right now at 4:30. good morning to you. i am laura garcia. >> an entire downtown now gone in one community, destroyed from the fast-moving flames from the dixie fire. >> greenville is located in puma county.

bone-dry conditions out there made the situation take a turn for the worst. thousands of homes still remain threatened. since the fire broke out in mid july, 60 homes and buildings burned before last night's fire erupted. a really tough firefight ahead. in the meantime, the river fire burning 150 miles south of greenville, at least 35 structures have been destroyed since yesterday afternoon. >> we want to turn to meteorologist, kari hall, who is tracking the weather up there. >> we will see changes in our

air quality, and the nice cooldown we saw yesterday in the bay area fanned the flames, and so today our temperatures reaching into the upper 80s and low 90s. it will be hot this afternoon, but at least as of now, humidity is high and temperatures low. we're talk about the air quality and we are going to see a lot more of the smoke coming into the east bay as well as the santa cruz mountains, and this is near the surface, what we are breathing in. we could see some of the most unhealthy air quality we have seen so far this year, and it does look like it gets pretty bad go into the weekend. we will talk more about this as well as our temperatures going up, coming up. kari, we are taking you on out to the bay bridge.

the volume of traffic was light, and during the show we still have highway 37, overnight construction, the paving project and you may want to use that richmond bridge. more coming up, but now back to you. covid cases continue to climb. >> experts say you won't know if you have it unless you get tested. they are encouraging everybody to do it. >> cars are once again lining up at covid-19 testing location in san francisco as the delta variant is fueling a covid surge. this time symptoms can be mild, making it hard to tell if it's a cold or covid. >> headaches and sore throat

remain the top two symptoms, and we do see fever. there are times people have a runny nose and they test positive for covid-19. >> the delta variant is showing milder symptoms in kids. >> guidance that has the demand for testing going up along with positive cases. in san francisco the director of public health says there's a need to expand testing options. >> there's a number of possibilities. we know compared to where we were, there's home testing available and we are encouraging people to test that way. >> dr. grant koufax says

boosting vaccination levels is still the main focus, while covid symptoms can't be mild, infected people are still landing in the hospital. most are not vaccinated. and with school set to return to the classroom next week, napa valley unified school will require students third grade and up to wear mask and recommend masks for younger students. in marin county, students who are not vaccinated will be tested weekly for covid. with vaccination requirements, according to "the chronicle," 2700 city employees are still not vaccinated, and some are claiming religious or medical exemptions. san francisco is the first major city that are requiring shots.

federal and city employees account for 36,000 people. and tracking the progress for rent relief. the department says $241 million has gone out in rent relief since march. 20,000 households have received an average of about $12,000. one survey finds close to 150,000 households are behind on rent. in san jose, it's looking dark and early as we get started with the day. kari hall keeping track of what we can expect. when it comes to 4:36 in the morning. not a bad shot to get started with the day. >> we are seeing clouds overhead

and at times we will see more of the smoke coming in, and that's going to be a concern as you are making plans to get outside. we are also going to be seeing temperatures -- still nice and cool now, but it's going to heat up. walnut creek, now at 60 degrees, and we will see it go from the low 60s to the upper 60s at 11:00. a look at the high temperatures this afternoon, reaching up to 85 degrees in concord, and 76 degrees in napa. still looking great for today. we have to be mindful of the air quality if you are spending more time out there in the more comfortable temperatures. it will heat up going into next week, and we'll talk about that coming up in the next few minutes. we have a nice flow of traffic getting up to the contra costa area. highway 4 typically has more of

a difficult drive. we talked about highway closures for highway 37 overnight. still going on one direction only, but you might want to get to 121 and then 29. if you are coming from novato into the vallejo area, have not heard about any delays. the rest of the bay looking pretty good, pretty much at speeds. back to you. >> thank you. coming up on "today in the bay," the perfect storm. one airline, the unforeseen combination of events that they say is causing the problem. and then the job opportunities spacex is offering right here on planet earth. first, light traffic to report on the bay bridge toll plaza this morning. mike has his eye on your commute

to help you get out the door. we're back with a lot more news. it's 4:38.

good thursday morning. right now at 4:41, as you are heading out the door in oakland, we have upper 50s and cloudy. we will see clouds linger throughout much of the morning as our temperatures make it into the 60s at 11:00. our temperatures will go up and town, and we'll talk about our air quality in a few minutes. and a few problems, slowing

down on 101. we'll keep a close eye on this and for an eye on business we will check in with bertha. >> thanks very much, mike. i am bertha coombs. the private sector hired fewer people than expected in july, and big government jobs number on friday, we got recent economic data and corporate earnings that shows the economy has been strong but some are worried maybe job gains and growth could taper off from here. we will get the numbers on how many americans are filing for unemployment benefits. meantime american airlines will let passengers watch 30 minutes of tiktok videos in the air for free. if you don't have the app,

american says you will also be able to download it for free. there's a catch. the offer is only available on flights that have the one particular wi-fi system. spacex has open positions being advertised for cooks, baristas and can you imagine mixing up a margarita and elon musk is there. aren't you hoping it's just

right. >> a lot of pressure. >> it is. thanks, bertha. happening now, spirit airlines is struggling to rebound from days of cancelations. more than 60 percent of spirit's flights were canceled on tuesday and yesterday. spirit is calling it a perfect storm, bad weather, staffing shortages and system outages hitting all at once, during the peak of the summer travel season. breathe deep early this morning while we have cool air temperatures and good air quality for now. we will talk about when the unhealthy air quality gets here. that's coming up in a few minutes. here in fremont, no problem. the nimitz freeway, a few changes i see and closures and

slowing popped up over in the north bay. a suspect the car thief leading officers on a chase in the north bay. the unsuspected twist that led to an arrest.

