have you left san marcos. >> i have not yet left san marcos. i have born and raised here. i graduated from texas state university in san marcos and graduated from st. edwards university in austin, texas. >> good lord, tell us about san marcos, which gets shadowed by the fact that you're near austin and other major populated areas. but you're the fastest growing city over 50,000. you have this low unemployment rate, what is it that you're doing there that causes that to happen. >> our proximity to austin and san antonio is a huge asset. to be on the i-35 corridor gives us proximity to almost a 2 million person job pool to be able to draw from. but the university's presence in san marcos is significant. their growth, their pursuits, nano technologies and new industries have been extraordinarily important for the county and san marcos. >> tell me, does that mean people who live in san marcos and work in those other places? >> absolutely pi. we have a commuter population that drives up to austin. but we have people coming from those communities directly into san marcos. so we

this is san marcos.we're watching our local station and this is playback they're doing of this terrifying fire-tornado looking thing that came roaring through the neighborhood. and fire after fire after fire dots the landscape in the hills around san marcos. this is at the end of a cul-de-sac. the cam race looking down a street that ends in a cul-de-sac. and there are 25, 30 homes in this neighborhood. the thinking was that these flames would stay on the other side of the ridge you can very very faintly on the back, but they did not. there was a wind shift, a temporary and local wind shift, but a wind shift that brought it over the wind. the winds were coming at our camera location. now they're moving back toward the ridge again. so the winds are spiraling, and people are kind of trying to figure out where this is going. we have a live feed from our local station but they're in tape playback. looks like this is getting hotter and hotter. >> reporter: that's right. we moved location and the ridge is right

first, gary tuchman is in san marcos, about 35 miles north of san diego. gary, what are you seeing there? >> reporter: wolf, it's a fire war zone. firefighters are everywhere. this is in san marcos, california. you see those flames up there? those flames, as we speak, are engulfing a house. in the air, a helicopter carrying water about to dump the water on the smoke and flames in the hills outside the city. when we arrived here a few hours ago, there were no flames in this neighborhood whatsoever and now this is what we're witnessing. it's a very bad situation. >> oh, my god! oh, my god! >> reporter: multiple fires burning in california. it's barely contained. houses have already been destroyed. the flames and the winds spread the ash and the embers. this area right here ten minutes ago, nothing at all. now we're seeing the smoke and the flames start to form. it's very likely that within the next couple of hours, these trees, this vegetation will be gone. right down the hill from where i'm standing here in san marcos, california, northeast of san diego, th

this is what danger sounds like, crackling and hissing as flames crawl across the san marcos hillside whipped up by unseasonably warm santa anna winding spawning tornados. phil has only a garden hose to keep the flames back, but it will take so much more. fire crews are using an air attack to attack the san marcos fire which continues to grow and threaten homes. soon a fence is all that stands between the flames and the colony of apartments, but a final barrage from the sky does the job. the departments are safe for now. then moments later in a different location, a million dollar mansion goes up in flames. >> it's day three, it's a better day than day one and two but we're not out of the woods yet. >> reporter: last night three homes in san marcos did not survive. thousands have been evacuated, including the entire cal state san marcos campus. >> i went to turn in books and it was on fire. >> reporter: this weekend's graduation is cancelled. nine wildfires prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency. it's too early to say if any were started intentionally. >> we do a thorou

in san marcos near cal state university san marcos. two of five major fires that have burned in northern san diego county today. i'm artie ojeda reporting, raj and janelle, back to you. >> very good information, thank you artie. artie was talking about it and the fire chief down there. this is kind of like the new norm. jeff ranieri, fire season not just reserved for july and august but right now in may. >> with our third year now in a drought it certainly is the case across a lot of california. bone-dry conditions. the fire we were just talking about right there just to the south of carlsbad, what you're going to see here is they're dealing with dry offshore winds. we have a red flag fire warning until 8:00 p.m. that could even be extended with temperatures that will be in the 80s to low 90s. dangerously low humidity in the single digits with wind gusts tonight up to 40 miles per hour. the good news for that fire, as we head throughout tomorrow, wre expecting some calmer winds to eventually move in. 5 to about 15. let's look at some o

he is on scene in san marcos. is right now the center with these horrible pictures that you're seeing. these are in san marcos. 5,000 homes evacuated. he is with me now on the phone. captain, good to have you with us. thank you for taking the time to tell us what you're up against there. how bad is it? >> right now i can tell you we unfortunately mother nature was not on our side today. we've had explosive fire growth. we've had it move in to what we consider the lowland urban space where structure, unfortunately some have been damaged, some have been destroyed. we're trying to get those numbers so we can get them out to the public. >> and the explosive fire growth, we have been talking about the san marcos fire where you're only 5% contained. you think this is going to get significantly bigger? >> we're doing our best to get ahead of it. just really, a fire-driven and topography driven because we don't have the offshore santa ana winds. but just because of the fuel conditions and the heat, today was the hottest d

