operations continue in the curry fire. we'll tell you how much progress has been made this morning and what firefighters say may have been the turning point overnight. >> reporter: good afternoon. i'm jade hernandez. coming up, meet a man who almost welcomes the heat and how he's making friends left and right. and just minutes ago in san francisco, the epa makes an an announcement about a proposal they believe can dramatically affect california's coastline. ktvu's channel 2 news at noon

starts now. good afternoon. topping our news this noontime, we're getting new information about the curry wildfire. it broke out yesterday afternoon in the foot hills of mount diablo in a rural part of eastern contra costa county. some of the news we're hearing about the battling of the flames is good. we have steve paulson in the weather center to let us know about wind conditions in that area. we begin with kraig debro at the command center. >> reporter: good afternoon. heat is still a condition firefighters are gonna be facing this afternoon. behind me, i want to tell you what tools they will be using. that huey helicopter, it looks like it is going to take off. when they go up, they seem to be just observing and not

dropping any water. they take pictures so they can tell where the hot spots are. any time you need a picture of the hot spots, that's a good sign. they are working with several aircraft. cal fire had scheduled three helicopter flights this moving and two fixed wing flights. now, the situation at sunrise this morning was encouraging. a few hot spots in the perimeter. overnight, progress was significant but mother nature and not necessarily man power may have a lot to do with that. >> the humidity came up overnight. it was very warm and dry yesterday. and now the humidity has come up. >> reporter: the humidity and the 250 people fighting the fire. overnight they went acre by acre increasing the containment percentage from 5% at nightfall yesterday to 80% today. dodging, and sometimes getting hit by burning vegetation along

the way. >> we need to start load up the hose packs and hike up. >> reporter: their efforts didn't go without unnoticed. this man say they saved his home. >> i'm the house they save. the guys did a nice job of saving the property. >> porter: the curry fire was reported about 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. the hottest day of the year an the hottest part of the day. no structures have been destroyed. no one had to evacuate and one firefighter suffered a minor injury. it could have been a disaster. according to cal fire, the only thing that saved people in the property was the lack of winds. firefighters are hoping the winds stay out of the evasion quad. >> as the day goes on and the sun comes up, you will see the inversion come in to play. >> reporter: crews are fighting

themselves fighting off more than wind. >> there's a lot of poison oak out here. we're trampling through it all day last night and we did see one scorpion running around. >> reporter: the first fire crews on the scene, we talked to them early this morning. those crews spotted a downed power line down on curry road. pg&e repaired that pole. crews also believe the fire started right there where the line went down. of course, there's no official cause. as you lock -- look at the cause, -- as you look at the area, they are evaluating. let's go to steve now for the

weather conditions. >> okay. thank you, kraig. look at this. the fog is just engulfing the coast. it's on its way. it's not here yet but there is a definite sea breeze and also towards oakland. and even some of the higher elevations. not much in the way of any fire but some haze and smoke but we do have what's good news is -- i will talk to george our director. the west wind now at 3 miles per hour. the temperature's hot. it's 98. this is up at 850 feet near mount diablo. humidity is very low. that's not good. 15% but that west wind, that's a real good sign. we still have a heat advisory that goes until 8:00 tonight. keep that in mind. that's for the inland areas. not the coast and the city. there will be noticably cooler temperatures there and tomorrow. i will have more on that coming up later. >> thank you, steve. due to the hot weather, the california independent system operator is expecting demand for electricity to be at its peak for the summer today.

cal iso says there are ample power resources at this point. they are not calling for conservation yet. the independent system operator is encouraging californians to reduce energy consumption, especially in the late afternoon between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. that's when air conditioners drive electricity use to the highest point of the day. so how are people coping with the ongoing scorching weather in much of the bay today? jade hernandez joins us now with the details. >> reporter: good afternoon, tori. when you are in the shade, it's not too bad, but when you get outside, that heat can be oppressive. but what if you can't escape it. we want you to meet a man making friends right and left. >> there's no power coming from the fuses -- >> reporter: this repairman appreciates the heat. >> the last few days, i know yesterday i went on about six,

seven calls. this is my second out of five so far. the compressor is starting up. that's a good sign. >> reporter: he drove out to pleasanton where he found al zimmerman and his german shepherd, also named al, eagerly awaiting his arrival. >> the ac went out. it's been 100 here. >> reporter: we contacted several heating and cooling place, temperatures soaring past 100, one repairman told me customers are holding off on repairs since the dogged days of summer are almost gone. >> he's my best friend today. >> reporter: some can't show enough appreciation. >> thank you. thank you. >> reporter: we're live in downtown pleasanton, i'm here a cold stone creamery. i can tell you business has

been up since sunday and this is just one way to beat the heat. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, jade. enjoy the ice cream. more high temperatures could turn into b.a.r.t. and caltrain. yesterday there were major heat delays due to overheated equipment and soft track -- track softening. that's when the tracks get wet and they have to run slower. there were also air conditioners on b.a.r.t. trains that shut down. >> i will be happy if it is okay in the evening. i don't like riding it during the day. they mentioned the slowdown

