abc7 news reporter leslie brinkley was there. >> reporter: the birth of a wildfire with the lighting of one simple sparkler. within 10 seconds, a spark can take off on drought parched hillside like here at the concord pavilion. within a minute, flames are roaring out of control. another example, a so-called safe and sane fountain firework. sure, people hopefully won't set them off in dry brush like this, but sparks can fly. fast for 30 seconds. it is an out-of-control situation because even a 911 call means of fire crew is still three to five minutes away. >> we have seen in seconds fires that quickly were at a point where no homeowner with a garden hose could extinguish them. >> reporter: neighboring counties like alameda sell so- called safe and sane fireworks that are illegal to set off in contra costa county. this year, there are steep penalties and a new hotline to report neighbors who sell fireworks or set them off. >> earlier this year in antioch, we had a resident light one firework off his back patio and throw burned to the entire building down and displace 40 residents. in

abc 7 news reporter leslie brinkley has that story as part of our effort to build a better bay area. >> reporter: east oakland, south of lake merritt at 2:00 a.m. on july 5th. >> we saw the smoke and flames, and it was like, the house is on fire. so we instantly just went down the street. >> reporter: this 25-year-old oakland man was with two other men and three women, the six of them are being heralded as heroes by neighbors. >> nowadays especially, you tend to see people just recording events on their phone. not taking action. >> as soon as i got over the fence i started kicking the door. >> reporter: david said he called 911, his girlfriend started throwing pebbles that windows to wake up the residence. >> while i was getting the water hose, i started an initial attack on the fire where the visible flames were located. >> reporter: the residence got out just in time, although one suffered smoke inhalation. the oakland fire department sent 26 firefighters and five engines. they are still investigating whether or not fireworks could have triggered the blaze. >> the feeling, in my bo

in contra costa county, i am leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >>> fireworks hotline, 833-855- 2021. you see it at the bottom of your screen. it is also on our website. you can call the number to report seeing fireworks going off, or if you know someone who is selling them. >> leave it up to the pros. what will the weather be like this weekend? >> hopefully, we will see some fireworks. >>> we will have a weather pattern that would mitigate the risk of fire because humidity is increasing a bit. we have more drizzle coming in. temperatures won't be extreme. we have this pressure system generating an onshore flow. temperatures will not be extreme, certainly not hot, we have morning drizzle with with that will keep fuels moist. that doesn't mean we can't have fires, but at least the fuels will be daytime temperatures will be moderate. let me get to sunday night, the night of fireworks, in the evening hours, we will have increasing clouds, increasing humidity, and butchers will not be extreme. it will be relatively cool in the evening hours. let's hope these conditions will diminish the r

but as leslie brinkley explains, that is increasingly a practice falling out of favor due to discriminationrns. >> reporter: we can't stop thinking about your home. our dog will love real frolicking in the backyard. our son will build the kingdom out of pillows and blankets in the attic. those are excerpts from a real estate love letter that won a buyer a coveted home in oakland. >> they want to make an emotional connection with the seller, so that of all things very well with their offer somebody else's, that maybe somehow the seller will relate more to them and want to sell them the house. that is where we can get into trouble. >> reporter: realtors use to advise sellers not to accept love letters with photos included, on the grounds they could be accused of discrimination. now, increasingly, even the written love letters are coming under scrutiny. this month, oregon became the first state to make such letters illegal in a real estate transaction. some bay area realtors say they are surprised california was not first. there are no laws yet proposed in california or any other state, but ch

leslie brinkley joins us live with more on how people are getting through the heat. leslie. >> reporter: hi there, yeah, it is plenty hot out here and as you mentioned we are in the middle of that flex alert. it started at 4:00 and goes to 9:00 tonight. we are supposed to help out by turning up thermostats, shutting up major appliances and turning off the lights. in addition, governor newsom issued an emergency proclamation today to free up additional energy capacity, so that we avoid overwhelming the state electric grid, triggering rolling blackouts. none of us want that. in the meantime it will be a tough weekend for people, plants, and pets. from squirrels sprawled out in the shade, to ravens frolicking in a backyard sprinkler, expect wild animals to show up in your neighborhood this weekend in a desperate search for water in a heat wave. >> unlike us, many of these animals cannot sweat, so you will see interesting behavior. you might see flat squirrels on the sidewalk. you might seabirds open mouth and panting. we do see in certain cases, an uptick in certain hosp

we need to make sure we are adjusting how we are using our water. >> reporter: leslie brinkley, abc7aking a big push to get all students back into the classroom this fall with a new mask guidelines. vaccinated teachers, students and other staff members don't need to wear a mask. after rena mitchell explains, the recommendations are causing some confusion. >> a big shift the agency urges schools to return to in-person learning this fall. the cdc issuing new guidance now think teachers, students and staff were fully vaccinated will not need to wear a mask your children 2 and older who are not vaccinated should still mask up. the new guidelines are really just recommendations. the cdc saying it will be up to school districts to make their own rules. >> there are kids under 12, unvaccinated wearing a mask, my guess is it will be driven a lot by local conditions. here in vermont with very few infections, probably not necessary. in missouri with a large outbreak, probably very helpful. an in california, schools will continue to require a mask. in arizona, a ban on masks in schools. childre

