bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant a series of suspected arizona sons in san jose. investigators say they have a person of interest. a sharp increase of people coming in for flu shots. hear what's behind the increase. finally, after four dry weeks, rain returns to parts of the bay area today. we'll teller where and how much we receive -- we'll tell you where and how much we receive. good evening everyone, i'm heather holmes.

>> and i'm ken pritchett. fire investigators say recent fires in the city aid are suspicious. authorities are reaching out to the public for help tonight. kristina. >> reporter: san jose firefighters are tired, and they are very concerned because of the suspected arizonas nystagmus still on the loose tonight. they released a sketch of this man. they say he is a person of interest and they just want to talk to him. >> a collection of surveillance videos over the past three days of investigators working over time. they see a man on mini cameras, but they never see him start a fire. that's why they're calling him a person of interest. we showed the sketch to felix, a deacon at the baptist church. >> no, i have not seen him. >> reporter: this started in the back of the church early wednesday morning.

church bibles and books were destroyed. >> i didn't know what to say or think. it was like amazing. wow. this is happening to the church? >> reporter: the church is one of ten fires in the downtown area. fire investigators say eight of them are suspicious including the latest home to burnerly saturday. neighbors rescued the couple inside. >> i feel good, though. they're my neighbors. yeah. >> reporter: investigators say the person of interest is white or hispanic between the ages of 25 and 40. they believe he's six feet tall and very skinny, but wears baggie clothes and may be wearing distinctive glasses. they say he matches the description of the person seen on video. >> as i said, i fear that one of these fires could prove fatal. >> reporter: even though no one's been hurt, they worry their luck will burn out very soon. >> thank god no one got hurt so

far. this is a really bad situation. so just -- i guess we need to pray for the guy. hopefully he turned himself in. >> reporter: investigators are advising the public to clear out any debris or brush around the home that could fuel the fire. we've already seen people doing that today. they also say check your smoke detectors because the fires are happening in the dark of night. anyone with information could be eligible for a $10,000 award from the firefighters union. fire officials in two bay area cities are investigating deadly fires that claimed three lives in palo alto. the bodies were found inside a burning home near rear road. witnesses say the flames were shooting 20 feet in the air starting at about 7:15 last night. because of gases, they won't be able to get inside until tomorrow to determine the origin and cause of the fire. so far the fires are not releasing the victims' names.

an unincorporated walnut creek man was identified as charles mcdonald. crews responded to this fire near spring side road. mcdonald's body was found on the second floor of the home where the fire started. a woman was inside, able to escape. took firefighters about a half- hour to get the fire under control. after weeks without a drop, rain started to finally fall in the bay area today. this is what it looked like in san francisco early this afternoon. it was enough to turn on the windshield wipers and get the umbrellas out. let's get a look of what's left with the weather system. >> it could trigger a chance of a few left over showers for tonight. but this was the case of a life storm tracker today. the back edge of that system moving across the bay area. other parts in the north bay picking up a few tenths of an

inch. there's that cluster that will being moving in. the live doppler sweeps, not a lot to show you in terms of rainfall activity, we'll come in a bit tighter. the north bay did take up the most rainfall. rainfall totals are not very impressive. pet lum ah -- petaluma, . occidental reporting 3-tenths of an inch of rain. more clouds moving in from the north. coming up in ten minutes, we'll have gusty winds that will return to the hills. and with low 70s, more on that coming up in ten minutes. that weather system brought snow to the sierra today. north star sent us this video of skiers and snowboard ers on the slopes. chains were required on interest states 80 and 50 earlier today, but those

restrictions have since been lifted. this is the first measurable snow fall for the tahoe area in several weeks. bay area health officials have increased calls for people to get flu shots. john sasaki is live, john. >> reporter: this is one of the places here that had a special flu shot clinic today and demand for that vaccine is way up. this is marin community clinic. crowded today because many people wanted the flu shot to battle h1n1. >> concerned of what they're hearing and that the flu, everybody's seeing in the school. >> reporter: this was a weekly flu shot clinic for kids, but with the deaths in the bay area, parents have also asked for the shots. so the clinic is now open to adults. >> they were first, you know more concerned about their children, so but they weren't

doing it themselves. and now that they're seeing that it is affecting that age, they're getting it. >> reporter: the entire gonzalez family got their flu shot because of a new addition. a baby girl just three weeks old. 11-year-old francisco says it was a breeze. >> it was no big deal. >> reporter: another flu shot clinic for needy families. >> because it got off to a very only news start, we are here to encourage people to get vaccinations because the viral season is stronger than ever. your flu shot is not just for you, it's also for your loved ones. >> reporter: chris brought his two kids and all three of them were vakz nated. >> dash dark vaks nated. >> just trying to stay ahead of it and get the flu shot and be smart. >> reporter: at the whistle

