breaking news this morning. at a major south bay freeway at a near standstill after a horrific multicar crash that resulted in a significant injury. we have a crew on the scene. plus pete suratos is in san francisco. >> reporter: san francisco residents reporting a gas smell odor around the city. what pg&e is saying about it this morning. >> iconic star wars actress carey fisher has died. we look at her storied career. "today in the bay" starts right now. >> good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia-cannon. >> let's get straight to vianey arana following a major crash on 280 southbound.

what are we learning right now? >> reporter: as of now chp have reported multiple vehicles. we don't know exactly how many, but definitely involving a car that did catch on fire on southbound 280. all lanes were closed. it appears they have managed to open two lanes at the moment. this is good news. if you are early in the morning in the commute, right now it's not traffic hour just yet. over the next couple hours if this does continue. they haven't confirmed this is a fatal. we are going to keep a close eye on this. if it does turn into a fatal, this could cause the shutdown of the freeway causing more backup. if it really starts to back up, you really want to get ahead. i would say get off on saratoga avenue. as of now, it appears crews are already on scene cleaning up so we'll keep a close eye on the

commute for you. >> we will keep you posted on the latest on this crash on 280 southbound, two lanes have now reopened as vianey just told us. we will update you as the morning drive progresses. the traffic is already backing up. we will continue to monitor the flow. for now we'll check in with meteorologist kari hall. is it still cold outside? monday, tuesday, much of the same? >> another cold morning as we take a live look outside our microclimates. it's 33 degrees in the tri-valley, south bay 38 and the north bay is freezing now, 31 degrees. we'll see these temperatures dropping a few more degrees as we head through the morning and then rise up to the upper 50s to lower 60s with a beautiful day ahead. we'll table a look at that microclimate forecast coming up in a few minutes. kari, thanks. just shy of 4:33.

a swarm of earthquakes near south lake tahoe could be felt here in the bay area. the usgs map is being updated as aftershocks continue. two 5.6 earthquakes struck near hawthorne, nevada. that's more than 300 miles from here. we've heard reports of people feeling the quake all the way in tracy. two men arrested in connection with a deadly stabbing in a target store in christmas eve will be charged today. we'll hear more about the vicious attack on the father of five. the victim here, tyrone griffin, police say he was stabbed in the toy section of the target store on whipple road in hayward. griffin was shopping with his 4-year-old sonality the time. the suspects are franky and jesse archuleta. witnesses say the victim was talking to the men about their

music because he felt it was inappropriate for kids. now to a gilroy man under arrest for the murder of his own mother. nbc bay area's robert handa broke the story. deputies told us that matthew st. louis ski beat to death his mother with a baseball bat on christmas bay. the victim was a long-time leader with the gilroy historical society, she was an educator at gilroy high school and san jose state. >> community contributor, and she certainly was in every way you can think of. and a very gracious, thoughtful person, who was always looking out for others who needed a little extra helping hand. >> a motive for the killing has not been released. let's go back to breaking news. utility crews searching for the source of a suspicious odor all

over downtown san francisco. >> authorities have received a lot of calls, and "today in the bay's" pete suratos is live. we understand the fire department has been flooded with calls all night long. >> reporter: good morning, kira and sam. they got more than 30 customer calls regarding this issue around 2:00 a.m. we do know in our recent conversations that that smell is dissipating, and they're classifying it as an unspecified gas odor. they're telling us there are no natural gas readings at this time around san francisco. the specific areas where they were getting these calls are around downtown san francisco south of the area where we're at on the embarcadero. we're willing told just now that smell is traveling south of 280. that smell is beginning to dissipate. there are investigators here on the ground. we haven't been given a specific location. but, of course, as we get those

new details, we'll bring them to you in the newsroom. live in san francisco, pete suratos for "today in the bay." >> pete, thank you. now to a legal setback for san francisco's police union. the union wants to stop changes to the city's use of force policy. changes that were approvaled just last week and would affect some police policies for the first time in 20 years. as a result, officers will no longer be able to use a specific type of choke hold and no longer allowed to shoot into moving vehicles. the police union wants to stop those changes, but a judge has denied the union's request. the judge says the state supreme court already ruled that cities have the right to define the use of force policy. the head of the police officers association says his organization plans to push ahead with this lawsuit attempting to overturn the city's decision. in the meantime, san francisco police officers will follow this new use of force policy. quite a bit of heart ache. star wars fans remembering ca y

carrie fisher. she suffered an apparent heart attack on a flight from london to los angeles. it happened 15 minutes before the plane landed. she was best known for her iconic role as princess leia in "star wars," but also an author, activist and her personality. she's survived by her mom, debby reynolds and daut ever, actress billie lord. we'll haerl from a man who directed fisher and her show, "wishful drinking." >> a new day and a similar start. at least we're finishing warmer. >> it will be a little warmer. this is what you have to deal with with temperatures starting in the 30s widespread across the bay area. we'll take a closer look at these numbers as we head into the start of 2017 coming up. let's head back to the south

bay. this is interstate 280 southbound in san jose right by byrd avenue. there was a bad multicar crash this morning that shut down all lanes at one point within the last 15 minutes or so two lanes have been reopened. vianey arana has been following this closely. she'll bring us an update right after the break. is there an elk in your bed?