abc7 news reporter leslie brinkley is in east bay with more on how people are getting through this heatrawled out in the shade to ravens frolicking in the backyard sprinkler, expect wild animals to show up in your neighborhood this weekend and a desperate search for water in a heat wave. >> unlike us, many of these animals can't sweat. you'll see some interesting behavior. might see some flat squirrels laying down on the sidewalk on my see some birds open mouth and panting. we do see, depending on certain cases, an uptick in certain hospital patients during extreme heat. >> reporter: when the wildlife experience says it's okay to set out containers of water for animals and birds. they will find it if they needed. people will seek refuge and air- conditioning, including cooling centers and far east contra costa county and alameda counties, where masks are required indoors. plants also need some extra ep frequently, since we are in a drought, you definitely don't want to do it that often. but when you water, really water deep. if you've got to plan, i'd wait until tuesday after the heatwa

leslie brinkley as life were officials just provided new information. >> reporter: this is of course a rather unprecedented set of circumstances and alameda county. a missing jogger they would find that person in 24 to 48 hours? we are a day four and there is nothing. some of the search and rescue teams express their feelings of frustration and bewilderment. >> we have left with two probabilities. we are not finding phil appear in the terrain and that he is incapacitated and unresponsive. or he is not here. >> reporter: the search for him is concentrated on 50 square miles of wilderness. 100 search and rescue personnel from placer and solano county scouted the rugged terrain along with more than 200 volunteers organized by his family. >>'s mom and his sister and their friends have been walking up there as well. they are in very good shape. >> he is a very bright man. he went to harvard and mit. this is a man that is very analytical in his thinking and runs ultra marathons >> you went missing as he parked his car and left his cell phone in it as he departed on the eight mile jog on sa

leslie brinkley joins us live with more on how people are getting through the heat. plenty hot out here and as you mentioned we are in the middle of that flex alert. it started at 4:00 and goes to 9:00 tonight. we are supposed to help out by turning up thermostats, shutting up major appliances and turning off the lights. in addition, governor newsom issued an emergency proclamation

. >> reporter: in the east bay, leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >> oregon's ban on love letters does notc7 news at 4:00. abc7 ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ security at your fingertips. control feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. >>> next at 5:00, the growing concern over a mask mandate maybe even a lockdown in the bay area, plus what looks like a covid outbreak at a concert in santa cruz county, the effort now to find the nearly 300 people who attended. >>> cal state university new requirements for everyone on campus as it calls the current search alarming. >>> the new worries about the safety of ridesharing and potential political trouble for governor newsom, 49 days before his recall election. >>> from abc 7, live, breaking news . >> the breaking news is in san jose, residents near the coyote keep trail are being told to shelter in place because of a brush fire, sky 7 is live over the scene close to 880, you

live in walnut creek, leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >> you can check out the temperatures, air quality, and wind on your own tv. our real-time weather tracker is live on our connected tv app. download the app, it is free for apple, roku tv, android tv and fire tv right now. >>> there is no guidance for schools on masks from the cdc. they recommend fully vaccinated teachers do not need to wear masks. students would still need a face covering on a bus and when they are unable to practice social distancing. the cdc recommends at least three feet of distance between students and teachers. these are recommendations. school administrators have the final say. we are seeing california's cases and positivity rate had backup. today the state reported 2400 new cases. the seven-day positivity rate has climbed to 2.3%, which is quite a shift from just a matter of weeks ago. at june 9 it was its lowest level during the pandemic, 0.7%. >> a member of our very own vaccine team is joining us now via zoom. as always, thanks for the time. let's divan with the school guidance. we have cdc versus california

. >> reporter: i'm leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >> the cdc is making a big push to get all students backnto the classroom this fall with new mask guidelines, vaccinated students, teachers and other staff members don't need to wear masks, but is abc news reporter karina mitchell explained, these recommendations are causing some confusion. >> reporter: a big shift by the cdc as the agency urges schools to return to in this fall. the cdc issuing new items now, saying, students, teachers, and staff who are fully vaccinated will not need to wear masks. the children two and older, who aren't vaccinated should still mask up. the new guidelines are really just recommendations. the cdc saying, it will be up to school districts to make their own rules. rules. rules. >> unvaccinated kids are wearing a mask, my guess is, it'll be driven a lot by local conditions. here in vermont with very few infections, probably not necessary. in missouri with a large outbreak, probably be really helpful. >> reporter: in california, schools will continue to require masks. in arizona, a ban on mask mandate and schoo

i am leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >> in a statement, the east oakland stadium alliance said that they applaud the city council for pushing back. writing, while the current nonbinding agreement is a better deal for taxpayers and residents than the draft, it still does not adequately protect the city, residents, and workers. it will continue to encourage a no vote on any agreement that refuses to take the needs of the entire oakland community into account, and quote. the vote came at the same time the first pitch was made at today's game at the coliseum. outside, fans expressed a desire for a deal to get done. the sense of uncertainty was palpable. >> people out here really support the a's. we really want to see a resolution that is positive for the community and the a's at the same time. >> they should stay here. there is money here. let's finance it and get a deal done. >> there is a lot of history, family ties, pictures, a lot of stuff and memories here and i would hate to see that end. >> from what i heard, vegas is offering a lot more money. i'm going to assume that they are going