is the last time the spacecraft will fly by the north pole, as it will officially land on mercury sometime later this year. and we'll follow up. all right. don't forget, you can watch our newscast 24/7 on roku and other streaming platforms. janelle wang joins us with what's coming up now at 530. jessica and candice, right now at 530, our team coverage of the southern california wildfires continues. we're going to have the latest info on those fires that are still roaring through neighborhoods. the tireless effort by crews to gain control. also turning to technology to help fight not only these fires, but future ones. the work being done in the bay area and beyond to make a difference. and a day after being inaugurated, san francisco's new mayor makes a major decision. the big announcement from daniel lowry today. the news at 530 starts right now. thanks for joining us. i'm candice nguyen and i'm

janelle wang. it is day three of the firestorm sweeping through l.a. county. thousands of acres have burned since tuesday, and we are tracking a new fire at this hour, threatening an entirely new neighborhood. this is the kenneth fire. it's burning just off highway 101 near the la ventura county border. this is near the west hills and calabasas neighborhood. it started just before three this afternoon. it has exploded to almost 800 acres in just the past couple of hours. mandatory evacuations underway, and you could see flames very close in the homes in the way of the fire's path. now, winds are still at red flag levels. that red flag warning still in effect, but the gusts have been less intense. and firefighters are taking this opportunity to start working on containment lines for the eaton and palisades fire. both are still 0% contained, and together they have destroyed over 10,000

structures, mostly homes. video from pacific palisades shows a couple desperately trying to save their neighbor's house. she says water stopped running in their home as they were trying to put out the hot spot. we went inside the house and there is no water inside the house. we turn on the faucet. there's no water. there's no water into the yard, but there's one right here. it is underneath this shrub. it's starting to catch up, which will make that house totally could be a big problem. and over there, they need to. they need to bring more help. we're here to save this house. even her husband even tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher. thankfully, they were able to fly down firefighters, police and this water tender to come and help. now, a change of plans for the nfl playoffs amid the raging fires in the los angeles area. the la rams were set to host the minnesota vikings in the first round of the playoffs on monday night. but less than one hour ago, the league made the

decision to move the games from sofi stadium in inglewood to glendale in arizona. the nfl says the safety of the community is their top priority. now, with firefighters needing all the help they can get battling these l.a. fires, we are leaearning ev more about new technology being used in this firefight from apps to robots. let's bring in our business and tech reporter scott budman. hey, scott. well, candace, we're hearing from several companies involved in the firefight, from robotics to research to the now number one app in the apple app store, helping people get to safety. what you're seeing is the fire perimeter. the forecasted wind speed and the smoke concentrations at the surface as it blows across the ground. a computer simulation of the fire as it spread. designed to give insight to crew on the scene. created by the san jose state university wildfire research center. within the center here, we have lots of research looking at how to better model fire spread in urban environments and

tree canopies and different conditions and complex terrain and mountains. among the most checked sites these days belongs to watch duty, a nonprofit whose free app sends live updates to users about both active fires and the crews fighting them. getting that information out early is what makes the difference. an app that's been downloaded 1.5 million times over the last two days, providing crucial information about everything from weather conditions to evacuations. actionable information for one to a act on their own emergency. and that's been the huge value add. and of course, having everything in one place and not having to go to 3 or 4 websites or social media platforms to put the story together. and then there's the thermite fighting robot, remote controlled now on the ground in los angeles, able to go where humans should not. whether it's like i said, it's a partial collapse or, you know,

chemicals or things like that, they will they will send that unit in to, to help fight that fire. and la fire does have one of those thermite robots regarding the app watch duty. it actually just launched a few years ago. many of the people working there, janelle, are in fact volunteers. back to you. thanank you scott. well, the fis in southern california are triggering old memories and new concerns for many in the bay area tonight, watching the disaster unfold on tv is especially tough for those who've been through it themselves. as nbc bay area's jodi hernandez reports, the closure of two bay area fire stations this week is only adding to their fears. it was a wasteland, one of the most beautiful, expensive areas in oakland was a wasteland. jacqueline brown remembers all too well the devastation the oakland hills fire caused in 1991. not only was her family home, an entire neighborhood leveled. her next door neighbors

