that is cam newton interception sent 49er fans into a frenzy. tonight the team is one game away from the super bowl. good evening i'm heather holmes. >> and i'm ken wayne in for frank somerville. the team is home. their bus i arrived just about an hour ago after flying into

san jose from charlotte north carolina. >> and the city hall has been decked out in red and gold. the panthers proved to be a very tough opponent in what turned out to be a tight game tonight. >> our fred inglis is here with the highlights of what came up with that victory. >> reporter: revenge is so sweet sometimes. carolina beat the 49ers at home. tonight 49ers are road tested and that defense travels. collin kaepernick wanted to avenge last month's game. while he started out strong he just stopped. on a big fourth down dive. it seemed to fuel the 49ers high octane defense and kept the score 9-0 san francisco. and 18 possessions when collin

copper cop -- kaepernick gets davis in the end zone. the call was that it was a touchdown. they hold the panthers scoreless in the second half and win 23-10. jim harbaugh is now the first coach ever to lead the team to three championships. >> today's win was an accomplishment but it was lofty of the goal san francisco set. they don't just want to get to the super bowl they want to win it this time. >> nobody is overly excited. >> reporter: the challenge of seattle is its biggest challenge as to anybody on the team. what do you have to say about going there and it has to get through them to get this thing done? >> the good thing is it's not our first rodeo up there. we've all experienced it up there. we're all excited about the

opportunity. this will be the old river match. what a better team to go against than seahawks for all the marbles in the nfc. >> can't help feeling that this team is playing their best football of the season. >> we got a couple of our key players back so the offense is gelling. no matter what happens we're ready to go. >> reporter: a team that had not been to the postseason in nine straight years will now make its third straight appearance in the nfc championship game. in charlotte, joe fonzi, ktvu channel 2 news. so it's san francisco's third straight road play off game. the 49ers have been outscored 79-16 at that noisy century link field. >> i guess i have to invest in another red top. i have to wear my red and gold

next week. >> it's good business. football is good business. >> thank you, fred. and the team is flying high. they arrived home about an hour ago and now they're heading into the nfc champion shim tkpwar the third straight year. our team coverage continues now with p atti lee. she's live outside of the training camp with all of the excitement but word of ticket trouble for fans from the bay area. >> a bump that tonight some fans likened to getting blocked in a most unsportsman like play. >> reporter: fans camped out for hours to greet the 49ers returning from north carolina. >> i'll wait all night for my 49ers. we'll wait forever for quest for tiks. >> reporter: the players now headed to the championships for the third year in a row. as cheering fans waited outside nineers headquarters. coach jim harbaugh stopped and got out of his car to sign

autographs. >> we love you. >> love you harbaugh. >> love you too. >> reporter: even before the niners beat carolina, fans started pricing tickets. >> that's for way up in the nosebleeds. >> but that's on the secondary market. last night the seahawks announced it would start selling face value tickets. but only to fans of these selective states. notely missing from that list, california. >> to be fair the seahawks also excluded north carolina. the only other team it might have faced. the founder of niner nation is now advising the community of how to beat the seahawks at its own game. we caught up with puchio on the phone. >> my father lives in seattle. i'm thinking i will change

myshipping around to his address and see what i can get and pass them around to niners fans. >> reporter: coach harbaugh told me he had not heard about seattle's ticket sales play. but this kind of move is not unheard of. but it is not very common. reporting live in santa clara, patti lee. we did some checking and it turned out the broncos are also limiting ticket sales for sunday's game against the patriots. tickets go on sale tomorrow but they will only be available to fans with a billing address in the rocky mountain region which of course includes colorado and the western part of kansas. stub hub has 5,600 tickets. the cheapest we found was $464. and they ran as high as $122,000 for a seat. that's when you're near the end zone. stub hub is where fans sell

tickets to other fans of course. the niner fans got an early start to watch the niner game. >> we had beer, sausage and bacon. that's basically what we had. >> i had coffee then a screwdriver. >> reporter: fans were packed into the cesar pub in san francisco first thing this morning. many were decked out in red and gold some still in their pajamas. they were there to enjoy what you might call the breakfast of champions as the niners scored another gig this week. >> super bowl. >> super bowl for sure. >> we will win it this year. >> next stop is seattle with the championship game against the seahawks next sunday. and you can watch that game right here on ktvu. whichever team wins that game of course heads to new york for the super bowl. that nfc championship game is sunday, kick off is at 3:30. again that is next week here on ktvu. and our coverage continues online just go to ktvu.com and click on the images tab.

