nbc bay area's cheryl hurd is live in calistoga. cheryl, we heard pg&e say that by 3:00 this morning, those shutoffs are going to start. by i can see the lights on still behind you. >> reporter: that's right. but we're just getting word that power shutoffs have already begun, probably up in the sierra. but i'm here in downtown calistoga. downtown calistoga is safe. they are powered by their own generator provided by the city. but folks who live nearby, they don't have that luxury, so they are preparing tonight. >> i have a generator to keep myself powered for refrigerator. my friend, patty, got a generator. >> reporter: suzy learned a valuable lessen the last time pg&e shut off power in an effort to prevent wildfires in the calistoga area. >> we have so many elderly people in here that we have to look after because a lot of them don't drive. they don't get out of their houses. we have to help them. >> reporter: they both got an alert from pg&e yesterday and again today. >> we're not happy about this, but we just hope for the best and

let's bring in nbc bay area's cheryl hurd. you've got to be careful, cheryl. where are you? >> we are on highway 29. this road is closed just east of palisades road in calistoga. take a look at what we're seeing right now. we've been here for a short amount of time, and this fire is marching toward the highway. now, firefighters have been here for hours trying to protect homes, creating a firebreak here, and this battle has been going on for hours. now, firefighters tonight, meanwhile, we spent the entire evening just up the road near the angwin area, where they're afraid for something like this to happen there. an evacuation is in order there, and the people there are very concerned. at nightfall, fire trucks racing up the hill toward angwin. the small town of 3,000 is still standing. everyone there evacuated. but the supermarket in pope valley is still open. >> they're mainly coming in to buy water and bags of chips for people trying to stop the fire at their properties. >> reporter: you can barely see the fire coming over the ridge. people like jeff parity receives update

nbc bay area's cheryl hurd is in the oakmont neighborhood, which is under mandatory evacuation orders. cheryl. >> reporter: well, here in this area, about half a dozen homes have burned to the ground. many of them you can see right here behind me. the scene is overwhelming, and overwhelming for people who have seen this too many times before. firefighters keeping watch on this fire burning in an adele state park. air tankers grounds because of nightfall and low visibility. all crews can do is let it burn and hope the wind doesn't pick up overnight. roadblocks are still in place. tonight santa rosa firefighters putting out hot spots almost 24 hours after homes burned to the ground. >> i was out here last night soaking my house and my property. i helped my neighbors. i sprayed their house, sprayed that field, and i got some water on that house. >> reporter: unfortunately the flames got there first. home after home destroyed on mountain hawk drive. firefighters exhausted after a long night battling flames. one woman grabbing pictures from her neighbor's burning home. >> i got the picture

we begin our coverage with nbc bay area's cheryl hurd. >> reporter: justice ruth bader ginsburg spent more than a quarter century on the u.s. supreme court and spent much of her career fighting for e quality. >> please be seated. >> how wrong it is to judge people on the basis of what they look like. >> born in brooklyn, she tied for first in her class at columbia law. but with no job offers at law firms in the late 50s, she taught at rutgers and columbia, then launched the aclu women's rights project in the '70s. later as their lawyer, she won five of six cases before the u.s. supreme court. >> her ultimate goal was to get sex discrimination treated by the supreme court the same way that race discrimination was treated. >> reporter: from the court of appeals, president clinton made her the second female on the nation's highest court. when she continued to even the playing field, ending mail-only college admissions, supporting reproductive rights, and the lgbtq community. she was a mentor to many, including uc berkeley law professor amanda tyler, who served as a law clerk for ginsburg