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for differences you can see, feel and trust so you're always a step ahead. sit thursday morning, getting closer ande look out at this morning where things are starting out nice and cool, and kari says there's a change coming. >> yeah, and it comes in the

form of our air quality, unfortunately. we are enjoying the nice weather and more people are getting outside and taking in the cooler temperatures, but let's get a look at what is happening. we have seen these fires really explode. it will look a little hazy today. going into the rest of the week and into the weekend, we will have unhealthy air quality as new red flag warnings go up. these are the clouds that are generated from all of the heat from those fires, and then coming out of that we get these erratic winds that caused the fires to spread in different directions and caused more of the fires to explode once they hit dry fuels. this is what we are seeing happen with the dixie fire and the new river fire that developed. it's caused the big plumes of smoke to come into the bay area. today we see the reds, and it's where we will see some of the most unhealthy air quality

today. and getting worse tomorrow, take a look at how dark it gets for tomorrow afternoon in parts of the north bay, and that's the most unhealthy air quality we have seen so far this year as we see the fires going drifting off to the east, and we are starting to see that change, unfortunately. what is happening with the red flag warnings, we have the high fire danger that continues today with the areas shaded in red. we are looking at high temperatures reaching into the mid-80s for concord. oakland reaching 69 degrees. our 7-day forecast shows temperatures heating up over the next few days. we will go to the 80s today and low 90s tomorrow, and thankfully the heat doesn't last that long. we will see san francisco not see many changes here, mid to upper 60s with clouds and fog. mike, you are tracking a couple closures. >> yeah, one going on started

yesterday. we look at the speed sensors, and looking great even out of the altamont pass. we can't do without that in the morning. and van ness, it's closed at mission. that important intersection, that closure continues to cause congestion in the area surface street traffic. and then this is overnight, also highway 37 still has that, and it should be back up. 4:50 right now. a suspected car thief is in custody after a chase yesterday in the north bay. sonoma county deputies posted this video and said it started when chp responded to reports of a reckless driver in santa rosa, and the car struck another car in petaluma and then he caught

on foot, and they caught up with him nearby when he hid behind a grocery store. a van overloaded with migrants struck a utility pole. investigators say they were traveling in a van designed to carry 15 people max. the victims have not been identified and it's not clear where the van originated. and then happening today, activist will gather. community leaders will discuss creating a path to citizenship and helping immigrants through the pandemic. that starts at 6:30. some of the contenders trying to replace gavin newsom will have a chance to impress voters. >> this is not the last variant

we are going to have. if we don't have this break pattern of government overreach into our daily lives, then we are going to get stuck with this over and over and over. >> people are leaving california. they are voting with their feet. you name the states they are going to. >> those three along with state assessblyman kevin carly and caitlyn jenner. ballots will be mailed out next week. and then in southern california, the orange county board of education announced plans to sue to block that rule accusing governor newsom of abuse of power. the department of public health responded by calling the suit a distraction. last year the same board lost

the legal push to force the state to reopen schools last august. in that case the state supreme court passed review something the suit. and then considering a new vaccine mandate similar to the one starting in new york city next month. under that proposal anybody would have to show proof of at least a partial vaccination if they want to enter a gym, entertainment venues. proof of vaccination is one thing already implemented. >> i do think that policy from the government, from the city and county would be very, very helpful. >> the potential retail restrictions have some concerns, places like grocery stores will be restricted, and city councilmen wants the city

attorney to determine where that mandate would apply. and then children proving anybody can be an olympian, even a toddler. and then hoping to take home gold for team usa against australia in beach volleyball. coverage gets under way at 5:00 p.m. tonight right here on nbc bay area. and then according to a new report, experts cite a continued hesitancy for corporate bookings and costs and commitments to reduce carbon emissions will impact travel in the future. we'll be right back.

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welcome back. 4:56 right now. as we watch the olympics right here on nbc bay area, we have seen athletes push hard for the gold medal and now the games are inspiring a generation to work hard and hopefully become olympicans themselves. >> look at this strong little girl. a weight lifter in the making. and there's a little boy clearly on his way to the olympics. look at that. got the winning pose down, which is cute to see. my kids used to do that, too. >> really? >> oh, yeah. with skiing and all those things, they would cut out things and make it. >> yeah, still in the future. coverage continues right here on "today in the bay."

>> my kids are not at all inspired by that, and i am trying to cheer them along. we'll talk more about the air quality coming up. no major problems across the golden gate bridge, but we have had slowing through san francisco. i'll let you know if there's a problem, coming up. the dixie wildfire showing no signs of easing up. this is some of the images we are getting this morning, really heartbreaking. we will follow that and how it's affecting air quality here in the bay area.

breaking right now at 5:00, raging out of control. most of the northern california community burned to the ground overnight as fast-moving fires chart a destructive report. and kari hall breaks down the science behind the firefight. >> the police have a role in the community and that's for safety. >> but what about on school campuses. we are looking a look at campuses that severed ties with police and what that could mean this fall. >> covid cases are rising. a record number of daily cases just hitting the japanese capitol. we're live in tokyo. this is "today in the bay."