when we got to the control station. >> b.a.r.t. officials say if temperatures exceed 95 degrees today for a established period of time, there could be more delays this afternoon. you can get more information on the bay area's heat spell on our channel 2 website. just go to the hot weather tab at our home page. ktvu.com. oakland police are investigating a deadly stabbing. a 51-year-old male victim was found shortly after 10:00 last night on bancroft near 98th. he collapsed on the sidewalk outside an apartment building. paramedics rushed him to highland hospital where he was pro nounsed dead. we don't yet know the victim's name or the motive for the attack. so far there's no word of any arrest. thousands of people in 1 1 peninsula cities may not get their garbage picked up until friday. a dozen loaders are picketing the san carlos offices of allied waste. drivers are honoring the picket lines. the stli king workers want a 5%

-- striking workers want a 5% wage increase. the company's offered 3%. the federal government is stepping in to help keep california beaches a lot cleaner cleaner. ktvu's claudine wong has more. good afternoon, claudine. >> reporter: good afternoon,er to re. yes, just about 20 minutes ago, the epa wrapped up a press conference here in san francisco after announcing a rule they say could dramatically affect the coastline. the epa says 85% of the beaches were issued health advisories because of water -- water quality concerns. they say much of this rests ons what california ships are doing in the waters. as erin brown played with mer boys passing -- with her boys, this was the last thing on their mind.

>> i didn't know that. >> reporter: yards away the epa gathered to sign a rule that would establish a no discharge zone under the clean water act for vessel sewage. that rule would stop cruise ships from dumping both treated and untreated sewage within three miles of california's more than 1600 miles of coastline. >> we estimate that of 25 million gallons a year that this rule would stop 25 million gallons of year of treated and untreated sewage of coastal waters. it's really important. >> reporter: the epa says those millions of gallons of sewage contribute to unhealthy beaches. but they say they couldn't do anything about that until california's state senator petitioned the epa to stop it. >> this makes it very clear that you absolutely should not do that and it makes it enforceable for us as the federal government. >> reporter: the epa says

they've not gotten a lot of opposition. erin brown says it's hard to imagine the bad side. >> i feel better. they have to dump it somewhere so hopefully it wouldn't go anywhere near our beaches. but i can't see any downside to putting that ban in place. >> reporter: back live out here in san francisco, the epa says it's going to be taking public comment for the six 60 days but they say if all goes well, they hope to have this prohibition in place by the end of the year. live in san francisco, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, claudine. new home sales dropped sharply last month to the slowest pace on record. according to the commerce department, new homes sold at a seasonably adjusted annual rate of 276,000 in july. that's an almost 12.5% drop. experts blame the low number of the expiration of the tax

credit for home buyers and on builders who have cut back on construction. >> builders have to compete with foreclosure properties so they do not want to build in in environment -- in this environment where there's distressed properties in the market. >> median home sales were down, down 6% from june, and 4.8% drop from a year earl earlier. stocks knissly repeated -- initially repeated that companies are reluctant to invest in companies with machines. some investors saw value in beaten down shares. the dow briefly fell below 10,000. as you can see, it's climbed back above that. right now the dow is up 19 at 10,060. the nasdaq is up 15. the s&p is up 3. ktvu had an opportunity to meet with republican candidate for governor, meg bitman, this

morning -- whitman this morning. here's her new ad. >> jeam and silicon valley -- sacramento and silo con valley are only a few miles apart. they might as well be on different plan nets. sacramento, unaffected. silicon valley gave us apple and ebay -- >> our political editor, randy randy shandobil asked abouted ad. >> if i understand your ad it seems to be making point that the folks down in sacramento can't be getting the job done? >> is that what you're saying? >> that's exactly what i'm saying. in sacramento, complex problems seem to create gridlock and an inability to get anything done. you pointed it out. we're in day 56. without a budget we're about to run out of money. schools are not getting the money they need. workers don't know whether there will be more furloughs are not. we need to get this done.

>> six years ago when governor schwarzenegger was running, first running, he said he was fresh blood. he said he had a business background. he said he had a business background and here we are. >> yeah. well, governor schwarzenegger and i have entirely different backgrounds. i've led and managessed big corporations. he's a brilliant movie star and actor. >> again, you use the the world "politicians" a ho lot -- a lot. there are 120 legislators. because of term limits, again, if my math is correct, only 19 of those 120 have been there ten years or longer. more than two-thirds have been there five years or less. so where is the established politician?