here's nbc bay area's cheryl hurd. >> reporter: wearing a mask in berkeley is mandatory. if you don't wear one, you will get a warning. but things have changed tonight. an urgent proposal just passed tonight by berkeley's city council will give health officials the power to fine people $100 if they don't cover their face. >> i think having a mask it's important to wear. it's important for everyone's safety. >> reporter: the new ordinance is designed to give city officials enforcement power to fight against covid-19. right now the city must seek criminal prosecution to force people to wear a mask. some felt that was a waste of resources while others thought it was unnecessary to criminalize the violation. >> it's not necessary. >> when i go in the store, i got to respect, and when i go to work i got to respect. but on the streets on my own, i will not use a mask. >> reporter: an important amendment to the new rule, if you get a ticket and you can't afford it, start wearing a mask, and that ticket will be forgiven. the new ordinance also applies to businesses. if business o

nbc bay area's cheryl hurd has more. >> i'm so grateful to be alive. >> reporter: and that's why rico ramirez is part of a ucsf study where scientists are examining blood from covid patients. rico contracted the virus in march, spending ten days in the hospital, four of them in icu. scientists are looking closely at his antibodies' life span. >> i was at 48%. now i'm at 13% in three months. so they've gone down quite a bit. they last, but they don't last very long. >> reporter: a new study out of iceland is giving different results. 30,000 people are being tested there. one of the largest studies of its kind. the goal, a vaccine. >> the difference with the study that was announced today is that it went on for quite a long time. so you can look to was the case. >> reporter: and those antibodies lasted four months, a breakthrough exceeding similar studies. >> when you simulate the body for this particular virus, the antibodies may last longer than we thought they would, meaning that if there was a vaccine, you wouldn't have to keep on getting the vaccine or a booster a bunch of differen

nbc bay area's cheryl hurd is live in oakland where fire crews are on patrol, and these next 24 hours are critical. >> reporter: that's right. crews here are keeping a close watch on the berkeley oakland hills. bulldozers and fire tankers are strategically placed just in case a fire breaks out. the oakland crew onboard engine 24 making their rounds tonight in the east bay hills. >> we put an additional two engine companies out staffed at this fire station here, patrolling and then at fire station 24 as well. >> reporter: they're concerned about dry vegetation, low humidity, and strong gusts of wind expected overnight. people who live in the hills are also bothered by the smoky conditions. >> all this is nature here. we get when it's dry and when there's been no rain for a while. it is very concerning. >> reporter: fire departments all around the east bay say they have to be ready because fire season started way earlier than expected. at this time last year, the state had just under 5,000 fires, which burned 118,000 acres. fast forward to this year. firefighters have battled 7,600 fire

cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >>> tonight we continued our conversation on race in america. we spoke to the mother and uncle of oscar grant. grant was shot and killed by a b.a.r.t. police officer on new year's day in 2009. for more than a decade, grant's family has pushed for legislation and change to hold police more accountable. >> the power of the police to use deadly force is one of the most significant spro responsibilities we can give any public official. that responsibility got to be guided by common sense legislation to simply protect human life and human rights. >> the death of oscar grant was something that we covered extensively and we still do. marcus washington and jessica aguirre hosted our special tonight. you can join the conversation right now by heading over to our website, nbcbayarea.com and click "race in america" in the top left hand corner. >>> still ahead, it could be a game-changer, but it's going to cost you. the new covid test that you can take home. >>> and burning man needs help, as in money. the website that was just launched today after the pand

nbc bay area's cheryl hurd looked into it. >> reporter: bad air shut down this outdoor covid testing site in concord, but people all over the bay area felt safe enough to exercise outside. >> i play tennis, so we're going to limit our tennis playing tonight. >> today seems like it's a lot better compared to a few days ago. >> i can't smell it anymore. >> reporter: that doesn't mean the air is safe. >> we are in a -- what's called a red zone for the air quality index, which means this is unhealthy air for everybody. >> reporter: kaiser hospital santa clara pulmonologist tom dailey says some people may think exercising may outweigh the risks of exposure to bad air, but that's simply not true. >> it's the equivalent of smoking a pack or a half a pack of cigarettes in a day, going out into this area right now. >> reporter: according to the index, zero to 50 is good. 50 to 100 is considered moderate. 100 to 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups and children. 150 to 200 is what we're in right now. >> i know i'm risking my lung capacity and my respiratory system, and especially with a pande

cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >> a lot to digest there. >>> what about restaurants? napa county is the only local county to allow indoor dining. restaurants we visited this evening say they're not going to be ready until wednesday because a lot of modifications are still needed. seating, spacing, and only 25% capacity. >> we're excited to be able to offer the dining room to our guests. it's definitely been up and down. we're really fortunate to be able to seat our guests on the street level as well as our patio. we're excited to start getting back to a little bit of a new norm. >> as you probably know by now, all other local counties are still only allowing outdoor dining. >>> malls are open. every county with the exception of san francisco is now allowing shopping indoors but food courts remain closed. >>> one day before his trip to wisconsin, president trump is making remarks that some are calling polarizing and controversial. president trump suggested that the 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters in kenosha acted in self-defense. groups on the right and t

in napa, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >>> as you just heard cheryl mention, alameda county hair salonsnd barbershops can move indoors tomorrow. that means san francisco will be the only bay area county keeping hairstylists and barbers outside. >>> from online to in person, marin county has approved waivers for 15 schools. some of them are private, some are public. all are elementary schools. they've been cleared to open as early as tuesday because the county says local covid-19 case numbers are improving. and on the peninsula, menlo park sin app school showing off its new outdoor classrooms. you can see tents, seats, tables all outside. synapse is a private school which will welcome back to some 200 students later this month. administrators did a lot of research, they said to get the waiver and to make this happen. >> what we know is that the virus isn't very effective at spreading outside. so what we've done at synapse is to move most of the classes outside and then even inside to make sure there's large air volume. >> the school even went as far as to remove some walls and reconfigur

here's nbc bay area's cheryl hurd. >> go!> reporter: from sports bars to barbershops, football tonight is the main attraction. >> we're excited. we're excited to have some football. we're excited to, you know, get our minds off of what's happening right now in the bay area. >> reporter: with wildfires and the covid crisis, there's a lot to take your mind off of. >> we need it. we need the excitement. we need the fun. we need the action. oh, yeah, it's good. >> especially now. >> especially now, exactly. >> reporter: there's no way to get around temperature checks before entering barbershops. and with people wearing mandatory masks, you can see the world is different. but football, it's the ultimate distraction. >> in every way it takes our mind off of covid, and currently with the smoke outside, it's just -- it feels good. >> reporter: and it makes the world feel somewhat normal. >> we were just saying if our friendship could make it through this season. we'll see. >> i mean super bowl champ right here, so -- >> reporter: k.c

here's nbc bay area's cheryl hurd. >> reporter: the images are real. the impact staggering. and wildfires across the west are spreading. >> all it takes is a lightning strike. >> reporter: scientists say climate change is making it worse, and it's not going away. >> even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases altogether together, climate change would still get worse because the gallon of gas you consumed today and the greenhouse gases that that emits takes a while for the climate system to absorb that. >> record-breaking temperatures, record droughts. >> reporter: standing in a forest in oroville destroyed by fire, democratic governor gavin newsom says climate change is not on its way. it's here. >> california, folks, is america fast-forward. what we're experiencing right here is coming to a community all across the united states of america unless we get our act together on climate change. >> reporter: former president barack obama taking a political swing at the issue. tweeting pictures of california's orange sky, saying protecting our planet is on the ballot. vote like yo

we begin our coverage with today in the bay's cheryl hurd. >> justice ruth bader ginsburg spend more than a quarter century on much of the supreme court and spent much of her career fighting for equality. >> how wrong it is to judge people on the basis of what they look like. >> born in brooklyn, she tied for first in her class at columbia law, but with no job offers from law firms in the late 50s, she taught at rutgers and columbia and helped with the aclu women's rights project in the 70s. later, as their lawyer, she won five of six cases before the u.s. supreme court. >> her ultimate goal was to get ex skrim neigh ceded by the supreme court the same way race discrimination was ceded. president clinton made her the second female on the nation's highest court. when she continued to even the playing field in the male only college admissions, supporting reproductive rights and the lgbtq community. she was a mentor to many, including uc berkeley law professor amanda tyler who served as a law clerk for ginsburg. >> she was an advocate who fought discrimination and a justice who called i

