we spoke with a calfire official earlier today. to get the details on how easily fires can start in the summer season. hot weather around the bay area today. this is video from alamo square park. john kerry breaks his silence on the bergdahl exchange. drawing criticism from both democrats and republicans. scott thompson has the latest on kerry's comments and the reaction from critics. >>"no one should doubt the capacity of america to protect americans." >>secretary of state john kerry is speaking out for the first sergeant bowe bergdahl. kerry defends the exchange of five guantanamo detainees. expressing confidence they will be monitored closely and the conditions of their release will be honored. >>"i'm not telling you that they don't have some ability at some point to go back and get involved. but they also have an ability to get killed doing that." >>critics on both sides of the aisle condemn the exchange. >>"i heard john kerry this morning say, you know, 'don't worry about them in doha.' you can't help but worry about them in d

we reached out to calfire and napa county. hydrants aren't a problem.lenty of water in this area. it was just the wind and the fuel that was burning. >> okay, we know it's dry out there. >> yeah. >> if anybody needs any reminder or proof that that defensible space is really something to take seriously they need look no further than cordelia this evening. reporting live, debora villalon, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> that fire could be seen for miles this evening. check out this video sent to us by a viewer who was driving in the area during the evening commute. you can see all that black smoke there and one building on fire. the fire also impacted traffic on both interstate 80 and 680 for several hours. >>> calfire crews are also battling a fire in calav era s that at one time threatened homes in the town of san andreas on george reed drive. crews have stopped its forward progress. the fire is now 75% contained. some 30 people were evacuated from a subdivision for a few hours then allowed to return home. so far two out buildings have burned. highway49 was cl

. >> officials with calfire said the buildings that were destroyed covered 230,000 square feet.o injuries were reported. >>> calfire today issued it's seasonal band on open fires about two weeks earlier than last year. officials say we are indeed in for a very long fire season due to the extremely dry conditions caused by the ongoing drought. anyone wanting to conduct an agriculture or land management burn must apply for a permit with calfire. they must also make sure they're in compliance with air quality regulations. >>> a biotech company in the central valley wants to accomplish california's newest cash crop. stevia first is working with farmers to grow the sugar replacement. china grows most of the world's stevia and it's a great opportunity for the state. >> california is the perfect place for growing stevia. california's central valley has tens of billions of the dollars in agriculture exports every year. >> the world health organization estimates that stevia will replace up to 30% of diet sweeteners consumed globally. >>> las vegas casinos avoided a major strike today. th

. >> that photograph was shared with calfire investigators. they were able to track her down. they didn't go into details and would only say the woman converted an old apricot drying shed into living space and that's where the fire started. >> i've heard that she had something that she was trying to cook in there and that's what we guess happened, that she was trying to cook and something happened, caught the place on fire. >> reporter: the property owner and her mother are staying at a hotel because, again, homes completely destroyed. back out here live live you can see in the distance there are some calfire firefighters who just arrived here a couple of minutes ago. they are just looking around for hot spots, they want to make sure nothing sparks back up here. we'll continue to follow this story throughout the day. reporting live from san jose, janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. >>> a stolen car suspect is in custody after a tense search of several back yards in an oakland neighborhood. police say they received a 911 call from a person who said their red s

at the calfire station off of marsh creek road in clayton. the hot weather hasn't gone unnoticed. most of those fires so far have been in southern california. but hot weather here also tends to draw people outside. many fires are started by people who are unaware they were ever creating risk. that's more of a problem in rural areas. but a fire that starts in remote parks. doesn't take long to reach front yards. firefighters don't want to discourage people from enjoying themselves outside. they say "have fun." just have it safe. reporting in clayton, dan rubin, kron four news. developing tonight. a shooting rampage in las vegas. two patrol officers - having lunch at ci-ci's pizza - when they were ambushed. each shot and killed. the shooters - a man and a woman - made their way across the street to walmart and shot and killed an innocent bystander. then turned the gun on themselves in an apparent suicide pact. one witness at the scene says the shooters told him - this is a revolution. sot/ they had a backpack and i saw their gun in their hand. he told me to tell the cops that it was

calfire says good timing helped save the building's owner from losing more. >> the gentleman told me they had finished doing the final processing of what was in the storage facility. so the facility was empty of product. just storage of the wood bins, which is most of what is burning. >> the fire burned hot enough to jump across a road, start a small grass fire and char a fire hose. >>> california's pot farms are making the state's drought situation even worse. that's according to fish and wildlife officials. marijuana growers are sucking rivers and streams dry in northern california's coastal forest to irrigate their illegal farms. the water is also being polluted because of runoff. in lake county, local lawmakers trying to pass on ordinance what would ban outdoor grows to deal with the problem. >> an annual fundraiser that raises millions for san francisco's glide foundation is underway. you have until 7:30 friday evening to place you bid to dine with warren buffett. the minimum bid is $25,000 on ebay. the annual auction is in its 15th year and has raised nearly $16 million for gli

