tv Today in the Bay NBC September 29, 2020 5:00am-6:00am PDT
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and with fog on the coast and winds dying down, firefighters hoping to gain some upper hand on those fires in sonoma and napa counties. but the wildfires are bringing some smoke back into the bay area prompting once again a spare the air alert. kari hall tracking the forecast and your air quality. "today in the bay" continues right now. and here we go on this tuesday morning. good morning to you. thank you for joining us. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. we'll get to that morning commute with mike in just a bit and any evacuation routes we need to avoid. let's check in with kari. you were talking about humidity levels being a little bit better today. that should be helpful. it will be very helpful. it slows the spread of the fires and when we have low humidity those fires can spread quickly. and we have seen the winds calming down. here is a look at our current wind speeds and gusts we've come down to three or four miles per hour. it's still going to be a hot
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afternoon. we're still talking about temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, even up to 100 degrees in ukiah. we are seeing some improving weather conditions due to the higher humidity and that fog that we're seeing near the coast, which will help cool the immediate coastline. we'll talk more about this as well as our air quality throughout the rest of the week coming up in a few minutes. mike, how is it looking for people heading out the door right now? well, kari, for your main commute, a couple of the slower spots to call out as we look at the map, everything along the perimeter looks to be okay. calling out a special issue for oakland, though. the altamont pass as well. over to the right coming out of the altamont pass, the west 580. a crash waiting for a tow truck over at north flynn. one lane is blocked by a car or a vehicle that is perpendicular to the rest of traffic making it tougher to see. over there southbound 880 jams up from the bridge and from alameda.
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those crews probably won't clear for another 45 minutes and then in the north bay marcus is marking a lot of local closures, silverado trail, we've had changes overnight. we'll talk more about that coming up. you're still talking about the fires, of course. >> that glass fire and the zogg fires are now burning in shasta county adding to a devastating year. a record setting 3.7 million acres now burned in california. the governor now declaring the state of emergency. here is a look at the current evacuation map that we have for you. 68,000 people are under evacuation orders in sonoma county alone due to the glass fire complex. estimated another 10,000 acres -- 10,000 people, i should say, under evacuation orders in napa county. >> our crews are in the damage zone. bob redell back in santa rosa.
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let's start out with "today in the bay's" cierra johnson live in calistoga which is now empty due to those evacuation orders, cierra. >> reporter: exactly. this community is no stranger to evacuations. it was just a few months ago that they had experienced those evacuations and it's this scene, hills on fire surrounding this town, that is prompting those evacuations. cal fire has a tough battle ahead. the fires are raging. previously the weather has not helped although right now it is a little cooler. so at this point cooperation by nearly 5,000 neighbors to heed the warning and evacuate is crucial. now the town has already witnessed devastation caused by the fire. you can see a well-known winery castello di amarosa was damaged by flames. the owner says it will now cost millions to repair. so right now officials urging
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folks to leave. on the way here from the city we saw a lot of smoke driving in. and you can tell they're not letting anyone in, anyone out. there were at least four checkpoints i had to pass to get to this location. on the way here i saw hot spots on both sides of the road as well as a scene similar to this one with a hill on fire, so if you are still here, you should not be, you need to be. heed that warning to evacuate. it is a dangerous situation. we're live in calistoga, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> and looters, don't even get any idea going up there either. thanks so much, cierra. new video showing cal fire helicopters flying above the glass fire last night near the town of angwin just as the sun was setting. at one point cal fire merged the three fires burning in napa and sonoma county into one fire that's burned over 36,000 acres. at its peak yesterday cal fire says the flames were burning one
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acre every five seconds. we want to give you a better idea where the glass fire is burning compared to others. now it is between calistoga as well as st. helena on both sides of highway 128. you can see it's here in the area of the glass fire. this is where so many homes, wineries and hotels are located. it's also burning west of there into santa rosa city limits. take a look at that. now wine country seems to be getting hit hard this year. now there's the lnu complex fire that we saw early burning since mid-august. now with nearly full containment. you can see there the tubbs fire that was locate there had in that area. that was from 2017 destroying 5,000 structures killing 22 people. it was also last year's kincade fire in this area, the yellow zone, that burned close to 78,000 acres.
