right now at 4:30, california wildfires sending massive amounts of smoke into the sky. now the bad air is here in the bay area. we're tracking that unhealthy air quality that we will all be dealing with. power is still out for thousands. strong winds leading to pg&e cutting electricity for people up and down the state. when power could be turned back on. this is "today in the bay." very good wednesday morning to you. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm scott mcgrew. marcus has the day off. let's get right to that smoke. this involves all of us.

>> absolutely. we're going to see this changing as we go through today. we're starting out this morning not too bad yet as we get a look at our air quality sensors, the green dots indicate good air quality but the shift in the wind comes later today. this surface model where we see the reds and yellows that indicates very unhealthy air quality in the santa cruz mountains around noon and the north bay moving into the east bay and tri-valley and it continues into this evening as well as tomorrow. it looks like we are going to see thicker amounts of smoke and unhealthy air quality moving in with these fires that do continue. a lot of them out of control at this point. we are going to see a lot of changes with the shifting winds gusting in the north bay this morning. more on that and the red flag warning coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you. you saw the caldor fire on kari's map, east of sacramento, the town there now empty because the caldor fire has grown to more than 6,000 acres.

it wiped out the community of grizzly flats. people who live there say they lost everything including a post office and a school. firefighters say two people suffered serious injuries while trying to get out. mandatory evacuation orders are still in effect for surrounding communitying poly pines. the cause of the fire not known. >> homes near susanville threatened by the dixie wildfire. these images shot by san jose state fire weather research lab crew just south of simpsonville, 630,000 acres have burned and still just listed at 31% contained. that high fire danger prompting power shutoffs in the bay area. >> that includes napa, sonoma, solano, alameda counties. nbc's marianne favro has more. >> reporter: in calistoga gas pumps are shut down and homes in the dark after pg&e shut off

power to nearly 7,000 customers in napa county to try to prevent fires. genevieve welsh is relying on a generator to get her family through the planned shutoff. pg&e says high winds elevated the fire risk prompting the company to cut off power to 51,000 customers across the state. >> by turning off our power lines in areas that are getting hit with very powerful winds and very powerful gusts of wind, during these dry drought ridden times, that can really prevent a wildfire from starting. >> reporter: here in the bay area the shutoffs are impacting areas of napa, solano, sonoma, contra costa and alameda counties. and customers in the dark may have to wait more than 24 hours before the lights go back on. that's because pg&e must first wait for winds to die down and inspect lines before power can

be restored. in addition, the same winds prompting the power shutoffs will create another challenge blowing smoke into the bay area. >> the first thing is, if the temperatures allow, keep your windows and doors shut, the inside, the smoke in the neighborhood. we really recommend buying an air purifier and kind of setting up a clean air room. >> reporter: here in napa county the last planned power outage was in december of last year. some question why months later they are forced to be in the dark again. >> it takes a toll. >> reporter: marianne favro, "today in the bay." >> certainly does. and on many if you want to check out pg&e's planned power outages we can help. we posted an interactive map at nbcbayarea.com. you click the link that says map pg&e power shutoff at the top of the page. sonoma county workers will have to get the vaccine. the board of supervisors voted to make all county employees

submit proof of vaccination or undergo regular covid testing. this is going to start september 7th. if an employee has an exemption they will have to get tested regularly during workouts. >> happening today, santa clara will unveil a new mobile vaccine program. want to show you a van to deliver doses of the covid-19 vaccine to people who have had hard a time getting to a center. the custom built vehicle will be dispatched to first high priority areas like communities with low vaccination rates as well as to workers impacted by outbreaks and schools. new this morning for what is some a monumental late night vote by santa clara county supervisors, unanimously approved to begin the process of closing reid hill airport. others have been calling for the closure for years. a report elevated the debate tying the airport's use of leaded fuel to potentially higher blood levels in children who live in the east side neighborhood. though those levels are still

well below government guidelines. supervisors say a closure will happen before the start of the new year at the earliest. much of that air traffic may move to an airport south of the morgan hill area. golden gate transit leaders say police have been notified about recent threats made to a group of bus drivers. the marin i.g. reports flyers were found. agency leaders say the threat is carrying more urgency in light of the tragedy. video footage is being reviewed to try to determine who is behind it. district attorneys in some california counties are joining a lawsuit to seek to halt the early release of inmates. during the pandemic the state launched an emergency credit system for inmates who earn good time further shortening their sentences. they plan to hold a news conference later today in sacramento. new details this morning, the former mayor of windsor faces a new investigation.

the press democrat's reports the state's watchdog agency is looking into possible conflicts of interest he may have had while voting on a massive windsor civic center. the fair political practices commission received an anonymous complaint filed last month saying foppoli was involved in a meeting discussing the proposed plan to build the center. the conflict is -- he's an owner of a business that would likely be impacted by the new development, but didn't recuse himself from discussions. the former mayor claims he was cleared of any conflict in that project. new video this morning of the devastation that tropical storm grace is leaving on haiti. that country hit with a destructive weather after a powerful earthquake. grace battered southwestern haiti with rain causing flooding temporarily halting search and rescue efforts after the earthquake over the week. haiti's civil protection agency says 2,000 are dead, nearly 10,000 hurt.