cal state san marcos has been evacuated rht in the middle of finals. >> bay area crews including one from santa clara are on their way to help with firefighting. efforts. >> we will have a live report from san diego county in a few minutes. stay tuned for that. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. our other top story, a 4-year-old girl smashed over the head with a crowbar while shopping with her dad at a local wal-mart. >> it happened a in san jose at the wal-mart on story road where police say a woman just walked up and started swinging. >> abc7 news reporter cornell bernard is live in san jose with the story for us. cornell? >> carolyn, that little girl is recovering from the vicious, random attack. it happened here at this wal-mart store in the middle of the day. a woman walks in with a crowbar and starts swinging. >> wow, that's scary. >> francis shops at th@s wal-mart all the time, but never expected such a random act of violence to happen here. >> engine 26 respond to 777 story road at the wal-mart female assault patient was hit with a metal object. >> police say a 4-year-old

it's just, uhm -- >> that little piece of paradise. >> reporter: the wildfire in san marcos is one of 11 near san diego that has ravaged at least 20,000 acres and destroyed at least 8 homes. massive plumes of smoke from the fires are even visible from space. police arrested this 19-year- old and two others on suspicion of attempted arson for allegedly starting at least three brush fires. but authorities have not connected them to the other larger fires. the cause of those wildfires is still under investigation. and cooler more humid conditions are expected to begin settling into the area today and provide much-needed relief through the weekend. >> thank you. >>> another look at the fire burning on top of mount madonna in the santa cruz mountains. chopper 5 giving us a very good idea of where fire crews are working this fire right now. they are trying to surround what has become about a 5- to 7- acre fire. flames reported about an hour ago on pole line road. there are homes in the area, none too close to this, an outbuilding you see there on the left-hand side of the screen but the smo

this is a neighborhood in san marcos, california, north of san diego. and it is the most intense time during the wildfire. the frantic efforts to stop the flames from burning down houses. incredibly just a short time before this video was shot there was relatively little fire in this area. when we got to san marcos this is what we saw. some flames but winds starting to pick up. the flames and the winds spread the ashes and embers and that is what makes the fire spread. this area right here ten minutes ago nothing at all. now we're seeing the smoke and the flames start to form. it is very likely that within the next couple of hours these trees, this vegetation will be gone. right down the hill from where i'm standing here in california, which is northeast of san diego, this is the cal-state san marcos campus. it has been here for a quarter of a century. it has now been evacuated. they hope the fire doesn't spread down there. and in this area within a five-minute walk there are hundreds of homes, businesses, condos and lots of people. choppers swoop in dr

cal state san marcos has been evacuated right in the middle of finals. >> bay area crews including one from santa clara are on their way to help with firefighting. efforts. >> we will have a live report from san diego county in a few minutes. stay tuned for that. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. our other top story, a 4-year-old girl smashed over the head with a crowbar while shopping with her dad at a local wal-mart. >> it happened a in san jose at the wal-mart on story road where police say a woman just walked up and started swinging. >> abc7 news reporter cornell bernard is live in san jose with the story for us. cornell? >> carolyn, that little girl is recovering from the vicious, random attack. it happened here at this wal-mart store in the middle of the day. a woman walks in with a crowbar and starts swinging. >> wow, that's scary. >> francis shops at th@s wal-mart all the time, but never expected such a random act of violence to happen here. >> engine 26 respond to 777 story road at the wal-mart female assault patient was hit with a metal object. >> police say a 4-year-ol

you're looking at these pictures of san marcos, california.r the state of california here as 800 acres now have been scorched. one home is gone and that is the active situation. you see these firefighters here in this one neighborhood. jim paxon is on the phone with me. he worked with the u.s. forest service, jim, for, what, 30-plus years. so you know these conditions all too well. i know you're driving but let me just tell you, the these flames are almost swirling in this unreal sort of erie manner. how do you, as a firefighter, attack these flames from the ground? >> well, they are prepared and prepositioned so that any ignition, they will put all of their resources on it, all of the engines, available tankers. they've got a lot of fire resources in california. they are just trying to hit these fires when they are small and not allow them to grow and get big but it is so hot, record temperatures, so dry, less than a third of normal moisture last winter and those santa ana winds are really difficult because they just make the fire get out of