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and the glass fire essentially right in the middle of all of that. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live for thus morning in one of those neighborhoods that changed forever yesterday. bob? >> reporter: marcus, we're in the skyhawk community, one of the neighborhoods where several homes burned down. you can see a couple of them behind me right here. we're in the eastern santa rosa area, the eastern part of santa rosa. i have to tell you compared to 24 hours ago the conditions are much more favorable. we're not seeing actual fire activity from the area we're at now where we were able to see it yesterday. there's hardly any wind and the temperatures are much less where you're probably just under 60 degrees. whereas yesterday we were hovering around 90 degrees, talking about 30-degree temperature difference. hopefully this morning we'll hear from cal fire they made a lot of progress in fighting the glass fire burning not too far from here. here was the scene last night, a lot of people from santa rosa.
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they went up to fountain grove, the fire burned through yesterday trying to find the fire to see where it's headed. we know it's moved south into the annadel state park. they say it's not where they wanted it to go but it did. for one woman we spoke to last night her third mandatory fire evacuation since 2017. she says it's devastating. >> we're safe. >> pretty scary, yeah. my wife was packing, getting ready, and i was just about ready and i was on the edge. >> i guess it's the new normal and we pay a good practice to be here in california, don't we? >> reporter: we do. and this part of santa rosa, the eastern participate of santa rosa, still unan evacuation, a
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manldto mandatory evacuation order. law enforcement checkpoints. the only people are supposed to be law enforcement, the fire department and us. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> bob, thank you. over in sonoma county and santa rosa dozens of homes destroyed. the oakmont neighborhood under mandatory evacuation orders. firefighters keeping watch on this fire burning in the state park. an air tanker grounded because of nightfall and low visibility. many spent last night packing up to leave the area. >> i've lived in sonoma county my entire life. i'm 31. up until three years ago never . and then the last three years it's been pretty much like clock work. >> meanwhile, the oakmont retirement community evacuated. this while crews worked to save their homes. they were successful. only a handful burned in that area.
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5:08 right now. a live look outside across the bay area. you see from san jose to san francisco smoke blanketing the golden gate bridge this morning. not fog. the air quality management district is sending a spare the air alert through at least friday due to smoke from the fires. the other complex fires, so much smoke in the bay area and it was nice to get some clearing for a little bit. here we go again. temperatures, is it going to cooperate at all today, kari? it's still going to be hot for this afternoon but we are also seeing kind of a mixture of a calm wind and higher humidity due to that fog rolling in. we can see it on satellite imagery as the fog rolled in from the south but it's also trapping some of that smoke, so we're going to see the smoggy conditions near the coastline and smoke for the inland areas as we go into today making that air quality really unhealthy.