i am cheryl hurd. nbc bay area news. >>> it is differeicult to see a the burning buildings in s. in santa rosa, one man risked his life. one man stayed behind protecting his neighborhood. he facetimed his wife as golf ball sized fire balls fell from above. he was able to save four homes including his own. neighbors are calling him a hero. >> i feel sorry for neighbors that lost their homes. i know them all. >> about a dozen homes the were destroyed. >>> the entire city of calistoga is under a mandatory evacuation order. about 5,000 people have been forced to leave their home. the christopher family has no home in calistoga. >> you don't believe it until you see it. we were just here last week for the harvest. >> reporter: fire crews letting hillside burn, hoping creating the barrier around the calistoga area. >> our website is a great resource at this time. we have updated information that you need and a checklist if you are forced to evacuate your home. you can find it all on nbcbayarea.com. >>> if you saw the debate of the war of the words of mail-in ballots. both candidates ar

in napa, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >>> indoor malls can reopen starting at 25% capacity. also outdoor family recreational activities like mini golf, batting ages and go-cart racing can resume. >>> just like the hair on our heads salon gate continues to grow. president trump chiming in and he did it on a campaign stop in pennsylvania. >> she must have treated that beauty salon owner pretty badly. she used the salon and the salon turned her in? >> pumping up his rally at nancy pelosi's expense. pelosi's hairstylist is siding with the client saying through his attorney the owner routinely broke the same rules at the salon. during a zoom conference yesterday spoke from prepared remarks. >> i just want all stylists to work. >> she says since she leaked the video to fox news she's been getting angry online 4:37. coming up next on "today in the bay," written on the street with yellow paint. coming up, the clear message activists are sending to san francisco police. >>> plus, if you are making the choice to travel this labor day weekend, will your work phone be on, or will you sw

tonight nbc bay area's cheryl hurd found out how people are desperate to find ways to keep the customersven when it gets cold. >> at this point we're just trying to figure out ways to stay alive and stay open. >> reporter: for the last six months, it hasn't been easy for restaurant and bar owners here in livermore. and recently it got even tougher. >> in the beginning, it was very nerve-racking, but then at that point we thought this will be over in two weeks, three weeks, a month. now it's been going for six months. >> reporter: business dropped off and now there's a new challenge. outdoor dining in the cold now that fall is here. >> it's cold to me right now. and what is? like 68. >> we're trying our best. we've got these tents up. we're going to figure out a way to heat these and reach out to our guests and say, hey, bundle up and come out. >> reporter: desperate but hopeful. the city of livermore is trying to relieve some financial burdens of building tents and buying heating lamps. >> the city has done a grant system for us where they do 50% of what we spend, which helps out a lot.

in antioch, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >>> marin county getting ready for its next big step.lth leaders expect the state to move the county into a less restrictive tier. you can see on the map right now only san francisco and napa counties have moved down to the red or substantial tier. marin county, though, says because its daily new case rate stands at 5.9 and its positivity rate is 3%, it can move into that red tier. santa clara county also expected to make that move. that means reopenings in marin county for indoor restaurants, movie theaters, and places of worship at 25% capacity. indoor gyms at 10% capacity. other businesses that will be allowed to open indoors, personal care services like nail salons, museums at 25% capacity, and malls and retail stores at 50% capacity. >>> casinos can now reopen outdoors thanks to governor newsom's new coronavirus guidelines. at artichoke joe's in san re ou. the tables look a little different. sanitizer. >> inside there's hand s sanitation stations everywhere. >> now with the reopening of the casino this evening, 400 employees were ab