good morning, wild fires churning through wine country are the deadliest in california's history. it is friday, october 13th. >> our coverage of the wine country wild fires continues. here are the latest headlines. 31 people confirmed dead. that number will likely rise according to so noma county sheriffs, 400 others are unaccounted for. they burned 191,000 acres. northwest to the pocket fire, threatening the town of geyserville, you can see what firefighters are facing there, it's called the pocket fire because it stouterred pocket branch road wednesday. the evacuation orders came in later that night. >> crews are growing concerned

about the city of napa. neighborhoods on the west side of town facing mandatory evacuation orders. fire crews from as far as pass dina arrived to create a defensive space around those homes still near one house we saw flames burning 2 miles away and a father and son who long called napa home say they are doing everything to protect their property. >> how hard my dad works to keep this place safe. they were going to reward him. i'm not leaving. this is our home. this is our generation. we are not leaving. >> most of the neighbors left because many attended a community meeting urging them to leave for safer ground. cal fire doesn't know when it will lift the order. some people displaced by the flames got to head back

home. the mandatory evacuation has been lifted for the areas . west of silverado trail. houses below atlas peak were destroyed but others beat the odds. >> i'm glad i'm back here. i'm very sad about my neighbors which is unfortunate. my kids, they used to go to school together when they were kids. unfortunately, their house is gone. >> a key step before evacuation orders get lifted, pg&e restores electricity in the area. we are learning the names of some of the people that died in the northern california fires. here is a look at some of the 31 people that did not survive. 17 sonoma, 2 in napa county. husband of people are

unaccounted for. emily turner has the latest. >> reporter: another day of fire and another day of searching. crystal is one of many looking for loved ones in sonoma county and can't find her grandmother. >> no one heard from them. we contacted everyone we can think of and more. >> reporter: a story for so many, she is looking for her brother. shirley lived in santa rosa and her grandmother hasn't heard from her in four days. they are looking for parishioners missing. >> ist disconcerning, we are making phone calls today. emails, text messaging, what've to reach out. >> reporter: he hopes they are out of contact but fares worse. the death toll climbed to 17 in

sonoma county alone. they are using cadaver dogs and a red cross safe and well team is on the ground helping out. >> we go around to the shelters and check the hospitals and agencies that we can. if we are able, we go to the home. >> reporter: she has been able to find two people so far. a small drop in a large bucket. it's important to those that are seeking answers in such a stressful time. >> do you think there is a possibility of something worse? >> yeah. you have to come to that realization. >> trying to stay positive, you know and i don't know. it's been a roller coaster. >> emily turner, kpix5. one of the biggest fires, the flames jumped highway 29 elier last night. jackie got as close and joins

us live. >> reporter: we are a couple of miles knot of the city along highway 128 by bennett lane winery. let me show you where the fire tore through last night. a few hours ago, up the hillside, this terrain is burned and charred and the power pole, this is the reason why roads are still blocked off here. though not a single flame touched the city of calistogas it's a tense situation approaching the fire. cal fire says it burned more than 34 how acres and -- 34,000- acres and 10% contained. fire crews are trying to stop them from vieding in to calistoga. it's a ghost town. that's what the city needs, emptiness so first responders can do their jobs. there is an order in effect. as a little hospitable city,

it's hard for him to tell people to stay away. we spoke to mayor canning yesterday at a press conference, he got choked up at the end of his remarks. we will give you some of that sound in next half hour. jackie ward, kpix5. if you have been outside you probably noticed the smoke. a numb of school districts remain closed because the air is too unhealthy to be outside. that includes pittsburgh unify, valetio. and antioch unified.. all remain closed today. some colleges are also close martinez. mount diablo and antioch. all remain closed today. colleges are closed, san francisco state and the university of san francisco are closed through sunday. cal state east bay is closed along with the college of marin. as the fire fight continues, the major concern is what the is going to happen to

the wind. >> we are going to see a lot of calming, cooler weather. frost advisories in man seeno county. now is the chance dug the day for the -- during the day for the firefighters to get a handle on things. east winds in hayward and free month. calm conditions moving north. napa now calm winds, santa rosa 3. nevada calm winds. our air quality right now is still very unhealthy for santa rosa and napa. those are the smoke is billowing in the air though the temperatures are cool. we are dealing with moderate conditions for san francisco today. oakland in the unhealthy range. vallejo unhealthy. the air quality at the moment. of course, once the sun comes out and we see more of the

calmer winds, it could cause the air quality to get worse because the smoke will settle. napa, 230 for the range in the air. it's unhealthy on average. 20-25 on a normal day. concord 154. san jose 153, the number of particulate matter in the air. a lot of the schools are closing asking people not to get outdoors. very unhealthy is in the forecast for the next couple of days until we get a shift in our weather. for the next few days, this is what we can expect, calm, cool weather today. winds are going to increase tonight. humidity will drop again tonight through saturday night. we have a red flag warning that's been put in to place for tonight through saturday. the warm weather also takes over. we will get high pressure for

saturday and sunday and monday. i will explain how warm we are talking coming up in a bit. we are tracking somewhat active start to our friday morning commute, overnight there was a truck fire. they had to shut two of the bore down in the eastbound direction. one bore is closed, one is open in the eastbound direction. we are not seeing delays at this moment. it could be a slow ride this morning. keep that in mind. a live look, highway 24 near telegraph. traffic is doing just fine in both directions. reports of an overturned vehicle, along northbound 101, at the river road onramp, that on ramp continually shutdown to northbound 105 emergency crews are on the scene. time is 4:09, regulators ordered pg&e to preserve

records. we'll be right back.