>> it is heartbreaking what so many people are going through right now. 4:37. we've got our own concerns in the bay area as well. >> we have a lot of concerns here with the red flag warning, the smoke returning and one last look at the tropical system that's been moving closer to the yucatan peninsula. this will move towards the west moving away from haiti. as we wake up and head out this morning as of now the air quality is good and if you have outdoor activities to do get them done around sunrise or thereafter before the smoke starts to return. our temperatures right now at 60. notice the winds at about 14 miles per hour. already breezy and those high winds continue into parts of the north bay with the northerly wind that's been picking up at about 30 miles per hour as we head toward noon. up around the area as well as parts of the north bay and the hills. and for the rest of the bay area, breezy conditions will continue into early in the afternoon. heading over to you, mike, you're seeing one crash in

milpitas. >> that's what shows up on our map here. bottom of the screen looking at northbound 680 around scott creek road. looks like no slowing, very light traffic. the activity should be mostly off to the right side. we'll let you know if there's any other problems but no injuries. that's the most important part, right. looking over here, there's a closure for north 242 like yesterday. the closure has been approved until 6:00 a.m. may clear it up around that time yesterday i think it didn't clear until about 6:15. we look at 680 to highway 4 heading toward concord, pittsburgh, bay point, out of walnut creek. going into your commute direction that's unaffected, there is a new crash over here by 580 and 24. we'll check that out. coming up next on "today in the bay," no more smoking. one bay area city creating a ban to protect children. we'll tell you which city is doing it, where it applies and when it will start. krispy kreme relying on new menu items to keep it afloat. when you can see a rise in

prices as well. take you out to the bay bridge toll plaza. lots of people getting an early start on this fine wednesday morning. you're watching "today in the bay."

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or well-qualified returning lessees can lease the 2021 ram 1500 for $309 a month. ♪ ♪ good wednesday morning. heading out the door in fremont head's up we will have unhealthy air quality returning today. a lot of smoke. at least we're starting out nice with upper 50s this morning. a hazy sunshine as our temperatures warm up today. a look at all of our

microclimates in a few minutes. yesterday morning had a backup at the richmond side of the bridge here. this morning things are status quo. very light heading toward the north bay across 580. let's see how things are in the world of business with bertha. >> thanks very much. good morning to you. i'm bertha coombs from cnbc. wall street set to open lower after stocks fell sharply yesterday following a weaker than expected retail sales. that sparks worries about the potential for the economy slowing. retail sales fell largely due toing by a drop in auto sales. the dow snapping a five-day winning streak following 282 points dragged down by a 4% drop in home depot. we've got somebody reports from earnings, companies, other retailers looking pretty good. we're also waiting for a report on housing starts. later today minutes from the federal reserve meeting,

earnings from target and lowe's. so far better than expected and they've actually both raised their forecast for the year. youtube meantime is introducing a few new features to help improve the search experience. the biggest tool may be the ability to view the search results page. they've allowed users to break longer videos into separate chapters so users can find specific information they're looking for. they were only visible when you clicked on the video. now, they'll appear alongside search results with a time tamed thumbnail for each section. krispy kreme is betting on its drive-through and menu items. cotton candy and caramel popcorn doughnuts, to soften any blow from the delta variant. the company reporting better than expected earnings yesterday, its first since returning as a publically traded

company in july. crispy cream also noting they're going to be raising prices in september to offset higher labor and commodity costs. scott and laura, i don't know about that. >> popcorn flavored. >> it made my teeth hurt. you just saying it. >> right. >> big cup of coffee. >> right. i'm like chocolate and glazed. >> keep it simple. keep it simple. >> thanks. coming up on "today in the bay," we're waking up to smoky skies this morning. kari hall has been tracking it all. >> the early morning hours the best time to get outside before the smoke really starts to filter back into the bay area. right now temperatures in the mid to upper 50s as you head out the door. we'll talk about a slight warmup and today's highs in a few minutes. you're not alone. in oakland the nimitz well traveled and moving smoothly. we have an issue just off of the maze. check that out and for oakland we'll show you what's going on

for the east bay. >> new zealand shutting down again. the number of covid cases that's causing the island nation to react so dramatically.

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smoke. it is everywhere. >> it's going to get worse for today especially this afternoon. we're seeing the winds starting to shift as the winds pick up in parts of the north bay and increasing that fire danger as well. we're going to see in the north bay, some of the most unhealthy for the start of the day, hasn't made is to the south bay. as we go into the forecast, parts of the east bay all in red. that includes that near surface smoke and unhealthy air quality we will be experiencing and some of the worst in the north bay. the smoke coming to the south and settling into parts of the sacramento valley and filtering into the north bay into the delta as well. this as the same time the bay area experiences a red flag warning, a high fire danger until 3:00 this afternoon for the areas shaded in red that includes the diablo range and we're seeing for marin county