there you will find a slide show with 49ers fans showing off their team spirit. continuing coverage now on that disturbing string of arsons in the south bay. overnight three more fires. apparently from the same san jose arsonist who is terrorizing entire neighborhoods. so far 13 fires in just five days. ktvu's debora villalon on what residents are doing to fight back. >> reporter: some people have signed up to stay awake for two hour shifts as fire look outs on their streets. but the fact is many people aren't sleeping well any way. >> reporter: a nighttime run to the local fire house for smoke detectors and dozens have been handed out already. the church that was hit for a second time about 4:00 this morning. mostly small fires and no one hurt so far but what could happen keeps people up.

>> i'm not sleeping, i'm really worried. as you can see, all these kids. you know we have to watch over them. >> i just want him to turn himself in or somebody catch him or something. so we can be in peace again. >> new surveillance video obtained by ktvu shows another man near a fire. he resembles the person of interest police want to find. tall and thin in baggy clothes. a $10,000 reward is offered for the arsonist arrest and conviction. >> how many blocks should i do? >> fighting fires with fliers. >> is 200 too many? >> no, no. not at all. >> reporter: volunteers stake out streets. through leaflets by daylight. knowing that in darkness their best weapon against the arsonist is vigilance. >> we know it's serious. we know the arsonist will continue to do this until he's caught and so we want to make sure the police get him sooner rather than later. >> there is already so much

heat on him. surveillance video abound, showing a possible suspect. sometimes in the act. but still it goes on. >> this is very gutsy. very gutsy. >> somebody started it right on the other side of the fence. >> reporter: where the arsonist struck last, people were roused by smoke and got the fire out with garden hoses. >> he's sick. and there's a lot of decent people that live in this neighborhood might be lonesome but this has frightened everybody. this is not funny. >> reporter: a man in his 20s or 30s as you can see. he's white possibly hispanic. he sometimes wears large eyeglasses with large frames. now people who are keeping watch in their neighborhoods tonight are urged that if they see anyone suspicious in the area, not to confront him but

to call 911. reporting live in san jose, debora villalon. a small fire destroyed a car. when they arrived on scene they found a large carport engulfed in flames. crews were able to put the fire out before it spread to the townhouses. the smoke damage is so extensive some people may not choose to remain there overnight. the carport and one vehicle are a total loss and the cause of that fire is under investigation. it's hard to believe but just 24 hours ago we were talking about drizzle in parts of the bay area. >> tonight we're talking about fire danger. in the middle of january. as you can see the american flag and 49er flag flying atop a san francisco building where it's certainly whipping in the wind tonight. >> it is rare for us to be

talking about fire danger especially in the middle of winter. >> and mark tamayo is joining us right now to tell us why this is such a concern. >> reporter: they have a red flag warning in place until wednesday at 6:00. all due to those northwest wind. we typically talk about it in october, november, december. but they're coming back right now. increasing winds that's the forecast for tonight and into monday. mostly for the higher terrain and also out toward the delta. winds can be 30 to 40 miles per hour and low humidity levels right around 25% will be drying out overnight. some of the most recent gusts in the past hour, mount hamilton 55 miles per hour. these were the higher terrain areas. the oakland hills around 1,400

feet. 2,200-miles-an-hour. the winds have been picking up in the higher terrain and toward the delta. coming up at 10:35, the winds bringing a change in the temperature matter. when you can expect 70s and our next chance for rain in the forecast coming up. a magnitude 4.5 quake struck the geysers areas just around 14-miles from hill sburg around 10:30. an official from the quake center said the quake was felt about 30-miles from the epicenter. turning red and gold into green. how the 49ers success is going beyond the bay area and giving businesses a boost. a new chapter in the scandal surrounding chris christie. how they plan to go against the governor's inner circle

starting tomorrow. and the new problem hitting the obama care website that's affecting a certain population of the country.