calfire says good timing helped save the building's owner from losing more. >> the gentleman told me they had finished doing the final processing of what was in the storage facility. so the facility was empty of product. just storage of the wood bins, which is most of what is burning. >> the fire burned hot enough to jump across a road, start a small grass fire and char a fire hose. >>> california's pot farms are making the state's drought situation even worse. that's according to fish and wildlife officials. marijuana growers are sucking rivers and streams dry in northern california's coastal forest to irrigate their illegal farms. the water is also being polluted because of runoff. in lake county, local lawmakers trying to pass on ordinance what would ban outdoor grows to deal with the problem. >> an annual fundraiser that raises millions for san francisco's glide foundation is underway. you have until 7:30 friday evening to place you bid to dine with warren buffett. the minimum bid is $25,000 on ebay. the annual auction is in its 15th year and has raised nearly $16 million for gli

la operacion fue impresionante, personal de los bomberos de san jose y calfire unieron fuerzas en elsitio del siniestro ademas hubo refuerzos aereos con helicopteros echando agua para sofocar las intensas llamas afortunadamente no se reportaron evacuaciones o personas heridas... robert long/vecino este vecino comenta que conocia a la familia que vivia en uno de los hogares... el se dedica a limpiar maleza, hace tres anos la elimino de este sitio, pero afirma que volvi a crecer y quiza por eso el fuego se propag, ya que se incendia con facilidad. pero dice estar feliz de que no habia nadie dentro del hogar a la hora del incidente... el lugar donde estan ubicadas estas casas es en plena montana llena de maleza seca, y con las condiciones atmosfericas tipicas de estos meses, cuando hay mucho calor, aumenta la posibilidad de que un incendio ocurra aunque no se saben todava las causas de este siniestro, se pudo conocer que mas de medio acre de vegetacion fue quemado... andres los vientos en el area fueron de 8 a 15 millas por hora, lo que pudo haber contribuido con la labor de los bombero

. >>> calfire crews also made quick work of a brush fire this morning in santa cruz county. it started about 6:00 a.m. in the pine mountain area. the fire was burning in steep heavily wooded terrain. but fire crews contained it to just over three acres. they will be at the scene making sure it does not flare back up. fire officials say the fire may have started near the bloom creek campground but the cause is under investigation. >>> and fire investigators continue to search for whoever started several small fires in oakland's diamond canyon neighborhood yesterday. ktvu's brian flores is live in the oakland hills to let us know what crews will be doing just a couple of hours from now. good afternoon, brian. >> reporter: tori, good afternoon. we just go got an update from an oakland fire battalion chief who says around 2:00 p.m. investigators will go down physically down into the diamond canyon looking for any clues into how and possibly who started these fires yesterday. oakland fire officials say this is the work of an arsonist. about 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., a crew of four

calfire is on the scene.it's not clear how large the fire is and so far no evacuations have been ordered. we do have a crew on the way and we'll bring you new information as we get it. but with the drought and the dry weather, it's always a concern. >>> a controversial plan approved in an east bay city. coming up in 20 minutes, how people are reacting to a dozen new surveillance cameras to be installed in fremont. >>> but first, a state audit prompted by a deadly fire on the san mateo bridge. the two problems uncovered and it could mean changes for limousines and charter buses. >>> we're looking at traffic that is getting busier on the peninsula because of a new problem and also looking at 880. we'll tell you why today you might see some traffic during the middle of the day right here in oakland. >>> just stepped outside, dave is right. it's sunny out there. big ball of confusion in the sky is giving us some warmer temperatures. we'll show you how warm and if there's any breeze behind the temperatures. i'll h

you can see behind me, crews from calfire are packing up to go home, too. but at one point, this fire was very intense. fast-moving flames fueled by dry grass, burned on a hillside in san rafael. >> we're coming, we're coming! >> reporter: it's a sight dozens of evacuees living atop the hill fear. >> there is a lot of dry grass, so we're always thinking about that. >> then i came running down here and you could see the fire was only about a hundred yards away. >> reporter: but flames were dangerously closer to those at the bottom of the hill in the con temp poe marin neighborhood, where tracy newman lives. >> been here over a decade. i've never been so scared in my life. >> reporter: she says flames burned to the back of her mobile home and a few of her neighbors lost decks in the backyard. san rafael fire chief christopher gray says the 12- acre fire could have been catastrophic, but thankfully crews were helped by homeowners that had cut the grass down. >> we're asking that people work with us and help protect their homes and their neighbors' homes by cut