cal state san marcos has been evacuated right in the middle of finals. >> bay area crews including one from santa clara are on their with firefighting. efforts. >> we will have a live report from san diego county in a few minutes. stay tuned for that. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. our other top story, a 4-year-old girl smashed over the head with a crowbar while shopping with her dad at a local wal-mart. >> it happened a in san jose at the wal-mart on story road where police say a woman just walked up and started swinging. >> abc7 news reporter cornell bernard is live in san jose with the story for us. cornell? >> carolyn, that little girl is recovering from the vicious, random attack. it happened here at this wal-mart store in the middle of the day. a woman walks in with a crowbar and starts swinging. >> wow, that's scary. >> francis shops at th@s wal-mart all the time, but never expected such a random act of violence to happen here. >> engine 26 respond to 777 story road at the wal-mart female assault patient was hit with a metal object. >> police say a 4-year-old girl shopp

this 1200-acre fire in the san marcos area is 5% contained and today firefighters hope to get help from the weather. >> they hope so. cbs news' david begnaud is live in san diego county where the fires have already destroyed at least 8 houses there, an 18- unit apartment complex and two businesses, as well. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. where we are in san marcos there is still a fire burning out of control. in fact, right behind me, this is one of eight homes that has been burned by fire across the county. a lot of people are wondering what's going to happen today. the good news is firefighters are starting to get the upper hand on some of the other fires that are burning outside of the san marcos area. now that the sun started to rise, many people are asking, what's the weather going to do today? flames in san marcos lit up the night sky as the stubborn wildfire continued to burn keeping people from their homes. >> hopefully, we can get back in, but even then the smoke has to clear. >> reporter: choppers swept in to put out hot spots along smoldering hillsides thursday. >>

to san marcos. this fire started late this afternoon. some 21-thousand evacuation notices have been sent to people who live in san marcos. and now, "california state university- san marcos" has been evacuated -- in the middle of finals week for nearly 10- thousand students. graduation was planned for this weekend. in the city of carlsbad, thousands of people have been told to leave. firefighters have been chasing after flames. to keep the growing "poinsettia fire"- as it is called. from reaching homes. in some instances, just a few yards stood in between them. 8-homes, 8-apartments and 2- businesses burned in this fire alone. "it's been very stressful. there's a lot of big plumes of smoke, and they're getting larger. they die down. the wind doesn't make it any easier. the wind can change and all of a sudden, it just seems like we're going to be safe and we're not. so we just packed everything and we're out of there." the san onofre nuclear power plant was partially evacuated. and the "lego-land" amusement park closed because of the fires

burned dozens of homes lost including this large one right here in see involved the fire and on san marcose most serious and just 10 percent contained multiple fires right now military base near the san ramon a car plant in san marcos fire hit east tonight toward neighboring escondido. >> : all others are returning to nothing to gov. outspoken tonight >> : things are getting worse and despite what you make here in washington climate change is a factor here we got a live with this is not about phase politics at about fires on the ground fire fighters up dealing with is quite a challenge of retail. >> : now it's all gone a to say odds are pretty much class on the ground so surreal of a president can get. images from coal that did biggest trouble spot almost 30 homes destroyed tonight a homeless man has been found dead in the crawls then held area. other people i've been in first death connected to wildfire all stephanopoulos and send it ought to stop the night stay informed going to lead kron4-dot-com bay area weather cooled down a bit not as many people looking for ways to cool off but duri

not only are we in san marcos, we're about 500 feet above san marcos on a hilltop.other fire down there, that's camp pendleton to our west and that fire is still active. one of several fires still burning here. where i'm standing right now on this hilltop, yesterday when we were talking to you on your program, we showed fire blazing right where i'm standing. it was an intense blaze. this is what's happened. this is the house we saw on the air that caught fire. we'll tell you, the most important thing, the family that lived here had evacuated. nobody was hurt. you can see it is still white hot, the wreckage, of this million-dollar home. beautiful home, beautiful neighborhood. right over here if you take a look, talk about white hot, it is still smoking. i can look under here and still see flames under this area right here. so it shows you how hot it is. i would never touch this with my bare hand. you'd burn your hand. that's how hot it is. i touched it earlier with a glove. the winds are picking up this afternoon so they're very concerned, firefighters over northern