to those who've been waiting welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage, and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll today at coveredca.com. the fan faithful ready for

the super bowl. we were with the niners fans as they watched the niners get the next win. sports bars like sky box were already packed with niners fans. >> it's actually pretty intense. this is the bar to go to for niners fever because everybody here is a really big fan. >> reporter: families like the baileys were all decked out in gold and red. >> of course we have 49ers fever. my husband is a huge fan. so watch every game. >> reporter: on game day, the owners of sky bar have to order 50% beer to keep up with demand. >> i show my support by drinking as much as i can. >> reporter: not only was the

alcohol flowing but waiters could hardly keep up with food orders. >> we order 50% more food than we normally would. a lot more beer, a lot more drinks, fries, tater tots. >> reporter: it's not just bars getting business from the football fever. >> it's jumping with february being the top. >> vintage looking apparel ranges from $50 to $200. and fans don't seem to mind spending the extra cash to support their niners. >> that was leticia ortiz reporting. it's estimated that each play off game generates more than $10 million for the local

economy. efforts to get spanish speakers to sign up for obama care has failed. the most serious problem is the translation. critics say the spanish seems like it was generated bay computer. there are also complaints about phone service that is supposed to help with sign up. federal officials say they're working on the problems. former defense secretary robert gates is fighting criticism of his latest book. he wrote about serving under president obama and bush. he slammed the obama administration about a lack of passion over succeeding in afghanistan. >> there's one thing to tell your troops you support them. another is to making them

believe that you believe as president that their sacrifice is worth it. that their cause is just. that what they're doing is important for the country. and that they must succeed. >> gates blasted members of congress as being more interested in reelection than the good of the country. senator john mccain reacted today that he would have waited to release such a memoire perhaps until the end of the effort. under the six month deal iran agreed to reduce uranium

to less than 5%. in exchange the western powers will losen economic sanctions that are crippling the iranian committee. -- iranian economy. expect another chapter around chris christie. the center of the scandal says he plans to issue suspects. christie is under scrutiny after aids revealed they shut down a gate due to political motivated reasons. >> it's hard to believe in the middle of a gubernatorial election that the tkpwoáfr -- governor did not have a big conversation about the problem. >> critics claim that the lane

closures were orchestrated to punish the mayor of fort lee for not supporting christie for reelection. on thursday christie apologized for the incident. state lawmakers tomorrow will take up the issue of banning transit strikes, b.a.r.t. strikes back in july and october you might remember. republican leader bob huff introduced a bill back in december to ban such strikes. he compares transit workers to police and firefighters who can't strike because they are live and special service. a committee hearing takes place tomorrow in sacramento. the weather channel is calling on congress for help. plus-- >> a large protest getting under way. the mayor city demonstrators plan to shut down tomorrow. >> and more than a wake me up. that hidden benefit to that morning cup of coffee. >> the bay area in the clear right now. temperatures trending up. coming up the neighborhoods

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it sounds like a huge street party or more like one than it does a demonstration. but protesters in bangkok gathered today in an effort to shut down huge blocks of the city. tonight we're hearing major streets are shutting down and the protests come ahead of scheduled general elections next month. the anti government protesters claim the current prime minister is heading up a corrupt government and that she's merely a puppet for her brother. the former prime minister that was absent due to a cue. it put riot police and thousands of troops on stand by to guard against chaos. tens of thousands of mourners said their farewells today to former prime minister

sherome. today his body was carried today. following the service, sherome is to be buried at his ranch in southern israel. at the vatican today, pope francis took part in a special ceremony inside the sistine chapel. the pope baptized 32 babies announced their names one by one as part of a church celebration that marks the day christians believe jesus christ was baptized. the pontiff also encouraged mothers to nurse their babies. today the pope named 16 new cardinals. most of them hailed from developing countries. the weather channel is asking for congressional intervention in its dispute with direct tv.

