now at noon -- it's official. the governor has declared a drought emergency in california as the state faces one of its worse dry spells. a lot of water. not so much water. we're right down there. >> what the declaration means for californians. an early-morning machine shop fire forces more than a dozen people to flee their apartments and right now fire screws are on the scene trying to -- crews are on the scene trying to figure out the scene. we talk to 9er faithful as they gear up for the nfc

championship in seattle. good afternoon. i'm tori campbell. with the largest reservoirs in the state at record lows and more dry weather expected, governor brown has declared a drought in california. >> reporter: the governor is calling on california ups to you have lup darrylly con-- voluntarily conserve water by 20%. today i'm declaring a drought in california. this is the worse drought that california has ever seen since records were being kept about 100 years ago. >> reporter: by signing off on

the state of emergency, the governor hopes to raise awareness about the seriousness of the situation and make water transfers easier between the regions of the state. with the largest reservoirs below record shows, they want to ensure that farmers and water districts can share waters. the fear is a prolonged drought will mean lost jobs for farm laborers and higher prices in store. >> this would have to go on for a significant amount of time. >> reporter: the governor said he will also look for represent and money from the federal government to aid those impacted by the drought and help speed those waters transfers if needed. reporting live in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. fire crews are still on the scene of a machine shop fire in redwood city that broke out just before 6:00 this morning on douglas avenue. it took firefighters over three

years to control the massive fire that reached six alarms and even spread to a nearby apartment complex, forcing residents to evacuate. we have team coverage of the fire. ktvu's alex savidge spoke to a now displaced resident of that apartment complex. his report in a moment. but we begin with janine de la vega who joins us live from the scene with what crews are doing right now. good afternoon, janine. >> reporter: good afternoon, tori. well, they finally have the fire under control about an hour and a half ago. you can see there's still dozens of firefighters here looking out for hot spots. you can actually see some smoke rising still from that machine shop you see behind me. this is an industrial area at bay and douglas where they have the roads blocked off to keep people away. huge flames shot out of this manufacturing business. along with it thick, black smoke. on the ground 100 firefighters support staff scramble to get it under control.

ladders were used to attack the inferno from the air. this fire on douglas started at 6:00 a.m. but in less than an hour and a half, it grew to six alarms. >> there's a lot of chemicals in there. it looked like the fire really took off and is out of control. >> no one was inside the machine shop when the fire began. the fire marshal says there were no fire sprinklers inside most likely because of the age of the building which caused the flames to spread faster. he said the materials inside, machinery, metal parts and oil provided a lot of fuel. >> we haven't been able to see. it looks like the roof is collapsed in the primary building. it will be really difficult for us to get in here, piece through specific operations. >> reporter: after four and a half hours, firefighters got the fire under control. the firefighter destroyed the machine shop and ended up spreading to the apartment complex next door heavily damaging it. there was also water damage to the nearby metal stamping business. workers and neighborhoods

looked at the burnt mess in disbelief. >> rows of buildings and apartment units getting burnt. kind of scary. i'm hoping it's not a firebug, but it makes you wonder. makes you look over your shoulder when there's smoke. >> reporter: that resident made that comment because this is the fifth sizable fire in redwood city in the last seven months. the other fires included two at simms recycling plant and two at apartment complexes. the cause of the fire is under investigation. we'll continue to follow this story. my colleague, rob roth will have an update coming up at 5:00. reporting live from redwood city, janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. >> all right. thank you. now, let's go to alex savidge who spoke to a man who lived in the apartment complex that caught fire. good afternoon, alex. >> reporter: good morning. a frightening morning for people living in the apartment

complex. 16 people will have to find another place to live because of this massive fire. all of them were living in this apartment building we're showing you that's right next to the business that burned this morning. firefighters say all four of the units were destroyed. people who live in that apartment stood beyond the crime scene tape and watched the fire. jose perez was wearing pajamas and slippers when we saw him. he and his wife and kids raced out of the apartment when he saw the fire. he said the only thing he managed to grab were important legal papers but perez is grateful everyone is okay. >> my family, they. >> are okay. we're sad but we're --

>> my familiar, we're okay. but we're sad. >> reporter: a shelter has been set up at nearby fair oaks elementary. they are asking anyone forced out by the fire to check in there. >> we just register them, find out what the needs are, meet the needs. if they send them to a motel, they may need clothing and food and things like that. >> reporter: now, the perez family is planning to stay with relatives who live nearby. the family says the family -- the father says the family had been worried about living in this industrial area of redwood city for quite sometime and said they were thinking about moving before this fire broke out this morning and destroyed everything they own. alex savidge, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, alex. the arson suspect accused of lighting destructive fires around a san jose neighborhood is expected in court at 1:35. 48-year-old william parker

