a little urgent about it. but of course there was the niner game. >> i went to the game. my son-in-law, who isa pharmaci, kept checking my pulse. >> give me your wrist. i have to make sure everything is going ok. >> the doctor said don't wave your arms and scream and get all excited. ok. and i don't normally. this is a monday night pittsburgh steeler game. the power went off. the lights went off. they went off twice. meantime, the 49ers make a great recovery. they beat the pittsburgh team. >> the next day, he went in and got his pacemaker placed. >> that was almost another miss, but i made it. >> i know what you're thinking. how could a man abandon his family or ignore a life threatening surgery just to see a game? you only have to know irwin to know that these are the depths of his love for his 49ers. it's his life.

his identity. but at the core, he is anything but aloof to those around him. he is giving, caring, and do downright memorable. so much so, that in 2007 the 49ers front office decided to honor their faithful and through research of their loyal season ticket holders they unearthed the true numbers behind irwin's remarkable streak. >> when you look at the accounts, you can't really tell because it starts from when they started off at candlestick. so it had, you know, 1971 start date on his account. but i knew it went much further than that. at that point, i realized, this guy, you know, he's not just a regular fan. he is a 49ers superfan. the first person that i thought of, of course, was irwin.

i sent his information over to marketing, and then, you know, they fell in love with him. >> he got the word that his picture was going to be on the ticket for his 80th birthday. and the whole family was together. a proof was mailed to my house. and so we were in on what was going on. and to get to watch him open the envelope, and see that his picture was going to be on the ticket was just so exciting. and i think the fact that it was on his 600th game was just, you know, cherry on the top. >> it was a thrill. my whole family was there for the game. they all had the privilege of coming down on the field before the game. as i got to the stadium, people kept stopping me saying, you're irwin. yeah. you're on the ticket. can i have my picture taken with you? would you sign my ticket? >> to watch that reaction from him, and the reaction from the

people that noticed it, it was so much fun. >> it got a little old after a while, you know. i'm not used to notoriety like this. that was kind of an ego trip if i ever had one, i guess. >> irwin's ego was more than in check. and his appreciation was unmatched. only by his humor and wit. he had received a monumental birthday gift, one that literally punched his ticket into the 49er family. >> and i ran into him, you know, right before he went on the field. and he had a smile from ear to ear. and he just kept thanking me. and i was like, no, it's not me you should be thanking. >> he especially enjoyed it, and he deserved it. he has something really unique.

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you know, i've gotten to know a lot of people. i'm not talking fans. i'm talking employees that have just been so nice to me >> there's a couple of them, we take to lunch on a frequent basis. just enjoy them and what they've done for me. i think anybody that's been a season ticket holder for a number of years feels a relationship with the team. >> in his 80s, california native irwin defines faithful. immersed in the team he loves, irwin lives and breathes his 49ers, adoring not only those on the field that battle on sundays, irwin's love extends into the 49er family from the front office to the stadium's playmaker staff that have served him loyally for over 630 consecutive games. one of those is longtime usher

quinnland adams. >> he is a sweetheart. a great guy. >> i always look forward to him coming to the game. >> if i'm down on the field before the game, he wonders if i'm going to be here. oh, you're here. >> he gives me stories about way back when he was a ticket colder in the old days. >> over his six decades of faithfulness to the 49ers, irwin has also followed another passion, collecting everything and anything that represents his team. >> he has memorabilia. he has so much memorabilia. and when he picked up stuff, he didn't pick up one. he had a lot of things.

>> so what does a collector who has an unbeatable streak of consecutive home games appearances and a lot of collectibles do? that's easy. help populate a living, breathing museum, so that his and his team's legacy will live on and be enjoyed by the next. >> before we get started, irwin, i want to -- we had these made, and i figured you were the best person to get the first one. so this is the first lifetime membership to the museum. it's bei and we have one for you too. >> oh, god. you're going to see a lot of me here. i haven't seen everything yet. i needed a pacemaker. >> look at that.

>> it's somebody who's faithful through thick and thin, good weather, bad weather, not somebody who just shows up when the team is winning. and i think my dad's record shows that he is an all the time faithful fan. >> faithful means you're not going to miss a game. and you're going to defend them, what people say, oh, they stink or this or that, you're going to come back with some answer. you're going to resent it. you'll defend them to the bitter end. it's a part of your life. >> irwin is the guy who has witnessed it all. you can name pretty much any incident or any home game or anything, and he'll tell you about it. he'll tell you all about it, and the people who are in and players who have been long since forgotten, but he still remembers. he laughs, you know, the guy has only been a fan since the '60s.