full staffing levels for calfire this fire season.'s jackie sissel the morning. it doesn't take long to realize how many fires that it takes to be extreme measures. look how drive this field as though you're. if the extremely dry. and it appears some higher seasons. as far as the last month of. because of that cal fire is adding new personnel to their forces. in combat this long. already this year. with a view of reference. we've had 21 over 2100 fires around the state. the of 70%. this year already. cal fire effects to be worse. the very drawn out fires season. >>darya: thanks a lot jacki. >>mark:tomorrow, we're expected to get the final report on what caused the crash of asiana airlines flight 2-14 last year at s- f-o. federal investigators are set to meet tomorrow morning in washington, d-c. early reports indicate. the plane came in too low. crashing on the s-f-o- runway. three passengers died. one of them a chinese high school student, who first survived the impact, but was run over by a san francisco fire department truck during

a vantage calfire use when its helicopter dropped hundreds of gallons of water. >> the difficult part is this is in very steep terrain. >> reporter: the efforts made quick work of the fires and then -- >> the smoke is straight across from me. >> reporter: a neighbor spots a third column of smoke at the top of the canyon it was from yet another small fire burning near a hole. there were five fires in all. three main fires and two spot fires. but it was the two in the canyon that raised the most suspicious. >> the wind is not a factor. it's very calm wind conditions. so for a ember to start a fire in another part of the canyon is very suspicious. >> reporter: these fires are being investigate as arson. and saturday, near from here another two fires. >> there's a lot of kids, transients. >> reporter: in this canyon. >> in this canyon area. >> reporter: despite suspicions the cause of the fire remains unknown. the hope is that it doesn't happen again. >> this is a beautiful canyon. we walk through it all the time. i would hate to see it go up in flames or take more homes out. >> reporter:

and calfire has issued the seasonal ban on open fires. the announcement comes two weeks earlier than last year. fire officials say the extremely dry conditions caused by this year's drought will mean a long fire season. anyone who wants to conduct an agriculture or land management burn has to apply for a permit with calfire. >>> california police agencies face a growing challenge in keeping their officers physically fit for duty. the state requires police academy graduates plas rigorous test -- pass rigorous tests. none of california's more than 600 public safety agencies currently require regular fitness tests to stay on the course. law enforcement experts say that poses a public safety threat since officers mowst move quickly in -- must move quickly in life or death situations. >>> let's check in with sal. >> it's been busy. would efa been talking about -- we've been talking about muni and the roads. let's take a look at the commute on the marin county freeways. we had an earlier crash. it's backed up up out of novato to -- backed up ou

a calfire chopper doused the flames and it kept it from burning a third home. >> yes.worried because i have horses and my friends out of town have horses next to here. i was really worried. >> fire officials have been able to determine the fire started in one of the homes and then spread outside to the grassy area. one neighbor -- there is a woman who may have been squatted in one of the houses leaving. she took a photograph and handed it over to investigators. that's being looked into. there were explosions heard during the fire. people were wondering about that. peer's told that came -- we're told that came from propane tanks and barbecue grills here on the property. reporting live from san jose, janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> 7:35. rangers in the big basin state park in santa cruz are closely watching things after two wildfire in two days. a brush fire reported last night just before 6:00 in a remote part of the park. the flames were contained to just half an acre. the boulder creek fire department posted these photos of the fire. put these on their fac

there's a lot of is significant but fortunately it's fairly cool so that helped, the weather was in a calfireopter helped directed firefighters on the caused by sparks blowing downwind. no homes or structures were threatened but the staff kept close watch over nearby happy hollow zoo. sot vanesssa rogier/happy hollow zoo '.we could see the fire and hear the helicopters but no one was in any danger, in terms of the impact on our guests, there is as you can see, the area is loaded with dry grass so crews were working to keep the flames out of nearby coyote creek. mop up teams like this one spent all afternoon with shovelas and hoses making sure every last ember was stone cold out. sot capt. reggie williams brush and other debris so if the fire gets in there it's going to intinsify for sure.' as for the cause of the fire. investigators are pretty sure it was sparked somehow by a contractor who was off-loading a truckload of wood chips. in san jose rob fladeboe kron 4 a fast moving fire. damaged three properties. and threatened many nearby homes. it was a race to get out of the say. the cause of