brennan is being held on $1 million bail. he has a long history of starting fires. 15 years ago, ktvu news interviewed him after he was charged with starting several fires in the santa clara county foothills. investigators say brennan is linked to 12 recent fires, including last thursday's froir that destroyed a large warehouse. right now, bren nba is charged with starting two fires but that number may go up. three men are under arrest accused of starting a fire in the national angeles forest. according to the forest service, more than 3500 people have been evacuated from their homes. the fire is 30% contained. because of the dry

conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures statewide, calfire has added 125 seasonal fires and are preparing for a long and busy fire season. >> move further into the summer months, the temperature will get higher. the humidity will get lower. in the past two weeks, calfire has responded to more than 150 wildfires that have charred over 600 acres new information on the bay area's deadly flu season. santa clara health officials confirmed two more flu related deaths. they say two women ages 62 and 52 died this week. that brings the number of deaths in the county to six. by our account, there have been 22 flu-related deaths in the bay area since the flu season began october 1st. health officials are now reporting deaths in each of the nine bay area counties.

investigators are looking into what happened before a catholic this morning between a bicyclist and a vta light rail train. the train hit the cyclist around 7:30 this morning at stoke street near southwest expressway. you can see the damaged bike right next to the lrv. the cyclist was taken to a hospital but the extent of injuries has not yet been released. there were about 40 passengers on the train. they were all transferred to a bus. trains in the area are operating on a single track while investigators are at the scene. one of the defendants in the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in richmond has reportedly made a plea deal. the contra costa times reports that 26-year-old elvis torentas has plooded guilty to one count of sexual assault of an intoxicated person. he will be sentenced to six years in prison. six people were charged with beating, robbing and raping the girl outside a dance at richmond high in 2009. four of the others have been

convicted. the other has not yet come to trial. for the second time in four months, oakland police have issued an appeal for the public's help finding 50-year- old gary shay. investigators say shay got into an argument last august with corey prentice and shot prentice to death. they describe sheaa as 5'6", 160 pounds. there's a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. big changes proposed by president obama about how the nass -- nsa collects and stores data. what he wants intelligence officers to do before they access information. near record temperatures for one more day. but rosemary will be here to tell us what to expect this weekend. playoff fever sweeping across the bay area. hear from some of the 9er faithful heading to seattle for the big nfc championship game. [son] she has no idea.

[man] no one told her,right? [son]hi! [mom screams] president obama is proposing limits on how the national security agency collects and stores data. in a 42-minute speech at the justice department this morning, the president said the government will no longer held the data collected from phone

conversations. he's ordered officers must go before a secret court every time they want to access the data. >> we have to make some important decisions about how to protect ourselves and sustain our leadership in the world while upholding the civil liberties and privacy protections that our ideals and constitution require. >> president obama also said the u.s. will stop telephone surveillance of the leaders of countries that are close u.s. allies. cyber sleuths are uncovering new clues about the data breach at target retail stores. researchers say the malware that stole personal information from more than 100 million people was partly riten in russian. it's also based on another program developed by a russian cyber program. housing was the centerpiece of san francisco mayor ed lee's state of the city speech this morning. to underscore the emphasis, lee

delivered his address on the site where crews are building 240 townhouses on land that was once part of the naval shipyard. he wants to add 30,000 more yards in the city over the next six years with half being affordable for low or middle- income families. >> my fellow san franciscans, this is the priority i bring to you ahead. >> he says the unemployment is now down to 5.2% and san francisco's credit rating at the highest level in history. police in danville are searching for thieves who broke into a school and stole i ipads. the devices were hitting on a cart in a classroom. each tablet retails for about $500. the berkeley school district

will spend almost $2 million on efforts to prevent shootings on school campuses. the money is expected to go toward armed intruder training. board members approve plans to add lox to classroom doors, buy public address systems and to install live video cameras. consultants hired by the school district also recommended having a police officer stationed at every school. turning now to the 49ers' quest for six as playoff fever ramps up across the bay area. members of the 9er faithful are getting ready to travel for this weekend's nfc championship. allie rasmus found a lot of fans headed to seahawks' territory and joins us live from san francisco international airport. good afternoon, allie. >> reporter: good afternoon. getting tickets to the game and making plans for a long weekend to seattle was an easier task for some fans than others. you won't catch this seattle native in a jersey. >> i'm going home to seattle to

root for my team, the 49ers. >> reporter: the controversy move to restrict ticket sales wasn't a problem for her. >> billing zip code in washington. can't keep out the faithful. >> reporter: other fans had to scour the secondary market online. had i to do the stub hub and pay a lot for the tickets. >> reporter: $850 each. but these fans say it's worth it. >> it's the nfc championship. we gotta get back to the super bowl and win it. >> reporter: fans across the bay area, donned their 9ers ears gear. in san francisco, crowds rushed past a billboard with a countdown clock to sunday's name, a growing reminder of the anticipation. >> it's the rivalry, we're one step away from the super bowl, the quest for six. getting excited and pumped up. i think it will be an awesome atmosphere. >> reporter: there are several flights to seattle on virgin america, the flight attendants

will be wearing their 49ers' gear. i asked one of the attendants if she heard any trash talk from some of her washington passengers checking in. she said so far everyone has been nice and supportive. allie rasmus, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. our live coverage from seattle is already in full swing. tonight at 6:30, julie haener, mark ibanez and joe fonzi will be part of a half-hour special, "road to the championship" live from seahawks' territory. tomorrow at 9:00 we'll have an hour long special. on sunday, of course, keep it here on ktvu for the big game. kickoff is set for 3:30. following the game, stay tuned to our "point after" show live from seattle. cloudy but mainly dry for the big game. here at home, we have a bit of a cooldown for our weekend. still going to remain well above average. giving you a live look there. a little bit of hazy sky.