stop location, 70 people got their flu shots here. here at marin community clinics more than 100 people. live in san rafael. thank you, john. we've created a special page on our website for more flu information. you'll find a vanning seasonal finder map and also linked to the latest information from the california department of public health. police in san jose are looking for a suspect in a deadly stabbing. the victim was found at willow glen way with stab wounds. he was pronounced dead a short time later. police say the victim's identity will not be released until family is notified. this is the city's second homicide of the year. the highway patrol is investigating the death of a pedestrian killed in a hit-and- run on interstate 680 in san jose. the c.h.p. says a man was walking south on

the jackson avenue on-ramp when he was hit by a driver who did not stop. the victim was then hit by a taxi. now the cab driver did stop and called for help. the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. his name has not been released and the c.h.p. says it is not clear why he was on that ramp. people gathered in san francisco today to honor the lives lost to violence. the second annual prayer walk for piece went through the city's district this morning. to remember victims of violence who died in san francisco, san mateo and marin county. marchers carried 50 crosses to remember those killed in 2013. speakers told the crowd the time to take action is now. throughout the year the

archdiocese organizes the prayer service. in east bay a transgender team involved in a high school brawl. hercules high school last november was posted on you tube. 16-year-old joel gutierrez says she was harassed by the other students. the school suspended all the students involved, but the district attorney is charging jules with battery. jules told cnn today she was forced to fight back. >> i was only protecting myself, because i feel like i was getting provoked, harassed and bullied to the point where i had a breaking point and i just snapped. >> sister valerie has set up an organization asking the contra county district attorney to drop the charge. more than 20,000 people has now signed it. football playoffs today

confirmed the likely last game on december 23rd, well, that was the last game. the 49ers beat the falcons that day, the saints lost today, which means there is no chance the niners will host the nfc championship here even if san francisco wins tomorrow. and the 49ers are getting ready for that game in their quest for another super bowl appearance. they face the panthers tomorrow morning. they're at the stadium as well as fon zee. joe. >> reporter: we've found out the last couple weeks that their fans travel as well. 49 er fans at the team -- 49ers fans at the team hotel was scheduled for a walk through at the university north carolina, charlotte. but they scrapped that idea because of heavy rain.

>> let's go niners. >> reporter: the fans had to settle for the next best thing, a downtown rally which attracted an impressive turn out. >> i grew up a military brat, so i traveled the world. i grew up loving the niners. >> i was telling my wife if the niners make the playoff game and it's away, we got to go to one. so we decided to book one after the green bay and took the trip out here and it's been great. >> looking forward to the game. >> i think half the fans are not from california, so i'm surprised how deep and how dedicated a lot of these niner fans are that they're coming from all over the east coast. >> i'm from san francisco and i left my heart there. >> reporter: those fans will certainly be outnumbered tomorrow, but they will be just as enthusiastic, and you said it earlier, ken, with seattle

winning tonight there is no chance the 49ers will host the playoff game. so candle stick park is finished. reporting live from charlotte, north carolina, joe fonzi channel 2 news. our pregame show heirs at 8:30 a.m. -- airs at 8:30 a.m. kick off is set for 10:00. immediately after the game will be point after. marin county group hosted an event that included social services. the whistle stop act of aging center gave folks to pick outer wear as part of the coat drive which we producedly support. 176 coats were handed out. there were also bags of groceries given out. residents including the marin employment connection, and the center for domestic piece were also on hand offering services.

he was a very controversial figure tonight. tonight world leaders are remembering ariel sharon. but not everyone is mourning his death. your electric bill may be going up but only during certain times of the day. we'll tell you why. californians from to salinas to san diego will have equal access to quality health insurance. those who need financial assistance will get it. and nobody will be denied because of a pre-existing condition. welcome to a new state of health. welcome to covered california. we are your health insurance marketplace.

enroll today at coveredca.com. so yso you can happily let the grlife get in the way, while planning for tomorrow. so you can finish the great american novel

banking for the life you have investing for the life you want chase. so you can president obama and other world leaders express sorrow today over ariel sharon. the 85-year-old was at the height of his power in 2006 when he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. he's remembered as a daring military commander and by others as a man who altered his stance on palestinian independence and drew troops from gaza.

he was considered a family man. >> he knew nor feel. he took difficult decisions and implemented them courageously. he was admired at home and respected abroad. mr. sharon died of organ failure. vice president joe biden is expected to leave the u.s. delegation to go to the sharon memorial service. many palestinians recall sharon as the architect in the occupied territory. a military leader blamed for civilian deaths in the camps. bad weather efforts today to recover the body. the single engine beach bonanza crashed last month in the idaho mountains.

software engineer dale smith, his son and daughter-in-law were killed. yesterday a private search team including smith's brother found the plane. the local authorities plan to meet monday to consider ways to recover the wreckage. electric rates would go up across the state under a plan state regulators are considering. it would charge customers different rates depending on the time of day. the idea is to encourage people to conserve energy in the afternoon when demand is at the greatest. customers could still choose a flat rate, but that would also rise. the cpuc is expected to vote on the plan later this year and it could take full effect by 28 tn. the city of hayward, human resources director says after a hiring freeze during the recision, the city is looking to fill critical jobs such as fire and water service.