the networks contract with direct tv is expiring at the end of tomorrow. and the weather channel wants viewers to call congress to keep direct tv from dropping the network from the system. the weather channel president compares the network to a public utility saying the information is essential. direct tv says the viewers have other options for getting that information. you're looking to boost your memory? look no further than coffee. researchers at john hopkins university show 100 people a series of pictures and gave them a dose of caffeine equivalent to a cup of coffee. a day later, those on caffeine did a better job of remembering those images than those who did not. how postcards being sent to

strangers are bridging bay area neighborhoods. >> oh, no. look at that. and gone with the wind. a building under construction is no match for mother nature. i'm detecting increasing levels of happiness. ...and the speed readings are off the chart! paradise found!

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and deliver it all with responsive local service, and a personal passion to help you protect your business. we'll even give you the power to manage it all... right from the palm of your hand. call us for a free security review. tyco integrated security. safer. smarter. tyco. and the niners are going to seattle for the nfc championship game over today's victory over the panthers. the seahawks you may remember 29-3. the fans insist that this is a much improved team that is certainly on fire now. well often the 49ers, fisherman's wharves or cable

cars are pictured for postcards. and now we get a look at new cards that they hope will provide a better picture of the city. >> beautiful jam. beautiful treasure. we're at candle stick point we actually wrote about it on my postcard. i love this place. >> reporter: candle stick point park is scenic enough to be on a postcard. but people who live in the bay view know their neighborhood have a rough reputation. >> they said what we want to change is the view. these are positive stories from folks. >> reporter: while working with the mayor's office of invasions, hunter san franciscos created the postcards of invasion. >> they are interested in sharing a positive story of their own lives. >> it's old fashion.

it's fun to get something written by hand. >> reporter: the women and hunter got together for lunch at a bay view restaurant. >> that's the whole point really. that people are much more similar than they realize if they took the time to listen to each other's stories and talk to each other. >> it can also help spur business. >> the project is combating stereo types in other businesses too. >> from the tenderloin to western addition. >> all these people regardless of what they look like are full of interesting stories. >> reporter: now within eight months the project has spread to new york, even sidney australia. >> turned into something so great. >> reporter: if you would like to learn more, you can head to ktvu.com so -- ktvu.com. we've posted the information so you can send your own postcard.

katie utehs, ktvu news. an officer got into a minor car accident on interstate 280. the officer and other driver left the freeway and pulled over near gerald avenue. a fight broke out and the officer pulled out a gun. neither the officer or the driver have been identified and the officer was put on paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. a community task force will meet tomorrow. the task force will be expected to meet once a week and come up with recommendations among them procedures for reviewing officer involved shootings, suggestions for community policing and the separation of the coroner's job from the sheriff's department. a day after the usda allowed it to reopen, a foster

farms plant is stopping operations. foster farms announced today that it's voluntarily suspended protection at its livingston facility in modesto. it was shut down last week because of cockroaches. foster farms says it is continues to monitor for procedures. gas prices have been creeping up and are now the highest since last october. an 8-cent a gallon increeds has been noted in just the last week. the national average is $3.89. the average price in san francisco is down to 3.72 a gallon. the silican valley auto

show wrapped up a few hours ago. visitors could do plenty of window shopping. new information tonight on how much college graduates make when they land their first jobs. the national association of colleges and employers put together data from last year. the mayors providing the biggest starting salaries are engineering at an average of $62,600 a year. computer science at an average topping $69. and business mayors started their careers at more than $55,000 in salaries. it's more than an ordinary basketball shot. >> we are going to tell you the story behind that extraordinary play that even had the opposing team cheering. and just ahead, mark tamayo is tracking a warm up headed our way. the summertime weather for our workweek.

