picture of lafayette today, the smoke i smell, it was just barbecue but yeah, it's on our minds. >> right now at 4:30, before you start up the barbecue this afternoon, high fire danger all across the bay area. dangerous conditions have firefighters and neighbors on edge, the precautions you could take to keep everyone safe. and it's the first big holiday weekend since the vaccine rollout. millions of americans hitting the roads or taking to the skies. complete coverage on this travel

this memorial day. "today in the bay" continues now. >> good morning memorial day, i'm kris sanchez. >> i'm cierra johnson. we honor the brave souls who lost their lives defending our country. >> we appreciate your service and thank your family for their sacrifice as well. vianey arana is in studio with a look at the forecast and it is red hot. >> it is. we are under a microclimate alert for good reason. we talk about memorial day hot temperatures could be record-breaking, temperatures between the low 100s to upwards of 105, 108 for the interior value i ys. where you see the red and the orange hues those are the hotst spots, solano county to sacramento valley. around its coastline as well in san francisco, we're expecting upper 70s so definitely above normal all of this thanks to a ridge of high pressure that's

been keeping us dry. you notice how hot it was over the weekend. expect similar conditions today. i'll talk about that more in a bit. cierra? >> thank you. with the hot temperatures for this holiday weekend, fire cruise are preparing for what could be a busy memorial day. here's thom jensen. >> reporter: whether they're trying to capture the perfect picture or a little exercise at lafayette reservoir, the people who live, recreate and relax in that area hope this will be a fun but also safe holiday weekend. they know the danger. >> it's in your minds. thankfully so far we're safe but as we drove into lafayette today i thought is that smoke i smell? it was just a barbecue. >> reporter: a fire got close to anthony olsen's mom's home. they live in a district a high fire hazard area because the vegetation can explode into

uncontrollable wind-swept flames. so a warning for those planning to observe the holiday. >> just be aware the vegetation in the county is very dry so if you're out in it, be very cautious. >> the crispy, dry hillsides more like august than may and fires like this one along i-680 can start at any time and get big if not knocked down quickly. the fire district is especially nervous because it's a busy holiday weekend and anything can go wrong from a barbecue accident to sparks from a boat chain that spark the next fire. >> a lot of different scenarios can occur. we ask everyone to be aware and use caution. >> reporter: watch for signs of heatstroke and advice to get in a cool area and drink water if you experience symptoms like excessive sweating and faint feelings. >> if you have a medical condition where it can affect you, stay indoors, stay in air conditioning, drink lots of water. >> reporter: captain knows

people are anxious to get out after being cooped up for so long but urges everyone to be safe from the heat and be careful not to cause the next fire. thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >> get the nbc bay area app to track the forecast and temperatures in your area while on the go, it's free for your iphone or android device. returning to our coverage of the vta rail yard shooting and the deaths being mourned. relatives are sharing more stories about life talking about how hard it is to comprehend that's gone. michael's cousin and family members are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. a hard time, could you call mike, he would make his way down from wherever

he was at, cupertino, santa cruz. >> michael graduated from evergreen college and a big fan of local sports teams including the giants, 49ers and the san jose sharks. more details on something our cameras captured over the weekend a delivery driver left a package at the gunman's home in san jose. video of the package there and the delivery driver really was unsure about what to do, ultimately did leave it there on the doorstep. the package is benign and not relevant to the investigation. as the grieving continues in san jose, people in florida are mourning as well. two people were killed and more than 20 injured during an early morning sunday shooting outside of a northwest miami-dade banquet hall in florida. police believe it was a targeted attack. police got out of an suv and

shot into a crowd. the suspects fled and investigators are working to find those suspects. texas democrats staged a dramatic walk-out to block a restrictive voting bill this prevented a vote from being held on texas senate bill 7 also known as the election integrity protection fact. the fight is far from over. some of those proposed changes end drive-through and 24-hour voting, adds proof of identity requirements for absentee voting and makes it easier for a judge to overturn election results even without proof that fraud affected the outcome. members of the texas naacp say the bill would have disproportionately affected people of color. >> what is at stake is there an attempt to make this into an apartheid state to make sure that a small minority of conservative extreme white citizens can dominate our government. >> the bill passed the senate

early yesterday morning and came up in the state house for final approval. texas governor greg abbott announced he would order lawmakers back to the capitol for a special session but it's unclear when that will happen. turning to memorial day weekend and america is bouncing back, that is evident over the holiday weekend with beaches packed, businesses booming and in some areas, what travel experts say could be the busiest travel day in over a year. "today in the bay"'s tracie potts looks at how america is looking past the pandemic. >> piece ate a washout in the northeast, beaches across america were packed this weekend. >> everybody is so excited to be out. >> reporter: myrtle beach brought in extra protection. >> i'm glad we're almost back normal. >> heliocastroneves.