were killed in the blaze, she says the fires in southern california are bringing back all the bad memories. it's not something you can describe. it's something you have to feel and it never goes away. you can put it in a safe place, but it's always tucked away. i feel vulnerable, i'm scared. my family is in this community and we know what can happen in a fire situation. long time oakland resident larry hill says the southern california fires have triggered a lot of fear. the city shuttered two fire stations on monday in an effort to balance the budget, and he says he doesn't feel safe. it can happen here. it can happen tonight. it could happen today. so that has to be dealt with right now. and this community is going to organize itself and address it. now. community members are organizing, telling us they've started a petition asking the city of oakland to reopen the shuttered stations

immediately. i don't want anyone to lose their home, which they worked their entire life for. i don't want anyone to lose their life, their neighbor, their family member. the vice president of the oakland firefighters union says the station closures are putting lives at risk. he says the fires down south show fire season is truly year round. this is something where we are literally playing with people's lives. you know, we all took an oath to come out and protect lives and property, and wre not able to do that in the same way we were on sunday night. get your act together. get your act together. don't waste any more time. jackie brown is also urging the city to reopen its stations as she prays for folks in southern california. she doesn't want to experience another tragedy here. it's heartbreaking because it all comes back. in oakland. jodi hernandez, nbc, bay area news. thanks, jodi. our coverage of the southern california fires

will continue at six. coming up, we'll have live updates from the front lines, as well as a look into evacuation plans here in the bay area. are we prepared for if and when a massive fire breaks out here? moving on to some other news now. new mayor of san francisco daniel lurie is making his first official move with a citywide hiring freeze on his first day in office. mayor lurie says he is working to curb spending to get ahead of the city's budget deficit. so he has ordered the city to stop hiring new city workers and pause new contracts or programs that have not already started. the mayor is also ordering other departments to realign their spending with the city's priorities. now, such a difference, but still just as harsh here. a winter storm warning has hit parts of texas, inches of heavy snow piling up across that state. texans have seen the weather shift from snow to rain to even sleet, making the roadways, bridges and highways just so dangerous. schools and businesses were closed today because of it.

experts are estimating the state could see around 4 to 6in of snow. flights in and out of dallas are being canceled or delayed because of the poor weather there. the winter storm warning is expected to lift early tomorrorow morning. a jude has struck down the biden administration's title nine rules. title nine forbids discrimination based on sex, gender identity or sexual orientation in education. last year, the biden administration finalized new rules expanding those rules. title nine had already been thrown out in 26 states after legal challenges by republican states. and today, a federal judge ruled to end the rules nationwide, claiming that the protections overstepped the president's authority. up next, it's time to move the renewed push in the south bay to break up rv encampments. why? san jose's mayor says there is no other choice. and dry with conditions that are showcasing the clear skies across the bay

area. temperatures right now in the 60s, but we did see a few 70s on the map. what can we expect in the upcoming days and

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rv parking problems as part of the process is starting to crack down on 30 different sites that have been popular with people living in rvs. many have asked, where do these residents go next? today, the mayor offered solutions. nbc bay area's ian cull lays them out. today, san jose started putting rvs that have been parked on certain streets for weeks or months on notice. city crews are focusing on 30 sites with multiple rvs. each of those sites were identified because it's near a school, park, or neighborhood. those in the rvs are being told they have two weeks to move or they'll be towed. we are going to set a new expectation that we will not have permanent encampments of dozens of rvs as

a permanent living condition. one site will be prioritized per week, starting with this one near chenowith park. the city estimates there are 2000 oversize vehicles like these on the stres. paul peterson has lived here for three months. i mean, we're people too. you know, it's like, you know, we're just trying to, you know, survive. luckily, his engine works, and he says he plans to move it into a commercial or industrial area. you know, it's a cat and a mouse. and the creeks, it's a cat and mouse. and on the streets, it's just, you know, and it's just a repeat. it's just a vicious circle, really. the mayor says to help 1000 new interim housing units will be opened this year, and the city's second and largest safe parking site is expected to open soon near the san jose flea market, it will host 85 vehicles. homeless advocates say the enforcement shouldn't happen until all those sites are available. how can they be kicking people out with no place to go? reporter the

mayor agrees. it's an imperfect fix, and we were there as some people living on the street told him. they understand why their current location won't work. mayor mehan suggests people who want to live in rvs long term find an rv park or property owned by friends or family. saying the bottom line is the current rv living situation isn't sustainable. we'll keep adding shelter, including safe parking. but the short answer is no. i don't have a thousand parking spaces today where you can just go take your rv with utility hookups. you just don't. but we can't continue to be complacent and let this problem grow. in san jose, ian cull, nbc, bay area news. we were just saying it's been so warm here. like, i know a pop of heat today. it seems like i was just telling them i overdressed my daughter because it's been so chilly in the morning, but it really warmed up today. yes, and i'm confirming that it was warmer today. so you weren't imagining having a hot flash? no, i mean, you know, it's one of those things where it's not supposed to be in the 70s. so