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let's talk about the humidity because, once again, we've seen it coming up, and the higher humidity slows the spread of those fires. and look at these numbers that we're seeing now compared to relative humidity numbers in the single digits we saw yesterday. now we're talking about 80% and 90% humidity so that's really good news there. we'll talk about our air quality for the rest of the week coming up. mike, how is it looking for the commute? well, kari, we'll start in the north bay where the commute is all right but the locals are having an issue. we talked about calistoga, the evacuation order last night. despite that what's interesting is the fire is on either side of 128. more of 128 was open than this time yesterday. still, local traffic control and, of course, you avoid the area of calistoga down to st. helena, the areas that continue to be affected by the fire. angwin at the top of your screen, a little bit of a reference if you know the north bay. the rest of the bay shows a
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smooth drive on this wide view. we still have the crash out of the altamont pass for west 580 and that construction zone south through oakland on the nimitz. back to you. of course wildfires amidst the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic. still ahead on "today in the bay" at 5:25, another covid-19 milestone passed as a promising new rapid test gets the green light. but first, our coverage on the ongoing wildfires continues on air and online. can you find an air quality tracker so can you check the air quality in your neighborhood that's on nbcbayarea.com. 5:11 for you that morning. you're watching "today in the bay." frustrated that your clothes get damaged
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right now at 5:13 as we take a look at our air quality it's going to be unhealthy today due to all of the smoke coming in and you definitely want to limit your time outside. you may also at times have some ash falling in some of those areas especially in the north bay. i'm monitoring the air quality through the next five days as well as our temperatures. that's in the forecast coming up. and as we follow the local closures up there in the fire zone something that's not unfamiliar but definitely not welcome this morning for oakland, southbound 880 and that construction crew there blocking the majority of lanes down at 23rd. slowing off the embarcadero. further over to the altamont pass, westbound 580 your commute really jammed up affecting 580
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and 205. one lane and north flynn road. >> thanks so much, mike. 5:14. the white house is raising questions about governor newsom's plan to ban gas powered cars by the year 2035. the head of the environmental protection agency yesterday sent newsom a letter saying the plan raises all sorts of legal questions. he points out it would also increase the demand for electricity in the state that recently had rolling blackouts. supporters may counter the plans severely cutting the use of burning fossil fuels. they later accused the trump administration of trying to drive the country off a climate cliff. an update on the north bay wildfires burning in wine country. a live look from calistoga which is under full evacuation orders right now. you can see the glass fire burning in the distance just beyond the trees there.
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the fires burned more than 36,000 acres, more than 100 structures have been destroyed and hundreds more are still in the path of the fire. some 80,000 people out of their homes this morning. fires are having such a huge impact on animals as well. this is new video to show you a couple horses approaching a photojournalist. they nuzzled up at a home off calistoga road in santa rosa. no doubt saying, hey, buddy, get me out of here. such great personality, those horses. here is a hopeful story out of butte county where the north complex fire is burning. firefighters last week found a little kitten in the fire zone covered in ash. it was choking on all the smoke, but they've since named her baby yoda mostly for the big ears. an animal rescue group is helping it recover and they hope to put it up for adoption soon.
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the forest is with her. >> let's hope so. really cute there. it is 5:16 this morning. time to get a look at the forecast for you. meteorologist kari hall monitoring every aspect. what can we expect throughout the bay area? we're just trying to get out the door this morning on this tuesday and getting ready for another hot day. it's been so hot the past few days and i guess we'd just better get used to it because we're not seeing a lot of changes here. over to foster city and look at our trend for the morning. the early hours will be the best time to get outside but, unfortunately, due to all of the smoke coming in you don't want to spend a lot of time out there as our temperatures will be in the 60s throughout much of the morning here and then we'll be in the mid-70s as we go early in the afternoon. now we are going to see some hot weather again today and that's going to be the main issue as we take a look at our high temperatures, we're up to 90 in san jose and palo alto.