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avenue where we've been a tracking this live shot. it looks like we have confirmed that there are multiple patients transported to area hospitals. no specifics at this time regarding injuries or conditions. we will have another update in about ten minutes. >> we hope everyone is okay. we'll bring you updates throughout the morning. a high-end east bay clothing store facing accusations of discrimination against customers based on the color of their skin. a former employee is suing versace after working at their outlet store. he says he was told to use a specific code when a black customer entered the store. he's also accusing the store because of firing him because of his race. the company issued a statement which says, quote, we do not

tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin or any other characteristic protected by our civil rights laws. a new menorah is expected to arrive in san francisco. the new menorah arrives just in time for the fifth night of hanukkah tonight. the originate menorah was stolen from north beach's washington square park. it happened on christmas day which also happened to be the first day of hanukkah. police are examining surveillance video to find the thief. time is running out before california's restricted gun laws go into effect. people are apparently rushing to make last-minute purchases. >> "the sacramento bee" is reporting nearly 1 million firearms have been purchased this year. officials say the sale of semi-automatic rifles have more than doubled last year's sales. the new laws which will change the classification of semi-automatic rifles go into

effect next week. we will have the latest coming up on this crash. southbound 280 are reopened. all lanes were closed. traffic is backing up. there are multiple injuries, multiple cars involved. vianey will have an update after the break.

sure, you could sit around all night waiting for a pizza to be delivered. but wouldn't making it yourself be a lot more fun? it's baking season. warm up with pillsbury. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. it's baking season. warm up with pillsbury.

toss to weather and traffic.

welcome back in the mid holiday wednesday. not a lot of activity going on. a very busy morning so far. we'll start on the roads with vianey arana. >> there is still actively a sig alert. earlier in the date there were five lanes blocked. they're already clean at the scene. we did call the san jose fire dispatcher. it appears it's involving multiple vehicles and there are multiple injuries involved. we don't know the condition of these patients just yet. they have been transported to area hospitals. it appears that the fire department had to extract somebody trapped in their vehicle. we will keep a close eye on that. it is a fatal. that sig a alert is in place. two lanes are currently open. we aren't seeing the big backup just yet. we're keeping a close eye on that. as that starts slowing down and that early morning traffic

commute begins to pick up, these maps in the san jose area and bird avenue already slowing. they'll start more slowing towards the earlier morning of the day and the 6:00 a.m. hour. we will keep you updated on the sad condition of all of the patients. i'll send things back to you. >> thank you very much for that update, vianey. we'll check back with you in five or ten minutes. now to business news at 4:47. apple wants to help you keep those new year's resolutions as you were saying before the commercial break. the plan involves you buying their devices. >> for that and the rest of the news before the bell, we turn to landon dowdy live from cnbc world headquarters. good morning to you. >> sam and kira, good morning. futures are higher this morning and stocks posting small gains yesterday with the nasdaq hitting a new record high, although very low volume.

investors cheering economic data showing consumer confidence rising to a 15-year high this month. donald trump taking credit for the increase in a tweet posted last night. we get a report today on pending home sales. the dow rising 11 points to 19,945. the nasdaq up 24 to 5,487. a last-minute surge in spending may offset a slow start to the holiday season. sales at brick and mortar stars rose more than 6% after having fallen for most of december. master card says strong demand for furniture, home furnishings and men's apparel push holiday sales up 4%. apple wants to encourage you to keep your new year's resolutions. it's rolling up an update to apple watch users. they'll be greeted by the ring in the new year challenge which kicks off on january 2nd. it it's looking to make this a slr social event.

sam and kira, back over to you. >> how many of those goals, do you think, have to do with running, working out, getting in shape? all of them? >> all of them i would assume. >> landon dowdy, thank you very much. speaking of apple watch goals, our fellow apple watch wearer kari hall, no pressure to you. will you be joining the new year's resolution? >> you have the breathe, stand, move -- and what's the other one? exercise, exercise, of course, trying to get all of those in for the new year. now we have very chilly weather to try to accomplish some of those goals as we take a live look outside at san francisco. it is 47 degrees now. heading up to 56. we'll be warmer today. it's 39 degrees now in oakland. 37 in palo alto and in san jose, 38 degrees. another chilly morning, but it will be warming up nicely into the upper 50s to lower 60s. we're also tracking the