we're definitely above average for this time of year. but we saw even broken new daily record highs in san francisco at sfo. the national weather service says managed to hit a high of 71, matching the previous daily record high, and also in some areas in oakland as well, managed to climb up into those 70s. now san jose, look how beautiful it is out there. we've got nice clear conditions and that high pressure certainly was brought a lot of this warmth. it's also what's kept us dry the past couple of days. in fact, i want to show you current temperatures right now. we've still got some 70s on the map. this includes santa rosa 72 degrees, or i should say 74. right up there. notice 60s for san jose. and just to give you an idea of the comparison for the past 24 hours, rain about 11 degrees warmer in fairfield, seven degrees warmer in morgan hill. so yes, we were running a few degrees warmer today compared to yesterday. and this ishat things look like right now on satellite. this is a calm weather pattern, at least when it comes to the lack of rain. however, we've been seeing these gusty offshore winds and

unfortunately it does look like we're going to get another wind event heading into southern california. i'll get to that in a second, but i want to talk about what we can expect here tonight. you'll notice in some of those higher ridges up through parts of the north bay, and also some of the mountain tops in the south bay can expect to see wind gusts upwards of 14 at times, maybe even 20 plus later into this evening. it does kind of diminish into the overnight hours for us locally. but again, if you live within the proximity of those ridges, keep in mind that overnight we could still see some of those winds. now, as far as our temperatures go heading into friday, we do have some 60s on the map expected once again for tomorrow. notice slightly cooler and by slightly i really do mean slightly. we're still going to be in the upper 60s, just not a lot of 70s for tomorrow. heading into that saturday forecast. just a sneak peek. we do have some 60s as well on the map and the conditions will remain dry. and here is the reason why. so as we're monitoring this ridge of high pressure that has managed to keep the storms away from our area, we're monitoring the winds closely, of course for southern california. and right now just looking at the model

runs, it does look like late tonight into tomorrow, the winds will increase in southern california from the north northeast once again gusting upwards of 60 plus. this is the reason why the red flag warning got extended. but also more wind is possible heading into saturday and sunday as well. so into that weekend forecast. this includes southern california. that dry weather will continue. and of course we're monitoring the air quality. so far we haven't seen smoke impacts here locally because a lot of the smoke has blown off into the pacific. but that smoke could reach as far as parts of mexico within the next couple of days. now we're going to see this ridge of high pressure continue to dominate in our forecast through the middle of next week. and right now, the showcasing aspect of this is no rain in sight. if you look at the icons tracking a lot of sunshine and temperatures that will remain in the 60s for san francisco. but you will notice that because of those clear skies, those overnight lows are going to start to get frosty yet again. so we're going to start to see the low 40s when we wake up,

maybe even a couple of 30s and some of those wind sheltered valleys. so just be mindful of that as we inch into that overnight forecast, especially in southern california where the winds will kick up. we're so lucky here with this weather. okay. thank youou so much, vian. the sport of table tennis is becoming more mainstream. up next, the event taking place this weekend in the b area that features a local olympian.

leagues in the united states. it's only in its second season, but features some of the best players in the world, including a bay area superstar.t's so much fun to watch, and this weekend they'll be hitting the tables in the east bay. here's nbc bay area's anthony flores. table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world. oh, that's outstanding. seeing table tennis live is truly a unique sporting event. it combines speed, skill, and high intensity. people don't realize that these are really world, world class athletes. and now some off the game's biggest stas are bringing world class table tennis back to the bay area starting tomorrow. major league table tennis will serve it up at the alameda county fairgrounds in pleasanton. there will be a lot of great athletes on the table this weekend in pleasanton, including four time olympian, six time national champion and bay area native lieu zhang. this will be the

season two debut for the 28 year old, who grew up in palo alto but is now living in sydney, australia. always such an honor and so cool to be able to play at home. have all my friends and family come to promote this weekend's pro pong showdown. the former cal bear and her usa table tennis teammate amy wong were reunited with fellow team usa olympian stephen curry and head coach steve kerr at the warriors game on tuesday. there you know, players of and coaches of such high caliber, but also so humble and down to earth. so just a really cool experience meeting other team usa stars like curry and kerr and the return of fans after covid. may joong's fourth olympic games really memorable. paris was a dream, she says. it's too soon to say if she'll try to compete in the 28 olympic games in los angeles. another thing that made paris so special was having her family there to cheer her on.