>> well, they may have only been in office a shorter period of time historically, most are politicians. very few have run a business, met a payroll. really understand what it takes to do a good job. >> whitman and brown are running neck-and-neck in the poll. jerry brown will appear at the veterans building for a fund- raising rally today starting at 7:30. he's been 700,000 on his came -- he's spent $700,000 on his came -- of his own money. president obama was asking for donations for brown anticipate campaign. want to check in more with steve paulson with more on the weather. >> after about two days we're saying where is that west wind,

after this heat? there it is. it's taking a turn in the monterey bay. 76 in santa rosa. a couple of tweets came in, people in the city, i can feel the west win. i can feel it, even though the fog is not there. inrand areas will be very hot. as you know, we had a bunch of record highs. a little bit of haze off in the distance. from the smoke from the mount diablo fire. everything's trapped below it. but the fog is on its way. it will be very shallow when it comes in tonight and very shallow tomorrow morning. skyline, highway 1, you could be socked in. it's on its way. once it comes in that sun you've had, it will probably be just a memory. today, 70s. it's a really tough call on the coast. half moon bay still around 67, 68. the fog not there yet. 90s around the bay. 80s. inland, 90s and 100s. 76 in san francisco.

that's down about 10 from this time yesterday. 95 yesterday. 97 livermore/concord. napa, santa rosa 93. in this kind of a pattern, that's the leading edge of a cool pattern. it's hot every where you go on the interior. on the coast, can you see why. the fog is there. it's taking the turn right at pg. ukiah 92. sacramento, 98. there are a lot of 100s on the contract. the first system will swing in tomorrow and cool off the coast and bay. inland temperatures will still be in the warm-to-hot category. about 35 degrees for some. cooler by the coast. still warm to hot inland. we do have a heat advisory until 8:00 tonight. by the coast, 60s, 70s. i mean, it's just -- santa cruz and san francisco. it's a tough bet.

inland, 90s and 100s. we'll start a cooling trend tonight. we'll take it in tomorrow. here comes the fog for everybody on friday and saturday. much cooler on sunday. there's still a hint of rain inland late in the day on sunday. we'll finetune that later. >> you will -- >> one of them is very bullish. others say it will be cooler but no rain. >> okay. >> still, for the end of august it's kind of weird. >> i know it. san francisco police now say the driver of a runaway suv that hit five people today did not have a driver's license. the victims were waiting for a bus on san bruno avenue when an suv jumped the curb. two victims remain in critical condition. three others are listed as serious. investigators say the driver told them she lost control after a mechanical failure. the driver has only been identified as a 24-year-old woman. she was cited for driving without a license and released. it's not clear if she will face

more serious charges. pedestrians will get more time to cross the streets at traffic light areas. there will be new standards that will give pedestrians a couple extra seaxds but that means drivers will see an increase in waiting tame -- waiting time. >> if we had more time -- you almost feel like your life is at stake if you don't get across fast. >> it's not enough time. >> the sensors will add time for pedestrians only when they detect that someone is taking longer to cross. it was a tough morning for bay area drivers on two freeways. traffic is just now getting back to rmal on interstate 580 over the dublin grade after a series of injury crashes.

an overturned crash on westbound 580 near edin canyon roadblocked three lanes in the 8:00 hour. the crash cleared just before 9:00 but at one point the backup stretched from castro valley all the way back to livermore. drivers in alamo had to deal with an unusual problem. just after 8:00 a large tree limb fell and hit three vehicles on stone valley road. no one was hurt. chp had to close the lane until a crew arrived with a wood chipper to remove the limb. wall street seems to be making an unxecketted about- face -- unexpected about-face. and we're learning more information about how the bay area played a key role in alerting federal authorities about the egg recall.

taking a live look once again at the big board on wall street. a lot of bargain hunters out there helping retail recover. right now the dow is up 1. the nasdaq is up 10. insurgents launched a series of bomb attacks in iraq today, killing at least 53 people. 20 bombs went off in more than a koz locations all before -- in more than a dozen locations all before noon. in this video, the bomb was detonated in the parking lot behind the police station. that killed at least 11 people.

iraq's foreign minister says the security administration is under control, this comes after it was announced that u.s. troop levels fell below 50,000 for the first time since the start of the war. 33 miners capped in a chilean mine have been communicating with the outside world about how they've made it so far. they say they survived 17 days on two days worth of emergency ration. they stretched the food supply by taking two scoops of tuna, and water. they -- there's word they are asking nasa advice. it appears the bay area is

ground zero for the outbreak of the egg recall. those attending a garage what wation in -- graduation party in may became sick. santa clara county says the partygoers all ate the same pastry that was made from the eggs. you can find a complete list of recalled eggs on our website at ktvu.com. just click on the special egg recall tab. tiger woods' ex-wife is breaking her silence about her painful divorce in a new interview with "people" magazine. elin nordegren says "she's been through hell since tiger woods' infidelity became public." but she says she never hit him with the golf club. there were reports she hit him the night of the crash last

november. she says she feels stronger than she ever has and is not planning to do any more interviews. coming up at 5:00, we're tracking the heat. we'll show you what it's doing to firefighters on the lines in contra costa county, to b.a.r.t. riders and how pg&e is coaching on this serge in -- surge. that and more coming up on the the -- on the news at 5:00. thanks for watching. our real national pastime?

saving money. and like baseball people love their stats. i started bringing my lunch to work -- 50 bucks a week in my pocket. here's a good one: state farm insures 40 million drivers. more than geico and progressive combined. i saved because i'm accident-free. of course, with so many ways to save including discounts of up to 40%, having that many customers shouldn't be a surprise. so ask a neighbor about state farm, then call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online.