dangerously close to the commands post. we are following this developing story tonight as hundreds of firefighters wage an around-the-clock battle against the raging rim fire. late this afternoon, people living in parts of the pine mountain lake community were advised to evacuate from their homes. at this hour, the wildfire has grown to more than 16,000 acres in stanislaus county. 858 firefighters are working on the ground with support from the air as well. the fire is threatening 2500 structures and so far, it is only 5% contained. we have live team coverage tonight. our chief meteorologist is tracking the conditions impacting the firefight. ken wayne has spent the day with crews on the fire line. first, though, only on 2, david stevenson live in san francisco where the smoke and flames are creating some real power concerns for bay area residents. david? >> reporter: frank, that's right. the rim fire is quite a distance from san francisco. but it's already having an impact on power and water

operations for the city. san francisco's underground studio counts overnight a steady flow of fresh water to keep the wheels turn. >> clay needs water to be able to throw and stuff like that. >> reporter: keeping the water clean and flowing is a concern. tonight, officials are monitoring the rim fire, worried about its impact on the hetch hetchy power and water supply. the system provides water to 2.6 million bay area residents. most of the pipelines are underground. a big concern is ash floating into the's voir. -- into the reservoir. >> we'll just have to filter our hetch hetchy water, which we typically don't do. >> the utilities commission de- energized transmission lines from two of three hydro electric plants. it's meant a temporary loss of

110 megawatts, energy used to power buses, city hall, street lamps and the airport. the city is paying pg&e $25,000 a day to help make up the difference. >> currently, we're visually inspecting the lines. and hopefully, we can bring them back up to service soon. >> reporter: hetch hetchy water is not being used to fight the fire. and officials say the drinking water supply is not in danger, though they continue to monitor the fire's path tonight. reporting live in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. more details now. the two hydroelectricken electric plants have been shut down as a precaution. they are between the hetch hetchy and the sight of the rim fire. normally, these two powerhouses run huge turbines that convert the water into electric power. ground and air attacks are

being launched to contain the rim fire. it has shut down highway 120, the main gateway into yosemite national park and it continues to spread through the stanislaus national forest, burning not far from the town of groveland and yosemite national forest. ken wayne joins us now live. he has been going all with fire crews every day. >> reporter: julie and frank, we were stranded here for several hours this afternoon, because the only road leading to this fire camp was blocked by flames. in fact, if you look behind me, you can see a lot of smoke over those trees. the fire is still burning just a few hundred yards from this command post. if there was any doubt about how unpredictable wildfire can be, that was erased this afternoon, when flames almost swept through this command post. fire personnel scrambled as claims moved within a few yards of the fire command center. these workers were told to grab their protective gear and get ready to use it.

>> it's a fire shelter? >> yes. >> reporter: fire crews were able to set back fires to keep flames out of the camp. there are 16,228 acres now burned. nine structures have been destroyed, including two homes. although the fire is still about 10 miles from yosemite national park, flames are moving in that direction. >> we are concerned. however, it's not a threat at this time. >> it's quite some distance still to get there? >> the fire is a distance from yosemite national park. >> reporter: so, again, the fire is not burning in yosemite national park itself, but it has forced the closure of highway 120, which is the main access to the park, from the bay area. the road leading to and from

this command post has just reopened. we have been told that we can now leave this area and go back to highway 120. we're gonna do that and head down to pine mountain lake. that is a resort area of about 2500 residents. the sheriffs right now are going door to door to tell people that they should evacuate, in the pine mountain lake area. we'll have a report on that tonight in the 10:00 news. live at the command center in stanislaus national forest, ken wayne, ktvu channel 2 news. >> and follow us on twitter for updates on the rim fire. we will keep you posted on the conditions. our chief meteorologist, bill martin, in the weather center now. bill, you've been tracking the conditions impacting the firefight today. >> definitely. we showed you the chopper shots earlier. the terrain in the area, it's really vertical. there's a lot of terrain. look at this map kind of depicting the fire zone. this area, fairly remote and

fairly -- just wooded and hard to get to. 89 degrees in the area north of the fire. humidity is about 20%. this is not unusually hot but it certainly -- they certainly are fire conditions for this time of year. the big concern, of course, are the lightning strikes that continue in this area. and along the west slope, all the way up to mount shasta. there's that red flag warning that is in effect for northern california. and it will stay in effect for the next few hours. coming up in just 15 minutes, i'm going to talk about the fog that's going to be moving back into your neighborhood tonight big-time. we'll talk about the hot spots and the five-day forecast, with your weekend in view, back here in 15 minutes. police are again warning about fake utility workers pulling off a burglar in the east bay. police say a man described as latino and wearing a hard hat, gloves and a dark blue shirt asked two elderly residents for access to the back of their property on sunny hills road yesterday. while the residents were in the

back, another man stole jewelry and cash from the home. pg&e says homeowners can check id or call the utility before letting a representative onto their property. a good samaritan helped rescue an elderly driver who crashed her car into a home in the east bay today. oakland fire crews say the 89- year-old woman was driving on hansom drive about noontime when she hit the gas instead of the brakes and plowed right into the garage of the home. the car hit a gas meter, and that started a fire and gas leak that forced evacuations. fortunately, the family of seven was away at the time of the accident. >> a lot of memories gone. just bought a drum set for my daughter. so that's now gone. so despite the loss, we won. that's the most important thing. >> pretty good attitude to have there. the drive was treated at the scene and later released. we are now one week away from a complete shutdown of the bay bridge. here's a live look now.