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95 in morgan hill and 98 in concord with napa reaching 92 degrees. 97 in clear lake. and we're still watching those winds and also the wind direction, wind speeds plays a huge role in how much smoke we'll see throughout different times of the day. so we're starting out with mostly a calm wind and then we see the winds coming out of the south and also at times from the east as we go into today it's still going to bring in higher humidity but that smoke really won't mix out too much because the winds have calmed down significantly and even when we start to see the wind coming in from the north we are going to have a very light wind so it doesn't make a huge difference here. and so the bay area air quaul district issued that spare the air alert through the end of the workweek. and it doesn't look like we're going to see any huge improvements here because of the high pressure that will be kind
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of pushing that smoke down, that high pressure causes the air to sink, exerts a high amount of pressure on the earth. as we go to the end of the week it will still be hot and smoky and we're going to see only some minor improvements in the weekend forecast with our inland areas in the upper 80s through the week and early next week. san francisco will see much more fog but it's also going to bring in some of that smoke as well. mike, you've been watching the commute as well as the evacuation zones. what's going on now? >> that's right, kari. we'll talk about the commute first. we have this issue out of the altamont pass. maps, a smoothny of the freeways drive. on the approach out of tracy, west 205 and west 580 jammed up and that includes the tow truck trying to get there asking chp do i have permission to use the right shoulder? no, not yet. still jammed up there. still have the construction there through oakland and south 880 from the embarcadero down to
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23rd. ov overnight construction picking up, we hope. calistoga, though there's more of 128, the evacuation zone, ordered last night. do avoid the area. watch for local traffic control if you're even passing through. back to you. i'll take it from here, mike. very happy tuesday to you. we'll get back to our fire coverage in a moment. a quick business update for you, the house has unveiled its latest bill in the attempt to create a coronavirus stimulus bill. it's been the better part of a year since the house first passed its original bill back in may. the senate never approved of it. the democratic led house now back with a smaller version of the same bill which extend the paycheck protection program and returns the popular $600 a month actually payment in unemployment rates as well, as well as another stimulus check to americans. speaker pelosi scheduled to meet with treasury secretary mnuchin
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today. mnuchin has been representing the white house and the senate in those negotiations. wall street kept its streak alive with stocks moving higher on monday. today is the second to last day of the financial quarter. futures calling for a lower opening this morning. experts say if there's a clear winner in the debates tonight we could see a rally tomorrow. and pilots at united have reached a deal to work less, get paid less to keep their jobs. united will not have to furlough as many as expected. united still plans to lay off 13,000 people. marcus and laura, this is very important to us because united airlines is one of the largest employers in san mateo county. back to you. >> and we're assuming that people will fly once again. thank you so much. 5:21 right now. on high alert "today in the bay" people in southern california facing extreme fire danger. we'll talk about some of the steps they're taking there this week. first, our team keeping a
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having torn through some 36,000 acres so far. last night the entire town of calistoga was ordered to evacuate bringing the total number of evacuation orders to somewhere around 80,000 in napa and sonoma counties. cal fire says at least 80 homes de destroyed. governor newsom declared a state of emergency. people in southern california are on high alert this week as the fire danger there intensifies less than a month ago san diego county dealing with the valley fire which burned more than 16,000 acres. this woke a red flag warning is in effect and includes power shutoffs. one woman said she learned exactly what to do if she has to evacuate again. >> the horses need to be set up with a piece of tape with a phone number on it. it is a little tough. i am on edge. it is hard. >> firefighters are stocking up on tools like extra long hoses and will be staffed 24 hours a day in case a new fire starts.
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turning now to the pandemic and the world passing a significant milestone. more than 1 million people have now died. in california over 15,000 people have died from the virus with 813,000 confirmed cases. president trump is announcing a new rapid covid testing kit that he says will be available across the country. abbott labs makes that kit. it uses small pieces of cardboard, a special liquid and a nasal swab to deliver results in just minutes. it also does not require the use of any machinery. officials say it will still be administered by health care officials but can be self-administered with supervision. kentucky's attorney general has agreed to release the transcripts of the grand jury case surrounding the police shooting of breonna taylor. no louisville police officers were directly charged in taylor's death which last week
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set off a new round of protests. one juror claiming the attorney general misrepresented deliberations and jurors were unable to charge only some of the officers involved. the attorney general now says the public interest outweighs keeping the deliberations secret any longer. the only former officer charged pleaded not guilty to endangering neighbors. 5:27 this morning. coming up here on "today in the bay," our live breaking news coverage continues from the north bay. >> that's where this fast moving fire is approaching thousands -- forcing, rather, thousands of new evacuations. >> reporter: that's right. the town of calistoga empty after those evacuations were ordered. coming up i will bring you the images from this town. >> reporter: the aftermath of the glass fire here in santa rosa, the favorable weather conditions that could help firefighters. you're watching "today in the bay."