>> reporter: the 135,000 people and covid vaccines on site. in washington thousands of motorcycles roared through the nation's capital, rolling thunder is back. >> feels good. >> reporter: crowds packed national parks and movie theaters as president biden reminded the country why we commemorate memorial day. >> we only have one truly sacred obligation, and that's to equip those we send into harm's way with all they need. >> reporter: flags at arlington and other veteran cemeteries honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. >> we remember you and we want to celebrate you and we want to thank you more importantly. >> reporter: today, 5 million passengers who pass through airport security since thursday head home, officials say it could be the busiest travel day in over a year. tracie potts, nbc news. >> and let us remember the reason why we have a three-day holiday, this is a live look at

arlington national cemetery, where president joe biden is set to visit this memorial day, he'll participate in the traditional wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. here is mr. biden laying a wreath in new castle, delaware, last memorial day. the first lady vice president kamala harris and the second gentleman will accompany president biden to virginia to are this year's ceremony. the president is also set to deliver remarks on the national memorial day of service. countless redwoods and sequoias are gone after last year's czu fire. next on "today in the bay," they took hundreds of years to grow. how do you rebuild or regrow? what the forest service is doing. in our final day of asian-american pacific islander heritage month we are shining the spotlight on a judo icon, yoshehro uchida, forced into an internment camp in world wore ii. he's been the judo coach at san jose state university in 1946,

starting the position before he graduated. he became the first coach at the u.s. olympic judo team in 1964 and this past april turned 101 years old and received a proclamation from san jose mayor sam liccardo. we so absolute you, along with all of our honorees this month.

good 4:42 and we are under

microclimate weather alert. we'll talk about how hot we're expected to get and the heat advisory will remain in effect through tomorrow evening, and a look ahead at what to expect for the entire week ahead, full details coming up. turning now to our climate in crisis series as temperatures continue to rise, the risk of wildfires isn't going anywhere. now the race is on to save some of california's most iconic trees, the wed roads. many of them burned in last year's wildfire but a new effort to save them by fighting fire with fire. here's steve patterson. >> reporter: in the blink of an eye, california's home to ancient coastal redwoods looming over a century of memories was all but wiped off the map. what is the extent of the damage? >> looking like about 97% of the park burned. >> reporter: 97%? >> yes, so pretty much the whole thing. >> reporter: scientists say the

record-setting fires were chiefly driven by climate change. now they're worried it's threatening the future of the state's most iconic species, giant sequoias and joshua trees that don't easily grow back. thankfully redwoods are aren't easy to take down. >> the thick bark prevents hem from being cold. >> reporter: the park partially opening this memorial day weekend the redwoods are off limits. every day a costly blow to the economy. >> big basin hosted approximately half a million the visitors per year and generated $1 million in revenue. >> reporter: big basin is by far california's oldest state park but because of the scope of the devastation here, it will likely never look the same so the challenge now is with these and gent trees, how do you build this back up and how do you protect it so something like this never happens again?

>> you could really say it looked like a bomb went off. >> reporter: with the new reality of year-round mega fires, save the redwood chief officer paul ringold says is an add adage, fighting fire with fire. experts say so-called prer described burns would reduce the fuel that otherwise builds up in underbrush. >> it's essential. >> it takes more funding and fundamental shift in how the public thinks about fire. will this park ever look and feel the same? >> i'm afraid it won't look the same as we recall and some of that difference will be in the look and feel of the trees and the forest and some of it will be in what we imagine this park looks like. >> reporter: creating a new relationship with fire so our most beloved natural sanctuaries can endure for future generations. >> it is 4:45 right now. california working very hard to return to normal.

still ahead on "today in the bay," a look at how crowds are returning and the push toward herd immunity. we'll be right back.

i'm the boss and it's lonely at the top. [ screams ] you haven't changed at all. you're still a big baby. suck it, ted. -you suck it. excuse me. why don't you both suck it? i'm in the family business. and now you work for me, boomers. you want me to be a baby again? [ screams ] what the frittata? i'm sending you undercover. is this some kind of a ninja boy band? whah! -huh.

oh my gosh. oh my gosh! good morning to you. we are looking live at the golden gate bridge there this morning from our sutro tower and that picture does not tell the whole story. we know it is very hot out there, it is going to be even hotter this afternoon and fire danger could be a concern.

let's check in with vianey arana who is with us this morning. ladies, we're all in-house together. >> i know. >> it's kind of nice, right? >> it is. this is my first time back in the studio since last march so it's been over a year. it's crazy but it's nice to see you all, my first time meeting cierra today so i'm excited about that. >> oh my gosh! >> right. san jose right now we've got great conditions but it is going to be a hot day and this is the reason why, we are in fact under a microclimate weather alert. let's look at the current temperatures as you head out the door. you're not going to need any sweater today. 56 degrees in oakland, 60 degrees in hayward. 50 degrees through napa. what is the 24-hour temperature change compared to where we were at yesterday morning. sunday was a very hot day, near record as well for today, san jose about three degrees warmer. novato five degrees warmer and hotter into the afternoon.