>> he now feels like he is really a part of the team. and donating his memorabilia to the museum for the new stadium makes him feel like he is part of the team and being recognized, and it makes him the happiest guy in the world. >> i'm die-hard 49ers.

i can't talk about other nfl

teams, what they've done for their players or their employees. but eddie was probably the greatest owner any team has ever had. eddie was down on the field five minutes before the game was over. he was shaking hands. he was elated. he treated them wonderful. now with the yorks, it's a family organization. with jed involved as he is, i think it's a great place for anybody. wonderful operation. i couldn't speak more highly for them.

nbc bay area news starts now. >> fire. flames all the way to the sky. really, really big red flames. >> this is just one of eight fires lighting up the sky in the east bay today, all set on purpose in the middle of this epic drought. the neighbors who sounded the alarm and the business owners who may be forced to close for good. plus, roses and candles mark the spot where a man was shot and killed in san jose. the witnesses who heard gunshots outside their door. and also the lessons learned from ferguson, missouri. the calls for change presented to city leaders from around the

nation. thank you for joining us. >> we're on right now because of sunday night football. well, tonight an east bay community is in shock after a series of arson fires. this morning, firefighters rushed to eight different fires covers a seven-block radius in alameda. officers say they caught two men who had torched homes, businesses, and cars all in the space of four hours. christie smith is joining us from the shopping center where some businesses lost everything. >> reporter: good evening, terry. homeowners, business owners are shaking their heads tonight wondering why someone would want to set a series of fires. we're standing behind a row of businesses here. what they tell us is that someone actually lived upstairs there. the building damaged. right below, cars that belonged to a dry cleaning business are damaged as well. and what's also odd is that there are cameras here in plain sight. the video is now being given to law enforcement. overnight in alameda, the fires

kept coming near dumpsters, cars, businesses and even homes starting after midnight. >> and i looked out the window, and it was just fire. flames just all the way to the sky. really, really big, red flames. and people were pounding on everybody's door, get out, get out. it's fire. >> reporter: at least four families were displaced by the fires in the community left stunned trying to understand why after police arrested two men described as a 27-year-old alameda resident and the other a 22-year-old transient on suspicion of arson in connection with eight fires. >> both were located in close approximate to t proximity to the fires. >> reporter: this family tried to salvage what they could from their dry cleaning business of 30 years. despite being burned out, they said they felt sorry for their customers. do you think you can open this

cleaner again or no? >> i'm not sure. i was here 30 years. they said, oh, you work too hard. retire. >> reporter: early on, police told us that there were no injuries. we tried to call for an update and didn't hear back. they didn't release the name of the suspects. we're told that a multiagency task force is investigating. reporting live in alameda, christie smith, nbc bay area news. tonight, police are searching for the person who gunned down a young man in south san jose last night. we have the very latest from police headquarters on this investigation. >> reporter: peggy, so far police have not made any arrests. this was the 29th homicide of the year, and police say this happened in an area that has had several shootings this year. the homicide happened outside a home last night.

now a small memorial, three candles, flowers, and cards offering condolences to the watkins family. they say a man in his 20s was shot in the back last night several times in the driveway. the neighbor heard five shots. >> when i got to my window to watch what happened, and watched the guy on the floor. but i don't see any car. nothing. just the guy on the floor. >> reporter: the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. violence is not new to this area. just a few blocks away, 34-year-old lawrence antrias was shot and killed in front of a 7 eleven. the man in last night's shooting had two young daughters and a baby on the way. police are still investigating the motive for this shooting. reporting live in san jose, nbc bay area news. now to a follow-up on a

deadly officer-involved shooting that left a suspected carjacker dead. tomorrow, the san francisco police will hold a press conference to give the public more information on the incident. on thursday morning, a man carjacked a woman in richmond. police pursued him until he crashed in san francisco's familiar district. police say the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at them. that's when officers shot and killed the man. the car jabbing victim was not injured. powerful new weapons on the way to the mountainview police department, so powerful they may be raising a few eyebrows on the peninsula. police will get new rifles from the department of defense. it's all through a federal program that distributes extra military gear to law enforcement agencies. this comes as police in ferguson, missouri, were criticized for being armed with military weapons and tanks after the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in august. dozens of mayors from around the country take on controversial topics in a two-day forum at the state