there's no spare-the-air day today but tomorrow there is one likely. it's already been declared. that to plan for as we get into the weekend, today, mostly sunny skies, temperatures a few degrees cooler in some areas. widespread low 60s in fairfield, antioch, concord, walnut creek, 66 in livermore, around the bay upper 50s to upper 60s. take a look at san francisco. both san francisco and half moon bay an offshore breeze. it shows because your temperatures, a couple of warmest on this map. 59 degrees in santa rosa. 56 in novato. we slide in just a little bit closer. so again, this is where i'm seeing. some of this offshore wind. sort of pick up a little bit. the wind has settled down for the most part over the hill. still a little breezy but not too bad. ridge of high pressure still in control. it will be for the weekend. notice the system back here. this is what's going to bringing the bit of the cooldown. unfortunately, not going to bring us any rain. but it will knock our temperatures back a little bit.

today, may or may not notice it so much. saturday and sunday, you should notice that cooling. take a look here. we've got some rain off the coast. it looks like it may come our way, but it doesn't. the ridge of high pressure so incredibly strong, that keeps sending the storm to the north. that's why we do remain dry through the weekend and beyond. afternoon highs for today, near record highs, upper 60s to about 70 degrees right along kentfield, san rafael and sausalito. 72 for you. san rafael, we may fall short of tying a record. 69 degrees. the old record and standing record at this point. livermore if we hit 70 this afternoon, we'll tie a record for you. upper 60s to low 70s in the forecast for the east bayshore line into the santa clara area, 72. for areas along cupertino, saratoga, mostly sunny and 79 for santa cruz. for the peninsula this afternoon, upper 60s to low

70s. 67 in half moon bay for the afternoon. 66 for pacifica. the extended forecast there with your bay area weekend always in view. temperatures trending cooler although notice about mid- to upper 60s about -- that's about all we get down to. we do remain dry through the holiday and beyond. >> all right. thank you. >> okay. a new device that could be revolutionary for diabetes patients. how new contact lenses could be the end of daily blood draws for diabetes. and show your 49ers' spirit by sharing our took badge. it's posted on our wall at ktvu channel 2. it's also part of a friendly competition with our sister station in seattle to see who can get the most shares and likes. ♪

♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good for me around ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of craving something that i can't have ♪ ♪ turn around, barbara ♪ forever i've been praying for a snack in my life ♪

♪ and now i have a brownie ending all of my strife ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ stocks mixed in afternoon trading. industrial stocks among the biggest decliner after general electric reported earnings that disappointed investors. intel has slumped after issuing a weak revenue report. that stock is really hitting the nasdaq. u.p.s. said the 2013 profit would miss forecast at the end of a holiday shopping season and cold weather took a toll on service. the dow is up 26. the nasdaq down 24. s&p down 7. google is working on smart contact lenses which could be

revolutionary for diabetes. the high tech devices appear like normal contacts but are loaded with tiny transitters and an antenna. the lenses monitor glucose levels in the tears of diabetes. if they make it to market, this could mean diabetes would no longer have to draw blood every day to check their levels. uber is offering free rides in the east bay from now through late monday night. uber says passengers can get two trips that would normally cost $30 each for free. the ride-sharing service hopes this will get more people to try uber. it's also teaming up with the warriors and the alameda fowk food bank. anyone who uses uber on monday and donates five kanded foods will be entered for tickets to an upcoming warrior game. mup at 5:00, we're taking a closer look at what the drought

deck thatration means and what bay area residents say they are and are not willing to do you have lun darrylly. again live team coverage at 5:00. thank you for making ktvu your choice for news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. you can follow us on twitter and facebook. thanks for watching. have a great weekend.

>> this is the "real winning edge." it's a collegiate band member whose troubles were helped through her music; a snowboarder who faces challenge after challenge and keeps on going. it's a skater who went through the fire but came out unscathed. it's celebrities who let you know what it takes to win in life--jamie grace, caleb and colton moore, and kimmie meissner. this is how to overcome. [captioning made possible by challenger films] >> ♪ caught in the fallout i know there's a way out ♪ >> i'm apolo anton onho. see how you can overcome when life gets tough. >> hi, i'm lisa leslie. find out how to have "the real winning edge" over life's challeng