let's talk about the memorial day heat. heat advisories in place, excessive heat warnings in effect as well. this goes into place starting at noon and sticks around with 90s and triple digits all through the interior valleys. these triple digits are definitely going to be a factor headed into this afternoon, peaking between 2:00 and 3:00, san jose 94 degrees, take a look at the east bay, triple digits, concord 103, antioch 105. martinez 102. along the peninsula, san mateo and redwood city, people like to head to the coast and the beach and also going to be pretty warm down there as well. san francisco topping out in the upper 70s, low 80s, and in through the north bay ukiah 103, sonoma 98. over the next seven days we're monitoring today near record heat, dangerous conditions when it comes to fire concerns, but as we head into tonight and tomorrow, we're going to be dealing with windy conditions so that's going to be something else that we'll be monitoring and looking out for. look at how the traffic conditions forring. . is memorial day. a lot of people don't work but i

want to show you an accident that popped up in the chp report and this is along westbound 580 right after denmark drive. the number three lane is blocked. i'm not seeing any major slowing. we see pretty clear conditions from the south bay through the peninsula. kris, over to you. >> thank you, vianey. to a follow-up now we have new video of an attack on a san francisco police officer, we have to warn you, the video is hard to watch for some people. the sf police officer's association posted this video on twitter, sf pd says friday night an asian female officer confronted that man after he was making threats toward other people. you can see he then attacks her, bystanders jump in to help until backup arrived. all this happened just before 7:00 on friday night at the intersection of kearney and commercial, right near portsmouth square. the officer was taken to the hospital and we're told her injuries were not life-threatening.

signs of normalcy more clear than ever across california, this memorial day weekend. check out the scenes along mission bay in san diego county, people everywhere and the sight of masks were far and few between. so many things getting back to normal, people have different opinions about big crowds. >> it is good to see people out doing things and interacting again and not being afraid to go places and do things. >> i feel at this point in the pandemic you need to be looking out for yourself and being aware of where you're going, what you're around, because you don't know who is vaccinated and who is not. >> reporter: believe believe the new incentives announced by governor newsom will push rates closer than ever toward herd immunity. as we close asian-american pacific islander heritage month we need to talk about forced displacement, the way minority communities have been pushed out of their homes over the years, and the impact it has on everybody.

but first, happening now on the peninsula, police departments are joining forces to keep this july 4th holiday safe. east pa low alto and machinelapark confiscated 1,500 pounds of illegal explosives in the past month, as san mateo il fireworks, possessing, illegal fireworks comes with a $1,000 fine.

♪♪ ♪♪ today is the final day of may, which is asian-american pacific islander heritage month. many immigrants arrived in the united states looking for safety and opportunity, not knowing

when they might be able to visit their motherlands again, sometimes they can find a taste of home in chinatown, japantown, little saigon or little manila. over the years many towns have been displaced. >> san jose, little saigon was recognized by the city of san jose in 2007, it is alive and vibrant. around the bay area there are a lot of towns that have disappeared. this plaque on a corner of a building at chavez in downtown in san jose marks the first chinatown destroyed by a mysterious fire in 1887. fourth other chinatowns emerged after that but none remains in large part because of anti asian sentiment of the time. san francisco's little manila or manila town's 12 blocks gone, gentrification is the driving force behind the forced displacement of immigrant towns.

>> it's not just a place you get your favorite taco, this is something well beyond that. >> reporter: james is a professor of ethnic studies at santa clara university and the imagined places like japantown were once the only safe places for people to live with hospitals and schools they could attend. oakland's chinatown provides a way for new immigrants to make a living before mastering english, a place for wealthier immigrants to invest and generate revenue and taxes. for these reasons and the spirit of america, it's important for everyone to keep the towns viable. >> and it shows that the community has arrived, that they exist and that they will be acknowledged. that's why i think it's important to have these communities, even if you're not a member of them because again, it reflects the multiracial and multicultural diversity of our nation and the role that immigrants play.

millions traveling this memorial day weekend. next on "today in the bay," the complete coverage of the roads and the skies as americans head out. plus, fire danger on the top of mind for just about everyone, with our dry conditions and spike in heat. we'll show you how to keep everybody safe. and the bay area continues to grieve for the nine men killed in last week's mass shooting at a vta yard as the morning goes on, a renewed push for gun control.

right now at 5:00, family members in the entire bay area remember the nine lives lost last week, now as the healing continues, there is a push to make sure it doesn't happen again. plus a deadline looming for south bay businesses, the fines they could face if they don't get the covid status of their employees. has your boss asked? "today in the bay" continues right now. and we thank you for joining us on this monday morning, though you may not have to be up early for work. i'm kris sanchez. >> and i'm cierra johnson. marcus and laura are off this morning and before we get to anything else, we want to start

to honor those brave souls who lost their lives defending our country. >>