capitol. kevin johnson hosted the event, including a session on the recent violence in ferguson. the city has been in the spotlight since an unarmed teenager was fatally shot by a white police officer. now michael brown's attorney is asking mayors to help police officers and make sure they wear video cameras. >> so when there's an encounter, as there will be, because that's what police do, it will be transparent. and people will know what happened, and know if they used excessive force, if they followed the rules and regulations and the policy. >> the mayors at the cone frien conference say discussing these issues and others is important if only to prevent ferguson from happening again. a light earthquake shook things up this afternoon south of the bay area. the magnitude 4.4 quake struck about 1:45 this afternoon in a remote part of san bernardino county. shaking could be felt as far

away as carmel and holister. no reports of damage so far. if the drought goes on much longer, water could soon be rationed among household. with the drought dragging into its fourth year now, agencies are looking at allocates specific amounts of gallons per household per day. separate allocations would be granted for indoor and outdoor use. water budgets would be calculated according to the demographic area. most importantly those who use more than their share of water would pay more. it is not clear if allocations would be made at the state or local level. workers are deciding whether or not to strike. they say court management has offered no proposed wage increase. voting will end tomorrow. when it came to parking at levi's stadium for today's 49ers game, maybe heading home is

easier after your team wins. what a game. it seemed like on the whole, there were fewer problems for drivers especially in the wake of the last game a couple of weeks ago when fans were stuck in long, long waits in some lots. this time, many told us parking had improved. others, still frustrated. >> crazy. >> really? >> it's impossible. >> this way too much traffic. >> it's better from the first time, we heard. better today, definitely. >> santa clara will have another chance to test parking one week from today when the niners host the kansas city chiefs. peggy, remember after the bears game, you were out in the green lot, i think it was. >> it was just chaos. and people were so frustrated. of course, that was coming off the home opener loss. that was tough too. but people driving over the medians there to escape the parking lot. >> maybe a bit better this time. maybe they didn't care. we won. coming up, a violent

response to demand for democratic reform. crowds clashing with police in hong kong. also the online photo network that's being banned by authorities. and a female pilot on the charge against isis. low clouds across san francisco today. we had rain off towards our east. we'll talk about your monday forecast, and boy, it is going to get hot around here. stay tuned. we'll talk about how hot it's expected to get coming up after this.

some amazing rescues in japan. but also a climbing death toll following a volcano eruption.

the bodies of more than 30 people were found today at the top of the mountain. it's believed they died from toxic fumes. the mountain erupted yesterday without warning in central japan. it's a popular destination for hikers that go there to view the fall colors. 250 people were trapped last night and descended hours after the first eruption. protesters clash with police on the streets of hong kong. police tonight fired tear gas to disperse crowds from an area around government headquarters. at least 26 people were injured. police have made at least 78 arrests so far. earlier in the day, authorities used pepper spray on groups trying to shut down the financial district. they are demanding democratic reform. tonight, there are reports that media sharing sites like instagram have been blocked by chinese authorities. underestimating the rise of isis. new revelations from president obama tonight on the islamic

state militant group which has seized territories in iraq and syria. as brian moore shows us, lawmakers are discussing what to do next and whether they should have a say. >> reporter: u.s. and coalition forces launched weekend air strikes on isis in syria, the latest in a conflict with no end in sight. in an interview airing sunday on "60 minutes," president obama blamed u.s. intelligence for dropping the ball. >> i think our heads of the intelligence communities have acknowledged that they underestimated what had been taking place in syria. >> reporter: terrorists in iraq found safe haven in syria's civil war. >> they were able to reconstitute themselves and take advantage of that chaos and attract foreign fighters who believed in their jihadist nonsense. >> reporter: now isis is an army. >> i think it's going to take more than air strikes to drive them out of there. at some point, somebody's boots have to be on the ground. >> reporter: with congress on

break until the november elections, many lawmakers are demanding a say. >> i think the president has an obligation to call us back to start this debate. >> how long are we going to be there, and is there any end? >> reporter: a fight that will be a tough sell for a weary congress and a war-weary nation. the latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows nearly three out of four americans thibeliev that the united states will have to send in ground forces to fight isis. the united arab emirates has joined the u.s.-led coalition against isis. the country's first female pilot is leading air strike missions in iraq and syria. this is video of the major who commands a squadron of f-16 jets. this week she helped to coordinate attacks on isis. she says it's a dream to serve her country in the air force. she was one of the first women to graduate from the country's air force academy after it got rid of its ban on women. coming up next, you can call

it a resurgence in our own backyard. >> data that scientists are collecting just outside of the golden gate bridge and what they say they are now seeing more of in the pacific.