>> we know we need to serve the community. >> hiring can take up to 90 days. although the city encourages hayward residents to apply there is no requirement that applicants live there. well, rain at least, but it didn't last very long. ktvu meteorologist mark tomaio will give you our forecast. >> the clouds are moving in and maybe some spotty drizzle. then not even really significant but a few light showers out there. we are looking for the showers, just some lingering clouds out there. we have some activity up to our north that could trigger a light shower for tonight. that is just all about it. check out the weather on the east coast out towards charlotte. we have a few showers right now, but we'll be in the clear for tomorrow, you can see the sunshine, it will be around 54

to 57 degrees. for tonight we do have mostly cloudy skies and our live camera in san francisco we have temperatures for tomorrow morning in the 40s. on track to reach the upper 50s and then we're going to warm things back up once again. it's gone, we're going to warm things up for monday, tuesday and wednesday. overnight lows will be starting out today, tomorrow morning in the upper 30s in santa rosa. as far as the sierra picking up a little snow for today on the order of around three to four inches, snow levels basically up about 6,000, 6500 feet and the snow fall tapering off as well. here's what happened today, this week cold crossing the bay area. as i mentioned there's a slight chance of sprinkles or light shower till about 10:00. and then tomorrow that will be the source of some warming, lots of 60s over the next few days and a bit of a warming

trend. in fact the temperatures could be around 70 degrees by monday and tuesday. with this pattern developing, those northerly winds on the increase, especially for the north bay hills and east bay hills, we're still talking about fire danger. no warning posted just yet. here's our forecast model showing you this and a chance of sprinkle and then tomorrow morning watch out for patchy dense fog out toward fairfield, at least a chance, and then we'll quickly clear things up into the afternoon for the rest of your sunday. temperatures tomorrow will be warmer than today. upper 50s to the lower 60s for afternoon highs. morgan hill and gilroy. here is a look ahead, your five- day forecast. we're talking about today's weather deal and that's just all gone. you can see temperatures warm back up for monday and tuesday, back up to 70 degrees. this weather pattern is not changing too much. the system is basically falling

apart. not much of a productive event for us. we're waiting. the east bay may soon be home to a permanent space for food trucks. the location in walnut creek has been empty since 2012 when a fire destroyed a restaurant. the owners want to set up a rotating food truck court on the north main street location. plans call for the new businesses to or the new business to feature eight different trucks a day. the idea still needs to be approved by the city, but the owners are hoping to have the business up and running later this year. tomorrow is the playoff game in charlotte. >> but they try to upset the top seed seahawks. highlights are next in sports.

well, we now know where the 49ers will play next week, that is, fred, if they can win tomorrow. >> yeah, a little business yet to be done, of course. while one month ago new orleans lost in seattle by 27 points, today they made it a much closer game, but there's the 12 man, seahawks were definite

factors. seahawks led 6-0 after one quarter. scores a 15 yard er. sea at -- yarder. there's lynch again bouncing off sides scoring a 31 yard touchdown. ran 28 times, 140 yards and two big scores. drew brees leads an 80 yard drive. saints are still alive 20 -- 23- 15. we need one more big play. the colts again, but instead of getting out of bounds, colts throw an incomplete pass. that's illegal. he takes ten seconds off the clock. they will host the nfc championship game next sunday. linebacker will head to seattle next sunday. bowman led san francisco two

months ago. he made the all pro game. heknows playoffs are a matter of give and take. hopefully you take more than you give. >> you just don't worry about anything that happened before. i just try to continue getting better every single week and understand that this is the field, you know, they have play makers on their team, also. they're going to make plays. but, you know, you become, you know, great, when you can get past those things and that's what i've been doing. >> and new come are university of pacific going to his first ever west conference basketball today. and the st. mary's team of the future, jump up to a 20-10 lead and never looked back. each team really shot well today, but stephen hits the three ball, he led the gails with 27 points. that is sports.

we'll have a lot more tonight including the colts and the patriots. >> thank you. thank you for making ktvu your source for news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. >> we're on facebook, twitter and our ktvu apps. >> another quick check on the forecast? >> yeah, tomorrow morning partly cloudy skies and more sunshine. we're talking about low 70s. so the strange weather this time of year continues. >> it continues. all right. thanks mark, and thanks for watching. we hope to see you tonight at 10:00.

so how's the family? great. kids are getting so big. haley's about to go off... you can stop holding your stomach in. ...to college. you still exercising? (exhales deeply) clearly. i look at a clint eastwood or a chuck norris and i think, there's no reason i can't stay tough like... (giggles) oh, tickles! but... ow. that hurt? no. not r--ow. oh. what? it's probably nothing. you feeling okay? yeah. maybe we'll just run a couple of tests, just to be safe. what kind of tests? if there's anything wrong, i'll give you a call. oh. okay. so how's the real estate market doing? well, interest rates are low, so it's a great time to be a buyer, but if you're a seller, you really have to... bend over? (gloves squeak)