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right now. a very good tuesday morning. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. mike is keeping an eye on the commute. we'll get to that in a bit. first, meteorologist kari hall with a look at the forecast today and air quaul is another issue we're dealing with. >> air quality will be really bad but improving conditions around the fire zone as we look at our weather sensor southwest of angwin. yesterday temperatures in the upper 80s. 61 degrees. the humidity is coming up and the winds are calming down. as we go throughout the day temperatures warming up just slightly. we are getting cooler air and higher humidity which will slow the spread of those fires. we'll talk more about that and the air quality coming up.
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mike, how is it looking for the drive? because of the crash continuing to bother people it will be an issue out of the altamont pass. west 580 and north flynn road we have only one lane blocked but all those folks flooding in out of that area. out of oakland we have that crew still there. the big concern for folks, local roadways closed. we've had those evacuations so things are still changing, back to you. >> we're keeping folks updated on everything. the governor declaring a state of emergency after a report setting 3.7 million acres have burned in california wildfires this year. the glass fire complex and zogg fire are adding to what is already a devastating wildfire
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season. 68,000 people are under evacuation orders in sonoma county alone due to the glass fire complex. it's estimated another 10,000 are under evacuation orders in napa county. our crews are getting an up close look. you saw them on the front lines. sharon katsuda is live at sonoma raceway where evacuees are staying this morning and bob redell live for us in santa rosa. first with cierra johnson live in one of the evacuated areas, calistoga. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning. calistoga is empty this morning. those evacuation orders issued last night and this time you can see the fires right on the hill.
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you could see the hills just lit up with that bright orange flame. the extent of the fire was shared throughout social media. it shows what the drive near calistoga looked like last night. and with those all too far flames you could see just really taking over the screen. cal fire has a tough battle and yesterday the weather was not helpful. right now i can tell you it is a lot cooler than the last couple of days. cooperation at this point by nearly 5,000 neighbors to heed that warning and evacuate is crucial in aiding those firefighters. this town has witnessed devastation caused by the fire. you can see the well known castello di amarosa winery was damaged by those flames. the owners say it will now cost millions to repair. officials are urging folks to leave.
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>> i'm 100% ready to leave. i don't feel comfortable with the looting if there's possible looting going around. >> reporter: and back out here live it's that image of the hills on fire why we should heed the warning and place life over property at this point. officials urging everyone to leave. the town empty. coming in here i had to pass four checkpoints. they're not letting anyone in or out because of the dangerous situations. we're live in calistoga. cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks for the very latest. all new video shows firefighters driving into the glass fire. this is taken east of calistoga in napa county. you can see how dangerous.
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"today in the bay's" bob redell joins us live in santa rosa with the very latest. bob? >> reporter: we're in the skyhawk neighborhood, one of the neighborhoods a few houses have burned down. the fire department has been doing patrols. the chief drove through here to make sure there are no hot spots. the weather conditions are just much better, cooler, not much wind. nothing like we saw yesterday. the glass fire has moved south now into the annadel state park. firefighters were hopeful that the winds would not pick up overnight. we are not witnessing the same gusty winds. yesterday it was 91 degrees.
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it feels like it's 60. roadblocks and evacuation orders are still in place and here is one woman who tried to save what she could from her neighbors' homes burning yesterday. >> the pictures i put in the back of the van to hopefully save some of their pictures and stuff that's close to them. >> i've lived in sonoma county my entire life. i'm 31. up until three years ago this has never happened. the last three years it's been pretty much like clock work. >> reporter: we know that in east santa rosa where we're at right now people are evacuated in the skyhawk neighborhood. oakmont down the road from here they were evacuate d, firefighters in the area, some of the homes did burn on the perimeter of that neighborhood.