and the coastal hills. the winds increase but take a look at what we're seeing across the northern california with more red flag warnings and here are the fire those high winds. when we compare this time to what we're experiencing now as far as wildfires burned, to this time last year, we are well above what we had for this date in 2020. we already burned 1.1 million acres of land here across the state so far. when we have these fires, there's really not a lot of water for them to dip into these reservoirs. take a look at the reservoir, down to 17% of capacity. for today, take a look at these temperatures, just coming up a couple degrees compared to yesterday. as this area of low pressure moves to the east, we're still

going to get a breezy wind today, but the winds will calm down for the next couple days and we'll keep the fairly moderated temperatures with our highs in the inland areas reaching into the mid to upper 80s for san francisco. we'll continue to see highs here in the upper 60s. mike, right now you have a clear look at the bay bridge. >> yeah. that's great from our camera in emeryville, easy view of the bay bridge and a nice easy drive in towards san francisco. no delays. that's going west on 80. getting away from the bay bridge going the opposite direction, east 580 where the disabled vehicle is reported right around the 24 interchange. so far it's just over on the shoulder from what i can tell. no slowing and nos distraction. over here in contra costa county, 242 closed toward concord avenue. a similar stretch we had a couple months ago. overnight roadwork going to continue until 6:00 a.m. your commute west highway 4 on 680 it's fine. scott creek road. we have a crash that should be

cleared from the off ramp in a few minutes. back to you. the nation of new zealand taking drastic measures because of one case of covid. streets empty everywhere following the launch of a strict lockdown for at least three days due to that one new case. new zealand has not reported a case since february and has seen just 26 covid related deaths. the town where the infection was first reported will be on lockdown for a week. new this morning, more of marin now off limits when it comes to smoking in apartment complexes. county supervisors voted to ban all smoking and vaping in multiunit residences. the vote comes one month from now. one supervisor tells the marin i.j. leaders plan to approve a similar ordinance today that would leave fair and the sausalito in the county without some kind of rule in place. research shows the impact of vaping on young people. university of nebraska study

surveyed thousands of middle and high school students and two-thirds had at least tried e-cigaretteses and 53% say they were unable to quit. many say they tried to stop multiple times. a little more than half believed vaping was harmful. coming up next on "today in the bay," the faces of the crown. we'll give you a first look at the new princess diana and prince charles. plus, scammers making it hard for renters trying to make it in the bay. it's not just here. where the bay area ranks compared to other major cities. >> happening now, students in ten fresno classrooms are in quarantine after being in contact with others who tested positive for covid. the fresno bee reports the district is planning to have a modified quarantine where some students with a negative test can return to classrooms. the district says students in question can come back to the school with proof of a negative test five days after exposure. this comes as at least two

classrooms in oakland are under home quarantine as well. we'll be right back. california, did you know our homes share power? but when we try to stay cool in a heat wave our supply is pushed to the limit. but you have the power to keep us up and running! “i do?” yup, we all do! with flex alerts. they notify us when to shift our energy use if our power supply is stretched. so from pre-cooling our homes, to using less energy from 4-9pm, together, let's flex our power to save our power. sign up for flex alerts today.

welcome back. . a warning for people already struggling to make it in the bay. beware of rental scams. one new study by apartment guide finds three of the top ten cities in the u.s. for rental scams are right here in california. san francisco coming in third behind l.a. and boise. san diego in fourth. scams include con artists showing units who don't own the properties and collecting deposit money or fees for background checks. 4:56. trending, we're getting a sneak peek of the actors on "the

crown". >> a first look of elizabeth as princess diana, dominic as prince charles for season five. it follows the royals during the 1990s. it will likely include the queen's so-called year of disaster in '92 where three of her four children separated from their partners. no word if it will include diana's death for '97 or save that. the new season expected to be released next year. i remember they also had a castle burn down that year as well. it was a bad year. >> look at how we are. >> pretty busy morning for us on "today in the bay." a lot ahead including meteorologist kari hall tracking smoke and haze. >> you want to get out early while we have good air quality. the smoke will roll back in. we start out with upper 50s and upper 60s today. a look at the rest of our microclimates coming up in a few

minutes. plus, the crisis in afghanistan continues this morning. we're live in washington with what we're learning about the u.s. troops still on the ground there.

we'll do as much as we can for as long as we can. >> right now at 5:00, crisis in afghanistan. with thousands of afghan citizens trying to get out, ahead in a live report, how u.s. troops are helping on the ground and the promise from the taliban now adding to the drama.

flames are raging in northern california. these wildfires causing smoky skies, bringing unhealthy air to us in the bay area. this is "today in the bay." a very good wednesday morning to you. 5:00 right now. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm scott mcgrew. marcus has the morning off. let's get right to meteorologist kari hall. air quality is going to be bad today. >> yeah. and it's probably going to be the worst we've seen so far this year because of the air quality and the shift in the direction of the wind is going to bring in a lot more smoke today. as of now, we haven't had that shift in the wind. still a westerly breeze bringing in some fresh air from the ocean but that will change as our winds pick up later today. we're going to start to see in the north bay very unhealthy air quality that will continue and spread down the peninsula into the south bay as well as the east bay and really settling into a lot of our valleys. it continues tomorrow as we have

numerous fires burni o