evacuees.. who are getting frustrated.. waiting to find out if their home is still there .. or not. kpix five's susie steimle says.. are banding we heard from evacuees getting frustrated waiting to find out if their home is there or not. some are banning together to do their own investigations. >> sitting around, not knowing was killing me. i had to come up and see for myself. >> reporter: for the past three days, josh browning has been taking fire reporting in to his own hands. he lives in an area authorities said to evacuate 2 days ago. >> if it gets to be dangerous, we have escape routes, ridgeway or austin park or the outer road. >> reporter: this is the first time he has seen black smoke this week, a sign crews started air drops as fire creeps over the ridge. >> we take this out.

it becomes a big bedroom. >> reporter: eric opened up his culinary school to neighbor whose lost homes and forced to evacuate in the middle of the night monday and camp crossed roadblocks to get back. >> i wish i could drive up and know what the facts are. >> reporter: a as a frustrated and well connected businessman, he isn't satisfied with long- term relief efforts associated with natural disaster and last nite he launched rebuild north bay.org. bringing together business leaders to ensure it doesn't become old news 6 months from now. >> when you have skills to offer up when people are in need. you need to do that. >> reporter: playing out across the north bay in more ways than one. >> i was sick of worrying and not knowing. >> reporter: i wished we could do this for every story, get the unique vantage points that

only the locals know about and report this for every story we were able to look at his house who you met in the story, it is still standing. locals come up to the barricades and they can't get in and there is little information on the other side. more on the wine country wild fires before the first fires broke out, sonoma dispatchers received several reports of power lines. now the california public utilities commission has sent a letter to the san francisco based utility and ordering p tb e to preserve records including information on failed power poles, conduct irs and associated equipment. it may conduct in depth investigations in to whether the utilities equipment may have played a role in the fires. devon spent time in

downtown sonoma, spent time with a crew with a single fire engine. >> reporter: the site of the hill is almost fully engulfed. nothing short of amazing what 500 gallons of water and four determined firefighters with do when they make it their mission to keep the blaze at bay. >> they have been working their tails off and unbelievable working under tough conditions. >> reporter: firefighters first line of defense, the rock retaining wall running along the edge of this property. they stand guard, eyeing the flames, hoses ready to douse the swirling embers that could spread the fire. against odds they hold the line, buying time for evacuees to get out and reinforcements in. >> my team's job was to part start at the top of the hill and make sure everybody is evacuated. >> with more help on the ground firefighters tried a new

strategy, fighting the fire with fire. they halt the fires progress. a small victory in what until now has been a largely losing battle. the four firefighters grew to several dozen here, we have seen something in the last few minutes we have not seen for several days, air support, helicopters dropping water on the advancing flames. at a dinner in santa rosa. first responders risking lives to fight the fires were a guest of honor in santa rosa. a food truck company provided the free meal, barbecued ribs and pasta and crispy chicken sandwiches. the director says it's the least she can do after emergency workers came from all over to help. >> so many of us have friends that are officers in the community and taking time away from their families and don't know if their families are safe and they are working hour after

hour to take care of us. thank you. >> it helps with a hot meal, they can take a break and get a snack. we have food donations coming in from all over the community. it keeps them going and know they are thought about and cared about. the citizens appreciate the job they are doing. >> ordinary residents have also offered food and water during the past few days. similar gesture in the napa valley. the oakville grocery re-opened and feeding firefighters free of charge. a local coffee company is offering free drinks, coffee roasters have put a truck outside of a shelter at napa valley community college. nice to see them stepping up and helping out. >> these people appreciate it. the first responders out there, 24/7. >> cheering them on, it goes a

long way. thank you to the firefighters for sure. mother nature is kind of on their side today. that's good news. we have cool conditions and calmer winds before it starts all over again. a look outside, the golden gate bridge, a nice welcomed site. we are not quite covered in smoke and haze when you can see the red. also taking a look at the tower, it is clear. look at these temperatures, this is cool for the early morning hour. 48 concord. 44, san francisco, 53 degrees. san jose 49 and santa rosi where the fires are burning. it is cold up there this morning. that does help subside some of the flames of those fires. a look at those winds between 3- 4 miles per hour. oak land east, northeast, 5. that's the strongest winds on our map at the moment. fairfield a little bit of a