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our last reporting from what i saw yesterday none inside the interior of the central part of that. law enforcement running checkpoints and the fire department out there fighting the fire in the hills and darkness and doing patrols. in santa rosa, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> so many aspects to what is going on. it's been a very long night. can you imagine, for the evacuees, many of whom are still looking for a place to stay not to mention the fact they don't even know if they will have their permanent home to go back to. sharon katsuda is live at the sonoma race way where that's where a lot of people are going. there's more room out there, sharon. >> reporter: that's right, laura. this is nice if you have the transportation to get here. you can see there's about ten
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vehicles, taking advantage of this space. now evacuees are welcome here. i spoke with one evacuee who showed us in st. helena. that's why his family fled even without the nixle alert. his family stood in line with hundreds of other evacuees. as of 7:00 p.m. last night they still had not received any information from the red cross or the church. they were heading back home even when they knew they had no power there and downed power lines and risk of active fire. i texted him back but haven't heard his status of his family and if they went home or were stopped before getting there. so far if you can get the
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transportation down here this area is open to 2,000 vehicles, less than a dozen here using this space. hopefully they will have some resources to provide you. pretty limited. i'm hearing only restrooms and possibly some water and if you do have campers they have water at a cost. >> a lot of people need all they can get right now. thank you, sharon. >> another fire burning in shasta county is turning deadly. the sheriff's office announced three people have died in the zogg fire burning out of control west of i-5 near redding. more than 31,000 acres have burned since sunday afternoon. 5:40 for you that morning and with the fires burning air quality is not looking good right now. we're heading back closer to
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where we were two weeks ago. you can see on the satellite imagery we are seeing all of these fires burning across the state and all of this smoke blowing through. but now we're seeing some fog travel in and so we're going to have some smoggy conditions today near the coastline. our air quality will be unhealthy for all of our microclimates today. we need to limit our time outside and turn the air conditioning on recirculate. we'll talk about the air quality as well as our temperatures. >> it looks like everything is moving fine but we do have the issue out of the altamont pass, west 580. it is jmd up still coming off 205 and 580. the crash at north flynn still blocks one lane. just like a lot of other folks
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that keeps the interchange a lot lighter. south 80 still jammed up, typical pattern there and at the bay bridge. the middle lanes start to slow down. we should have metering lights turned on probably any second. no surprises. back to you. >> thanks so much, mike. 5:42. covid concerns. next on "today in the bay" a new warning from governor newsom. plus, why cities across the state now have the green light to reopen their playgrounds. and why some -- >> the virus will no doubt come up in tonight's debate. it is the first. we'll take you out live as they get the stage ready. some fact checking ahead of the debate coming up. but first our coverage of the ongoing wildfires continuing on air and online. you can find the full list and school closures at nbcbayarea.com. you're watching "today in the bay." in business you have to be able to shift-pivot-adapt.
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get started with powerful internet and voice for $64.90 a month, and ask how you can get one free year of amazon busines prime essentials on us. call or go online today. comcast business. right now at 5:45 as we take a look at our current temperatures in the north bay it is much cooler right now compared to yesterday at this time. the winds have calmed down and the humidity has come up. really good conditions hopefully for those firefighters to get some containment. we'll talk more about temperatures for this afternoon coming up in a few minutes. and, kari, it is just happening in south bay, a crash
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southbound 101 coming down to oakland road. but our camera shows you the headlights jamming up northbound to the same area. either a distraction or that update is not correct. chp is getting onscene. and then the golden gate bridge. overnight chp gave a warning about fog. we know there may be some smoke mixed in with that. no major problems here. the source we're tracking. back to you. i have more on it now, mike. the glass fire forcing thousands from their homes in the north bay. the fire is still burning out of control this morning having torn through some 36,000 acres so far. last night the entire town of calistoga was ordered to evacuate bringing the total number of evacuation orders to somewhere around 80,000 in napa and sonoma counselees combined. cal fire says at least 80 homes are destroyed along with 32 other structures.