earthquake swarm happening in nevada and being felt across parts of california as well near lake tahoe over to the central valley. it was a 5.7 magnitude quake. that happened shortly after midnight. we'll continue to see those aftershocks and possibly feeling that in parts of the state as well. now we're looking at some showers that will be in the forecast as we head towards friday. it looks like it will mostly be across southern california, only some spotty rain here, and then for the next significant chance of rain, it may not be until monday of next week. so we will have some cool weather and also some times of some light showers, but not expecting anything heavy at this point with the possibility in the next seven days of only up to half an inch of rain. so into the forecast, especially for san francisco and farther to the south, that's where we will have our highest chance of rain between now and friday. and looking at chilly temperatures after a nice warmup

for the next couple days. you can tell here by the end of the forecast, we'll only see the highs in the upper 50s -- upper 40s to lower 50s with rain off and on. we'll continue to keep you updated on the chance of those showers coming up in the forecast. kira and sam? >> kari, thanks. you've probably seen the amazon commercials where people talk to alexa. a strange twist. we'll tell you how that device who is supposed to be so helpful is at the center of a murder case and what amazon is telling authorities. happening right now, we continue following the breaking news out of san jose with multiple lanes shut down on i-280 south. be sure to download our nbc bay area app. we're also awaiting word on multiple injuries from that crash. we'll send traffic alerts right to your cell phone. plus the passing of actress carrie fisher. we've posted several stories looking back on her life inud clooing time in the bay area,

interviews she did with us. we're back in just two minutes.

at 4:54. a quick look at southbound 280 in san jose at byrd avenue. three lanes remain closed following a multiple car crash. two lanes remain reopened. we've learned there are multiple patients in the hospital. one person was trapped in their car and has been extricated. we'll have the latest in a few minutes. the evidence is in. now it's up to the santa clara county district attorney whether or not to charge students for sharing sexually explicit pictures. mountain view police say they and other police agencies have been investigating the allegations at five different south bay high schools for months now. they say students were allegedly

sharing hundreds of sexually explicit pictures of other students, all of this via an online drop box account. police have since put a freeze on that account. investigators say an anonymous tip led them to the case. among the possible charges being faced here, child pornography. a hot selling item this holiday season, talking the amazon echo digital assistant. it's also at the center of a controversial murder case. it raises questions about your privacy. the smart device listens and responds when asked a question. now police in bentonville, arkansas, want those audio recordings and other electronic data from an amazon echo from inside a home where a murder may have been committed. this man is accused of killing his co-worker. police have a warrant for the echo data. amazon is saying no citing privacy concerns. a very historic moment in hawaii yesterday. we saw president obama and japanese prime minister shinzo

abe visit pearl harbor together. this marks the first time a japanese leader has officially visited that site since world war ii. earlier this year president obama became the first sitting president to visit the japanese memorial dedicated to those killed in hiroshima and nagasaki. >> i hope together we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution. here in this quiet harbor, we honor those we lost and we give thanks for all that our two nations have won together as friends. >> at the ceremony yesterday, those leaders spoke about the alliance that hstrengthened sine world were ii between the u.s.

and japan. some people in northern china are getting the chance to see a natural light show that only happens in the winter. >> take a look at this. the colorful pillars appearing on monday night. wow. that lasted for about two hours. people braved the cold to get a looming at what some are calling a dreamy scene. it looks almost like a painting. meteorologists say the pillars only appear in the winter when temperatures are low enough to make crystals out of water vapor the air. the crystals reflect the city lights creating those beams. >> like the aurora borealis. >> very much so. let's check in with kari hall. >> a very cold morning again with freezing and frost conditions all across the bay area. we'll take a look at a warmer forecast just briefly. that's coming up in just a few minutes. >> kari, thank you very much. let's go back now to southbound 280 in san jose. this is right by byrd avenue.

you see only about one or two lanes actually flowing there as authorities have shut down at least three lanes. we've learned a three-car crash that resulted in multiple injuries was caused by a wrong way driver. that is breaking news that we just got in. vianey arana will bring us the latest right after this break.

oooh. wowww. there it is. it's the red tag sales event and people are excited to bring in the new year with a new chevrolet. i'm a huge chevy fan. how would you feel about starting 2017 in a new chevy? it sounds wonderful. honestly, i would take any one. oh heck yeah! i want to get one tomorrow. fantastic! turn it on, let's go. during the red tag sales event get two deals in one. find your tag for an average total value over ninety-six hundred dollars on chevy silverado all stars. hurry, the red tag sales event ends january 3rd. freeway shut down-- after a breaking news this morning.

multiple lane of a major south bay freeway shut down after a horrific multicar crash. we're learning of multiple injuries. we're going to bring you a live report from the scene. more breaking nous this morning, pete suratos joining us from san francisco. >> iconic "star wars" actress carrie fisher has died. we look back at her store read career. "today in the bay" starts right now. >> it is 5:00. good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. let us get right to that breaking news on the roads. joining us now, vianey arana with a crash slowing things up right now. >> sam, it appears to involve multiple vehicles with multiple injuries. three vehicles at the moment is the latest information that we've received. apparently it's all because of a wrong-way driver that did cause a car fire. somebody had to be extracted from their vehicle. there have been patients transported to local