you can see the construction of the new gleaming white eastern span there in the foreground. and traffic going over the existing bridge in the background there. but next wednesday, traffic will be stopped to prepare for the opening. and ktvu's christian is live now. >> reporter: drivers will soon be saying good-bye to the c- curve. take a look. you can see traffic navigating the series of turns tonight. now drivers will have to get used to a whole new pattern when they move onto the new eastern span. drivers tonight slowed to 40 miles an hour as they approached the s-curve, a temporary structure to accommodate the new bridge construction. >> here's what the public needs to realize. if the roadway is open, then caltrans has deemed that road safe. >> reporter: drivers unfamiliar with the new turns sped through the s-curve after it opened in 2009, leading to dozens of

crashes, including this deadly accident, where a big rig plunged 200 feet off the side. now drivers will have to learn another new driving pattern. >> last time, what we saw was just a handful of individuals that refused to obey the signage posted on the roadway. >> reporter: people are urged to follow signs and obey the speed limits. >> heading into the tunnel and coming out of the tunnel is going to be very similar to what it was before the s-curve was put into place. >> reporter: tonight, commuters like albert lamb say they're looking forward to the new bridge and hopefully shorter commutes without the s-curve. >> the traffic that goes around the corner, it normally slows down, and when it slows down, it's going into a turn. a lot of the drivers get confused. so having that straight through will probably eliminate a lot of congestion. >> reporter: and today we got our first look at what that commute will look like in this

animation released by caltrans. a gradual incline, then that signature suspension tower. california highway patrol says they will begin rolling traffic breaks next wednesday evening for the five-day closure. the chp says four hot spots will probably see the heaviest traffic during the bridge's shutdown. they are 19th avenue, leading to the golden gate bridge. sir francis drake boulevard in marin. the richmond-san rafael bridge and the san mateo bridge. and bart says it will offer extended service to help people get around the bring closure. 14 bart stations will be open 24 hours a day. they'll run hourly overnight service beginning wednesday night. bart also plans to run longer trains to accommodate commuters. ktvu.com has a survival guide, if you will, to help you get through the bay bridge closure over the labor day weekend. just log on to ktvu.com and

look under hot topics. the first hand sales for california's high-speed rail project are coming under heavy scrutiny in sacramento. >> this is the single largest taking of private property that the state has ever seen. they are creating real havoc. >> rail officials are using the power of imminent domain to force the sale of a right-of- way. at a hearing, two central valley lawmakers are saying they want to ensure that landowners can appeal if they think an appraisal doesn't reflect the true value of their land. but their call for an audit was turned down. the rail authority says it is following all state, federal and local rules for property acquisition. a bill to give victims of childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits is now headed to the state assembly.

the measure is opposed by the catholic church and others, saying it unfairly applies to only private or nonprofit groups. the bill would lift the statute of limitations for one year. the bill has already passed the state senate. only on 2, a war of words with a south bay police force. we reveal the contents of three letters that are sparking anger and frustration. plus, gunfire in a south bay senior center parking lot. what the shooter says he saw that prompted him to pull the trigger. [ marco ] i'm a student at devry university.

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%f0 a war of words is raging between san jose city hall and the police officers patrolling the streets. it all boils down to money.

the police officer's union says city hall is using underhanded tactics. >> reporter: the relationship between city hall and the police officers union is clearly falling apart. here at city hall, there has been an exchange of harsh messages. hundreds of police officers have sent complaints to san jose city hall over the latest episode in the bitter ongoing struggle over pension reform and benefits. >> city hall just doesn't understand the crisis looming here. >> reporter: after the police union -- in a letter, the city said the pay recognize now has no strings attached. but instead of going through the poa, the city mailed the details directly to officers' homes. >> the fact that the city was

essentially sending out propaganda, trying to push their agenda, really angered a lot of our members. >> reporter: more than 500 police officers protested through a union form letter, telling city officials they have created a toxic environment and didn't want to be reminded of it with letters to their homes. now, ktvu has obtained a confidential communication from acting police chief, essentially reprimanding certain members of the staff for participating in that mass reply, asking them to, quote, stop by my office so i do not have to seek you out. >> i think it's clearly meant to intimidate not only his command staff but also the rank and file. >> reporter: the chief has declined to comment on union matters, but a city spokesman defended the action. >> i can understand that the head of the department wants to make sure that his top people are right there, shoulder to shoulder with him. >> reporter: the meetings with commanders are to take place at the end of the week. we have been told the chief has