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late last night governor newsom declared a state of emergency. and this is so sad. the world renowned meadowood resort along with its michelin three-star restaurant is hardly recognizable. crews were unable to save the restaurant and several other structures. meadowood is a jewel for tourists and local families. i've stayed there and it's heartbreaking to see these pictures. >> so sad to see when the structures go up. it's heartbreaking. firefighters in southern california are on high alert right now with the red flag warning in effect today. crews did get the upper hand on that fire that started yesterday north of santa clarita. the martindale fire burned about 300 acres. to decision 2020 and quite possibly the most important day in the whole campaign save election day. >> tonight is the first debate,
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scott mcgrew. that's right. and hosted by chris wallace. good morning to you. we'll talk more about chris in a moment, but he is an excellent choice as a moderator as conservatives will have a tough time making that argument which they've made in the past that the moderator is somehow favoring the democratic candidate. most pundits say this is joe biden's debate to lose. he's known for may believe verbal gaffes. if he can keep away from those and keep his emotions in check he should be on solid ground. biden is pulling well ahead of the president in several key states and trump setting a trap for himself talking up biden's weaknesses ahead of the debate. so if biden can do better t the president is predicting, you may see some people take that as a win. now obviously the president is also known for verbal gaffes and inaccurate statements. they'll be facing a tough moderator in chris wallace. we expect questions about
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coronavirus and the supreme court. wallace, as you know, has questioned trump in the past leaving some viral moments. >> let's take a test. let's take a test right now. let's go down, joe and i will take a test. let him take the same test that i took -- >> incidentally, i took the test, too, when i heard you passed it, it's not the hardest test. >> no. >> there's a picture of an elephant. >> that's all misrepresentation. >> that's what was on the web. >> it's all misrepresentation. yes, the fir few questions are easy but i'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions. they get very hard. >> one of them was count back from 100 by 7. >> now we have seen wallace challenging trump several times. now trump does not like wallace claiming wallace is a mike wallace wannabe, the late great journalist is chris wallace's father. trump has called chris wallace nasty and obnoxious with a
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low-rated show. fact checking a couple things before they even happen as we take a live look inside as they're preparing the stage in cleveland, neither candidate is going to have a teleprompter. if they did you would be able to see it and, no, neither candidate will have an ear piece. those are all urban myths. the second fact check ahead of time president trump will likely claim there's a vaccine right around the corner. his own experts and indeed pharmaceutical companies disagree. in a town hall with george stephanopoulos two weeks ago president trump said he thought a vaccine was, in his words, three to four weeks away. if he's right and, again, science disagrees, we'll have a vaccine next week. we'll be tweeting about this and the debates and, marcus, i know you will tell people where to watch. on twitter can you find me @scottmcgrew. >> you know i will, scott. you can watch it here on nbc bay area, our nbc news team will also be providing some insight and analysis throughout the debate. that starts for you at 6:00 tonight. and a new warning from
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governor gavin newsom. any surge in coronavirus cases may set the counties back in reopenings. new cases overall are down during the past few weeks but the governor says some highly populated areas are seeing the new spike in the so-called reproduction numbers. so far this month the bay area's numbers, well, are sitting at 0.95. but when the county's r numbers go above 1.0 it can cause delays in school reopenings. new this morning some welcome news for cooped up parents and their young children. depending on what city you live in, playgrounds may officially reopen within a matter of days. that's because the state yesterday issued a new set of guidelines on how to safely reopen. local leaders across california will have to make the official call. some, including san diego mayor kevin faulconer are making
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plans. a live look from calistoga. this is right now. they're under a full evacuation order. the glass fire is burning there. you see still from a distance. the out-of-control fires burned more than 36,000 acres. more than 100 structures we're now told have been destroyed and hundreds more are still in the path of the fire. some 80,000 people are out of their homes this morning. that is in both napa and sonoma counties. >> certainly affecting a lot of people and, kari, the fire is really affecting the entire bay area because the air quality, again, we're seeing it not healthy. right. we're hoping we can get some containment on the fires now that the weather conditions are improving. we've seen the return of the fog that we are seeing rolling across the bay as we get a live look at this view in san francisco and so the fog returning means higher humidity