wind. it sticks but that's it. it going the stay calm throughout the next few hours, throughout most of the day today. here we go tonight, later on tonight. we are going to see this high pressure coming through town. we are going to get more of the north wind, more of the offshore flow and it's going to drop our humidity levels and temperatures will go up. not only higher winds and low humidity but hotter because of the high pressure. this is the future cast. between 2-10 miles per hour winds today. 7:00 tonight, starting to pick up. santa rosa. midnight when things are going to start to get intepees for napa, fairfield, 20-30 miles per hour sustained winds. gusts as high as 50 tonight. by saturday dug the day, call -- during the day, calm saturday night. things will subside. temperatures on the rise. we have a red flag warning

taking effect 5:00 today through saturday. gusts 40-50. not much relief overnight. the area of the highest threat with these higher winds is napa hills. the timing between midnight and midday is when the winds will pick up. the advisory goes in to effect tonight through saturday afternoon for the north and east bay hill. the wind is back. temperatures today are going to be like this in the low 70s for most of our area, upper 70s for places like santa rosa, cool for most of the morning hours and then what we have is good news by later on next week. check out this low, as expected to dip down. here is that seven-day forecast, by the time we get to middle of next week, wednesday, thursday there is a chance of rain wednesday night and that of course is what we all need to breathe a little easier.

right now, we are tracking accidents that has our friday morning commute very busy. highway 37, an overturned vehicle is right at highway 121. we are seeing speeds remain in the green that's below the limit there. not much of a delay, keep that in mind if you are heading in that direction. another accident involving an overturned car that shut down the river road onramp to northbound 101, you will start tapping the brakes before that exit. looks like there is quite a bit of activity. we have many road closures in place in the north bay. that's a check of your traffic, back over to you guys. the bay area is stepping up to help people who were forced to leave everything behind when the fire started on sunday. we will introduce you to one woman who has a place to sleep

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here's a look at temperatures for today. cool in union city and mountain view. 70s today. it will be smoky and hazy but at least temperatures won't feel too hot. 80s for pittsburg and antioch. 75 walnut creek. benicia 75 degrees. san francisco today the high peaking at 67. sausalito, as well. san rafael 70. over to the north, ukiah 75. lakeport 75. jaclyn. >> we are tracking a bit of a backup over at the bay bridge toll plaza. take a look at this. this is the westbound direction right as you approach the pay gates and it looks like the cash lanes are all jammed up but this is right around when the shift changes. so if you have fastrak, you're good to go across the bridge into san francisco. expect more problems at sfo today due to poor visibility from all the smoke. at least 113 flights are canceled yesterday. and about 10% of flights were

delayed. smoke from the wildfires could affect football this weekend. the city of san diego has offered the raiders a chance to play in the chargers' former stadium for sunday's game but now it looks like the game will be played at home. we'll continue to monitor air quality conditions in the bay area and are in close communication with the nfl and chargers as well as local authorities. at this point the game remains scheduled for sunday in oakland. and the cal game against washington state tonight in berkeley is still on. as of now, stanford still scheduled to play against the oregon ducks in palo alto tomorrow. at least one woman escaped the flames with only the clothes she was wearing. as kpix 5's kiet do reports, that woman now has a place to sleep thanks to the generosity of strangers. >> reporter: isabel is learning how kind and generous the bay area can be. at monday she could see the smoke from her window at the

springlake village nursing home in santa rosa. police came knocking. >> there's a chance this building might burn you better go with us. i said, gave a salute, said i'll do it. >> reporter: show fled wearing just her clothes which by the way she is still wearing. the 94-year-old then spent two nights sleeping on the concrete floor of a shelter set up at casa grande high school in petaluma. it was about that time pamela hamilton got a call that isabel and a dozen other evacuated seniors were all their way to alma via in san francisco t costs nearly $6,000 a month. however, all the evacuees are staying for free. >> we are very loving, very generous, very gifted at our core and that comes out i think in disasters in the most difficult of times, the best of us comes out. >> reporter: isabel has her own bedroom, new clothes, private bathroom and, yes, a bed, all donated by alma via.

>> why do you think people are being so kind and nice to you? >> i don't know. i guess you get out of life what you put in it, and i like everybody. i like people. i have never for under anybody i didn't like. i even like you. >> reporter: in san francisco, kiet do, kpix 5. >> time now 4:27. the horrible air quality is forcing bay area school districts to make some big changes. we'll have the details straight ahead.

the wildfires tearing through northern california have now killed 31 people -- making them t in the state welcome back to our continuing coverage. wildfires. i'm kenny choi. >> i'm michelle griego. the wildfires in california have killed 3 is people, making it the deadliest in the state's history. hundreds of people remain missing and about 3500 homes and businesses have burned. smoke from the fires is creating the worst air quality in the bay area on record. right now, one of the biggest fires is threatening