she'll have plenty of support when she hits the tables this weekend. as a member of the bay area blasters last season, when i played in the same place in alameda county fairgrounds, it was like the best experience of my life. her first match is tomorrow. the last is on sunday. anthony flores, nbc bay area. good luck to her. well, they had a terrible season and a few days ago they fired their coach. today, the raiders got rid of their gm. after just one season, the team relieved tom telesco of his general manager duties on tuesday. they let go of head coach antonio pierce since firing reggie mckenzie after the 2018 season, the raiders have gone through three full term general managers in the past six seasons. the new gm and coach will presumably work with the new raiders minority owner, tom brady, who was brought in to the franchise this past fall by owner mark davis. still ahead snakes, weapons and more. the tsa releases its annual list of

the craziest things agents took away from passengers trying to board planes. hear what else next week. dave's been very excited about saving big with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. five years? -five years. and he's not alone. -high five. it's five years of reliable gig speed internet. five years of advanced securit. five years of a great rate that won't change. it's back. but only for a limited time. high five. five years? -nope. comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities. comcast business.

president elect trump's pursuit of greenland. now, you'll remember, president elect trump said earlier this week he would not rule out military force to acquire greenland. it is currently an autonomous territory of denmark. now,

people close to putin said today if trump decides to take over the territory, it could justify russia's pursuit of former soviet union territories. although european leaders have warned trump against taking greenland, denmark is clearly stating the territory is not for sale. snakes on a plane. the tsa has revealed its list of the craziest items, craziest items they confiscated last year. tsa agents at airports across the country confiscated many bannedd its, including marijuana found in a peanut butter jar, a gun hidden in a red combat boot stuck in a lego box, meth hidden inside crutches, and a live snake inside a pair of pants. illegal. creative but illegal. all right. we want to share some great video from outer space. okay, check this out. whoa! its northern lights flickering over nighttime city lights. nasa astronaut don pettit arrived at the international space station

in september. he's known for his passion for photography, and he captured this phenomenon from the station this week. pettit is set to return to earth this spring. on this day, 18 years ago,istory was made. the first iphone made its debut. then apple ceo steve jobs introduced the device at the macworld conference in san francisco. the phone went on to transform the way people communicate, access information, and interact with technology. the iphone quickly became a cultural phenomenon with its sleek design, user friendly interface, and groundbreaking features. we have a lot more news ahead. jessica aguirre joins us now with what's coming up next. right now at six, the destruction and the loss deepening in southern california. the first death now confirmed in the firestorm that swept through pacific palisades. we are live on the ground with updates on all the major fires burning across l.a. county. plus, we are tracking a new fire burning right now near west hills. adding to the workload of

thousands of firefighters in southern california. and a major pharmacy struggles are about to hit san francisco. what happens next as walgreens prepares to close a dozen stores in the city? welcome back everyone. the news at six starts right now. thanks so much for joining us. i'm janelle wang. and i'm jessica aguirre. unfortunately, it felt inevitable. the death toll in los angeles is rising. officials confirming tonight that a second body has been found in the rubble of the palisades fire. that brings the death toll up to six people. and we're still tracking that new fire. the fire threatening another los angeles neighborhood. now, this one is burning near calabasas off highway 101 near the la ventura county border. the fire started shortly before, just this afternoon. it has already burned close to 800 acres. evacuations have been ordered and homes are very close to the fire's path. and we are expecting this fire

to rapidly spread due to high winds. this is a reminder that this is a very dynamic situation that can change quickly. let's run you through the other fires. the eaton fire. that's the one burning in altadena. it has grown to more than 13,000 acres, still 0% contained. officials believe up to 5000 structures haveve been destroyed, but that number could include outbuildings and vehicles. some people are starting to try to get back there to see if anything is left of their neighborhoods and their homes, just like seeing our home go down, our memories are just everything about it. it's yeah, we're hurting a lot. we would walk tse streets all the time and now seeing it burnt to the ground. and i'm just very blessed that my house is still standing. but we're not out of the woods yet. and my heart goes out to all the families that have five friends who have lost their homes, two who've lost their entire block. so i don't know how we recover. let's talk about the palisades