this fire. it was in the middle of the night. it was a pallet of wood that caught fire. they have an arson expert coming out because they believe there is suspicion. >> thank you, bob. >> and we're following

developing news on the most destructive five so it's been called in california this season. burning in the small town of weed at the base of mount shasta, flames have consumed 100 homes and a church. more than 1,500 people, constituting half of the town as population, have been evacuated. weed is about 70 miles north of reading ands could -- and the king fire doubled in size yesterday to more than 8,600 acres. right now the fire is only 5% contained. >> also developing this morning, tourists and locals along the baja peninsula are getting their first look at the damage and widespread flooding caused by

hurricane odile. the airport in cabo san lucas is still closed. one man talked to his sister who is stuck at the airport. >> there's no running water. they're staying in the ballrooms and also the conference rooms. >> the category 3 storm ripped through coastal areas uprooting trees and smashing windows. it's one of the worst storms ever to hit the luxury retreat. >> 6:48 on your tuesday morning. rob mayeda joining us, you are tracking other possibilities for rain here. >> odile may bring rain to southern california but later today we will have some high clouds and we hope a chance of actually seeing rain in the forecast as we get to late tomorrow and into thursday. and tropical storm odile continues to weaken.

the storm will continue to track to the north and eventually northeast and weaken even more as it approaches southern arizona, perhaps as a tropical depression. also the deserts and mountain areas east of san diego. we could pick up half a foot of rain and a potential flooding area there. we do have another system offshore and it will be this system over the next 36 hours that will spread a chance of seeing some rain to the bay area. you saw the weed fire there north of mount shasta, look at the rainfall projection from wednesday until about thursday evening and you can see we should have at least something reaching the ground in parts of northern california as that system comes on through. the bay area impact we think generally less than an inch of rain and higher totals should be north of the golden gate. depending on the timing of this, the thursday morning commute

could have a bit of an impact. it's been so dry and it doesn't take much to mix that water and oil mixture on the covers of the roadways there. just high cloud later on. temperatures in the low 70s in san francisco, toward 80 in santa rosas. s as we head into the weekend, 9d 0s and possibly some offshore winds. for a check of your kmorn commu -- morning commute, here's mike. >> this is a slow drive. the earlier activity look likes it may have cleared off the roadway. we have a slow drive from capital expressway up past tully, oakland and trimble. they have all cleared but still

the distraction. the build on now for 87. 87 and 280 may see more traffic. try to avoid this traffic on 101, that might be a shift. palo alto, moving nicely around this area. no problems for 280 either. across the san mateo bridge, getting there is a nice drive but do you have company. we do see speeds dipping around 880. and another look at the north day. no major problems. the sunlight just popped up in the last few minutes. once you get past of that, you're smooth down to the golden gate bring. >> happening now, golden gate bridge workers are officially on strike, this as we take a peek of the golden gate bridge. the coalition workers, which includes ferry workers say the

strike will not impact traffic on the bridge or ferry service. they have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract. the sticking point here are rises health care premiums for employees. pickett lines started at 6:00 this morning. >> and new fines could have you paying more attention to how far you are from the bicyclists on the roadway. steph, three feet for bikes, which may not be the easiest call, particularly in the city. >> reporter: that's right. let's say you're driving down market -- if drivers violate this rule, they will have to pay up to $200 in court fees if

ticketed and up to $1,000 with fees if there's a collision. california drivers have always had to pass on the left and at a safe distance but now there is that numerical requirement involved. bicyclists said they'll do anything to protect them on the road while drivers say cyclists already get enough room on the road. >> i think it's a good idea. it's nice to get more buffer zone away from the cars. >> there's too many cyclists on the road now for the cars. that's why there are so many more accidents. >> you think driver should get more protection? >> sure. we have to watch out for all these sigh clcyclists. they don't have lights, it's hard to see them at night. >> 11% hit on the side by the front of the car and 12% cyclists were side swiped.

bicycle advocates say they're hoping this will raise awareness on safety on the road. if there are five or more cars backed up behind you as a cyclist, you must pull over and let them by. >> health officials and volunteers will begin walking the streets of napa to talk with residents about some of the damage done by last month's 6.0 earthquake. they say the impact study will take about three days to complete. that can include everything from housing and stress reduction. they'll be wearing identifying badges and i.d.s. >> san francisco city officials say they're going to post earthquake warning signs on so-called soft story buildings that have not been inspected for

quake risks. those signs will warn people that the buildings have not been brought to compliance with the law. the city says 90% of building owners have complied. >> city leaders must decide what to do with a 44-acre orchard. the plan calls for the construction of more than 300 homes and 580,000 square feet of commercial retail space. if approved, dozens of current residents would be forced to move. supporters say the development would provide some much-needed affordable housing. opponents are worried about traffic and school class sizes increasing. >> a mysterious light in the sky

friday morning was spotted from all over northern california and nevada as well. the mystery also lit up social media. it turns out the light was from three missiles test fired from a navy submarine off the coast of southern california. >> i feel like every time we hear about some sort of speaker. >> it looks as if spacex will not win the contract to take astronauts to the space station. >> scott mcgrew, all traditional boeing seems to have the upper hand. >> it is disappointing for elon musk who has proven themselves.

we'll find out what company has won the contract for the space taxi to the shuttle and right now it looks like boeing. spacex might get some kind of secondary contract today. that's notable because usually nasa hands out one big, fat contract, there is no second place. and now rules to address self-driving cars. before now, there really weren't nip kind of rules. the big news today, those kind of cars won't be allowed on roads. the driver has to be able to take control. other than that, it's a pretty liberal set of rules to keep companies -- there's the government making that deal to tesla, $1.3 billion in tax

breaks. kim and sam -- kim. kris and sam, the wall street journal says nevada gave away too much and they have no idea how thoroughly they've been fleeced. that's according to the journal. >> i think you can give away too much. >> $1.3 billion is a lot. >> you just gave away three letters of my name. >> one final look at the day's top stories. arson investigators are waiting for a huge pile of burned pallets to cool down so they can figure out how all of that wood caught fire. it happened at a locked storage yard in san jose. >> people face fines up to $100 day if they waste water. city council members approved that new penalty yesterday. the new fines could be issued only after multiple warnings. >> and governor brown set to sign a landmark legislation that would force people to keep their

basins at sustainable levels. they could only take out enough water to keep the basins at sustainable levels. many farmers say that could put them out of business. >> and low 80s around san rafael and livermore with low 80s. high clouds late. we could see late tomorrow into thursday morning the chance of much-needed light rain. >> we were just talking about robot cars seconds ago. scott mcgrew, those can't be on the road right now until we figure out the rules of the road. >> what's going on the roads? >> a slowdown for 101, but now back to a typical build for 101. a little slower than you might expect because of the earlier crashes. 880 is showing a little slowdown.

let's look up at the area and reassure folks we do have the roadway open for the "nimitz," unlike yesterday. >> thank you for joining us today. that is what's happening on "today in the bay." back at 7:25 with more local news. gm.3 c3 minuto, más de cien casas a major heat wave only adds to the misery. nfl fallout. a major sponsor cuts ties with the minnesota vikings after adrian peterson is allowed to return to the team. confronting the crisis, president obama turns to the u.s. military for help in fighting the growing ebola outbreak.