reassured the union that no disciplinary action will be taken. an off-duty security guard who shot a suspected car burglar is under investigation tonight. the shooting happened about 1:30 in the morning in the parking lot in south san jose. the guard says he saw someone breaking into his father's car. he said there was a struggle but that the suspect broke free and got into a waiting car. the guard says he shot is the suspect after the suspect got out of the car and reached into his waistband like he had a weapon. san jose police are trying to determine if the shooting was justified. >> what his thought process was, what he was thinking about, you know, how -- the level of fear or the threatening manner in which the suspect came at him or didn't come at him. >> the suspect is expected to survive. police say they have not recovered his weapon. in the wake of that deadly limousine fire on the san mateo bridge, an auditor is going to

look into whether money that's supposed to fund limo regulation is being used like it should. five women were killed in that fire back in may. ellen corbitt suggests that the money is not being used as much as it should be. >> if there's money in a fund and it's supposed to be used to inspect these vehicles and make sure the law is enforced, then that money should be spent for that. we have the ability to do thing about this. >> the public utilities commission says it supports the audit. walnut creek's new downtown plan is starting to come together. a community group has come up with this map which will be the basis for that plan. most of mount diablo and california boulevard will be zoned for retail or mixed retail and office use. there would be multifamily residential developments near the bart station. there's also space for a

potential hotel at olympic and california. the actual draft plan won't be ready until next spring. a nice day out there today. clouds cleared. plenty of sunshine, even at the coast in places. the hot spot was morgan hill at 90 degrees. then pacifica was the cool spot, as you'd expect, with 66. 9 in antioch. 85 in fairfield. temperatures tomorrow, not quite that warm. i think it will be a little cooler. lightning storms in the sierra nevada, moving up towards the mount shasta area, following the curvature of this low pressure system. it's giving firefighters fits over the last couple of days. that low responsible for those storms tracks northeast. we still have a slight chance for a thunderstorm but looks like most of that activity would be northeastern california. can't doubt it out.

most likely not. there will be a lot of fog tomorrow morning, everywhere. highs tomorrow, those yellows are 70's. so a lot of 70's. a lot of upper 70's, a lot of low 80's. some mid 80's. it may be tough to crack a 90 tomorrow. as the kids end up the day, it's about 81. the all-important lunchtime, 74 degrees. so a nice-looking day there. 91 in clear lake tomorrow. 88 in vacaville. these are the forecast highs for thursday. just getting back to a more typical weather pattern. it's been unusual, hasn't it? that lightning show we had. now we're going back to what you might expect for august, but with a little fog at the coast. red flag warnings not in the mix right now. temperatures don't really heat up that much, coast or bay or inland. they just kind of stay in that

mild range, right through the bay area weekend. fog will be prominent, certainly at the coast. thunderstorms now an issue for north, northeastern california. >> thank you. coming up on bay area news at 7 on tv 36, we'll update that massive wildfire near yosemite that's forced hundreds of evacuations. also, how google is looking within to launch an all-new look for its google glass. the 49ers hit the practice field. mark ibanez is next. look at 'em.

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the bart stalemate has prompted a call for action by some san francisco business leaders. a coalition of groups, including the san francisco chamber of commerce, is asking governor jerry brown to hold a bargaining session with the bart board and the president of the two unions involved. the coalition says the bay area can't afford another bart strike. we are just ten days into the cooling-off period. a bart spokesperson tells us there are no talks scheduled this week between bart and its

unions. the cooling-off period ends at midnight, october 10. one thing you've got to say about jim harbaugh, it's always interesting. >> it's never boring. but i think he was maybe feeling the sting of his words of a year ago. remember when he basically got on the media for kind of criticizing, questioning the abilities of jenkins, calling the media clueless? well, coach harbaugh stuck up for a.j. today, but in doing so, he chastises the media for basically doing their job. >> i don't think it's fair to bully or label a young player, though i fully understand that people are entitled to their opinion and their perspective. however, i would appreciate if the criticism was directed toward me. i'm responsible and i certainly accept that. actually, welcome it. >> make one thing clear. the 49ers traded a.j. jenkins because they saw the same thing that the media saw.

they don't keep or trade guys because of what the media says, though. meantime, the bad news continues for the a's and the giants. take a look at oakland first of all. they were up 3-2 in the sixth. a.j. griffin on the mound. brendan ryan, shot to left. two runs are going to score. on the second one, steve is up at the plate. the a's already thin at catcher. can't afford another injury. but he stayed in. later, jed lowrie smoked it with two on. they wind up with eric sogard in a pickle. get nothing out of it. and two out of three. the a's lose to seattle. meantime, barry zito, ah. just looking ugly for the giants. and he gives up a jonny gomes two-run single. petaluma kid helping to send him out. gave up seven hits, six runs. here's a perfect example of how the guys play. shane victorino, just standing

around. 12-1, the final. the beat goes on. a real down beat. we are tracking the firefight outside yosemite national park tonight. we'll also hear from bay area students who are given just minutes to get out of their summer camp site as flames burn dangerously close. that story and the very latest on the fire, tonight on the 10:00 news. >> we're always here at ktvu.com. thanks for joining us. hope you have a great evening! >> good night! goodnight.

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