it's scary man. >> oh no, look at that. >> look at that indeed. a condo complex under construction could not with stand the 80-mile an hour wind in raleigh north carolina yesterday. the storm also knocked out power to tens of thousands of people in northern georgia and the carolinas. >> boy that is just unbelievable video to take a look at there. let's check in now on our forecast which is a lot less dramatic. but gosh mark it's just unbelievable. the fire danger we're talking about how dry it is and how warm it's getting. >> you look at the temperatures

without any reference and you think it's back in september or october. here's the latest right now on live storm tracker 2. a few high clouds toward eureka toward the oregon border as well. we are in the clear. wind speeds as we mentioned earl littler have been picking up. so with those northernly winds picking up, high fire danger for tomorrow through tomorrow night: with the winds up a bit, temperatures on the warmer side. san jose reporting mostly clear skies, 48 degrees. stronger winds right now right around fairfield sustained at 16 miles per hour. the rest of the region wins on the order of three to 7 miles per hour with the strongers winds moving in from the north. that's a factor at least in the short term. we've been talking a lot about the dry weather pattern. december one day of measurable

snowfall. not best for the rain showers. this is keeping all the shower activity in the pacific. probably just a few clouds. if we have any shower threat it is minimal and no significant rain still in the forecast between now and then. temperatures will be trending up quite a bit. for tonight we do have this, clear and breezy tomorrow. sunshine will be warmer up there. here is our live camera looking out toward san francisco. on track to reach the 60s by 12:00 and a forecast high of 66 degrees. tuesday, wednesday and thursday some very warm temperatures. we're talking about record breaking warmth as well here in the bay area. we will be in the upper 30s to mid-40s. there's that 47 in san francisco. san jose 40 and livermore the

upper 30s at 39 degrees. so here's the over all weather pattern developing. all the clouds from this morning have moved out to the south. high pressure returns and here is the source of our warming from monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday 60s. warmest locations could be approaching the lower 70s. so the warm up remains in place. temperatures will continue to warm up for tomorrow. san jose 70, san mateo 67 and santa cruz lower 70s at 72. here is your look ahead at your friday forecast with the weekend always in view. look at these temperature for mid-january back up to the low and mid-70s. a little bit of a cooling for saturday. a football game for day seven up in seattle. at least for right now looking out to the week ahead, mostly cloudy skies. slight chance of a shower will be looking out for that. and there's still a chance that temperatures will be in the upper 40s to right around 50

degrees. heather and kent, tomorrow, tuesday, wednesday it'll feel strange out there when you're walking around feeling temperatures right around 70 degrees by wednesday. >> thanks, mark. >> strange indeed. a teen in vermont has done something amazing to inspire his football team. eighthgrader alex wolf took three shots. he failed the first two but he nailed it on the third attempt. you would have never known that alex is blind. his coach decided to put him in the game a decision that thrilled the young man. >> he told me you're going to be in the books if you score a point this place is going to go nuts. for him to do that for me is a great honor. i went into the guile with strategy. >> and they did go nuts. a teammate said he had perfect faith that alec could pulpit off. and even the opposing team said it was a great day in

basketball. the 16-year-old skater took second in the skating championships this weekend. she is one of three on the team heading to sochi next month. she is a sophomore in high school. and sports wrap is next. make a good one this morning. get two biscuit sandwiches, with your choice of country grilled sausage, egg, and cheese, or bacon, egg, and cheese, both on my new southern style biscuits. you'll save some cash 'cause right now they're two for just three bucks. c'mon cody... let's get some breakfast. you drive. i traded the car for the tattoo.

good evening everyone and thanks for joining us sunday night edition of sports wrap. 49ers quarterback collin kaepernick says he will never forget the fact that carolina quarterback cam newton was

drafted first overall in the 2011 draft and he was picked 36. today's collin versus cam show off was more of a side show to the real star of the game the 49ers defense. now the weather in charlotte today was perfect for football and that new popular game head butt your buddy. 49ers opened the game with a long 13 game drive. but cap had to settle for the first of three field goals. this was cam newton's first ever play off game and he was both hot and cold. niners couldn't convert it though to any points. niners led 6-0 after first quarter. but cam newton can put carolina ahead. firstand goal at the one. he's big, he's strong. it stays 6-0 niners. and that's a classic line up. 49ers go three and out. this is just the