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and although there's not a lot of it we're seeing the winds calming down, a light wind coming in from the north for much of the north bay at about five to ten miles an hour. humidity is another thing. look at the relative humidity levels this morning. we're at 88% in napa. you compare that to yesterday where we're seeing single digit relative humidity numbers so it's also more humid which slows the spread of the fires and we don't have those winds kind of spanning the flames. as we go into today the humidity comes up to some levels that are going to be moderate for the afternoon reaching into the 30% to 40% relative humidity range. looking at our highs still going to be really hot. highs that are going to be well above normal reaching into the low 90s for much of the north bay. some upper 90s for the east bay. up to 99 in antioch and in livermore with san jose up to 90 degrees. we're not seeing any weather
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systems that will help cool us off. high pressure blocking any chance of that happening. it's still going to be hot as we go throughout the week with this high pressure very slow to move and the storm track well to the north of us going into the next several days. but our air quality, of course, that's going to be the other issue, the spare the air alert issue through the end of the week because of the unhealthy air quality. we all need to limit our time outside. we're probably doing that anyway because our temperatures are so hot reaching into the upper 90s and triple digits. upper 80s while san francisco will see the return of fog at least cooling off the city and the immediate coastline. we'll be tracking that as well with more updates throughout the morning. right now, mike, what is it looking like heading out the door? we'll show if you you're heading out the door through san jose, the crash on north 101. the live camera shows it rippling back with the recovery. a recovery in place.
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the crash has cleared. reported on the southbound side but this northbound traffic here and on the map you see how it slowed down. that's at the bottom of the map. an arrow north 101. clear again by observing road close to 680. a smooth drive through the altamont pass. despite the crash there i think speeds are improving. the construction zone for south 880. the top of the screen, of course, we still have the evacuation zone adding more in the last 24 hours. avoid the calistoga, angwin, st. helena and santa rosa areas for the fire we keep tracking, guys. back you. >> thanks, mike. happening now it is playoff time. the oakland a's are getting ready to host the white sox at the coliseum in game one of their best of three series. rookie pitcher will actually start for the a's. the game starts at noon. this is the fourth time the a's have made the postseason since 2014. all right. let's do it, a's.
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much more ahead on "today in the bay" including more violence in an east bay city. the latest on several days of violence with multiple victims including a teenager. plus, kobe bryant's death sparking a new law in california aimed at law enforcement and how they investigate. we have new details coming up. and snow showing up early in the french alps catching people and thousands of sheep by surprise. trapping them in the mountains. we'll show you the rescue coming up next. you're watching "today in the bay."
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welcome back to "today in the bay." violence is breaking out on the streets of oakland. there's been five homicides since friday. one of them involved a 16-year-old boy shot to death on sunday. police have not released a lot of information about the shooting. by our count there have been 77 homicides this year. by this time last year there were 58 homicides. new details for you that morning. governor newsom has signed a new law prompted by the investigation into kobe bryant's helicopter crash. after that crash first responders were accused of taking unauthorized photos of the scene and then sharing them with others. that new law makes it a crime to take unauthorized photos after
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someone had died from an accident or criminal act. a new law makes it a misdemeanor and those fines up to $1,000. the governor also signing into law that may help lower california's prescription drug prices. it allows the state to establish its own generic drug label. the new law calls for the help and human service agency to develop manufacturing partnerships and distribute genetic prescription drugs. thousands of sheep trapped in the french alps after heavy snowfall friday night took shepherds by surprise. thousands got stuck after an early flurry of snow along with icy winds creating snowdrifts of about 7 feet high. this weekend officials set up a crisis center and launched an operation. evacuating all the sheep will take almost a week. it's 6:00 right now. and happening now calistoga is a
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