. >> this 1200-acre fire in the san marcos area is just 5% contained. but today firefighters hope to get some help from the weather. >> david begnaud is live in san diego county where the fires have destroyed at least 8 houses and 18-unit apartment complex and two businesses, as well. david, what's the latest? good morning. >> reporter: frank and michelle, good morning to you. in san marcos where we are this morning, under the cover of darkness, this fire is still burning relatively out of control. in fact, behind me, if you take a look, this is one of the eight homes that was destroyed. the good news is, in other parts of the county, firefighters are starting to get the upper hand on blazes outside of san marcos but the big question is, what's the weather going to do once the sunrises? >> reporter: flames in san marcos lit up the night sky as the stubborn wildfire continued to burn keeping people from their homes. >> hopefully we can get back in, but even then the smoke has to clear. >> reporter: choppers swept in to put out hot spots along smoldering h

cbs reporter bigad shaban takes us to the most difficult fire of them all the san marcos fire. d. >> reporter: liz, good evening. collectively the fires this week have burned about 20,000 acres in san diego county. here in san marcos crews are still working on assessing the damage but say they have seen at least five homes so far including this one behind me have been completely destroyed. will because of the fire. massive flames went through the camp pendleton marine base flaring up yards away from the building. two fires have burned more than 14,000-acre of brush around the compound. just south in san marcos, firefighters are scrambling to douse hot spots. >> we are still worried about the fire's push to the south, but right now the wind is in our favor. the humidities are starting to come up a little bit. >> reporter: more than 1,000 firefighters are working to put out the san marcos fire. the flames have burned more than 3,000 acres and may quickly turn this home into rubble and twisted metal. thousands of residents in san marcos were allowed to return. >> it looks terrible.

the city of san marcos is one of the hardest hit. the fire there surged late yesterday. >> reporter: anne-marie, good morning. the fire is burning out of control in san marcos. you can see some of the burned out rubble behind me. the good news is crews are actually starting to gain control of some of the other fires that are burning across san diego county. the question now is what is the weather going to do when the sun rises. from the air and on the ground, firefighters remain focused on san marcos as a raging wildfire continues to consume vegetation and structures in its path. choppers swept in to put out hot spots along smoldering hillsides thursday. but triple digit temperatures and winds sparked flare-ups and forced authorities to evacuate thousand more residents. scott martin and his family are taking up shelter at a hotel for now. >> literally there were black clouds and flames coming right down the hill from our front door. >> reporter: the fire is burning everything in its path. this home right behind me in san marcos reduc

right down from where i'm standing here in northeast san marcos, this is the cal-state san marcos campus, it has been around for a quarter of a century. they are now evacuating it. within this area, within a five-minute walk there are hundreds of homes, businesses, condos and lots of people. choppers swoop in dropping water in the 99-degree dry heat. 30 degrees higher than the may highs in san diego county. then trouble. the winds continue to increase. the fire is getting bigger. it is moving closer to us and moving closer to the houses in the neighborhood. the firefighters we're talking to are getting quite concerned. >> it is scariest at the moment with the fire now like 100 yards from the homes. and i worry about the embers jumping into the grass next to the homes. >> it is frightening. >> it is, very. >> and then we see a bizarre spectacle of nature, a fire tornado, a whirl wind of smoke, a fire caused by the winds and intense heat. seconds after we see it fire starts to blaze. grave concern now as the flames are very close to the houses. and we've witnessed the fire gallup hundreds

ted is right there in san marcos. ted, tell me what you're standing in front of. >> think back yesterday to your show when you were showing viewers those tornado like fire cylinders. this is that area and it is much different today. the hillside behind me, you see firefighters putting water on hot spots. you could not see anything yesterday during this time during your show. this fire is technically 10% contained. but i can tell you at the next briefing tonight that number will go up because they have made such dramatic progress, of course, this is the reality for those that lost their homes. this is one of a handful of homes that were lost yesterday during this time. homeowners. as you can see, there is not much left of their homes. it has helped so far. >> which is great news weather wise. but seeing some of the firefighters with their fire hoses. and one of the shots you gris just showed, you can see smoke coming to the charred remains from that inferno from 24 hours, i mean, how many hot spots are there? and how d

he's on the phone with us this morning from san marcos in northern san diego county. jeff, it's good to have you with us. i'm glad you made it out safely. you are not fire chasers, we know. did you go and look for this or was this just along the route as you were trying to get out? >> caller: well, good morning. this was actually right outside of where we were working for the day. it was actually on a route where we were intending ongoing. when we pulled around a corner, we saw it in front of us. this wasn't much option but to go in the heart of it. >> at any point, we can hear you guys and your conversations and bleeping the expletives as anybody can understand, for sure. was there any point where you were literally in fear for yourself? >> caller: you know, there was fear, excitement, there was a lot of emotions that were going running through my head in the moment. there was -- actually through the video you can see the most intense moment. the flames were on the right side of the car. what you can't see is what was going on in front of us. there's quite a bit at t

crews now say 47 homes have been destroyed and most those homes are in the community of san marcos in san diego county. four fires are still burning and damage now is estimated at $20 million. san diego area residents are allowed to return to their homes to salvage what they can because of cooler temperatures and milder weather identify the weekend all fire evacuation orders were lits in -- lifted in the area yesterday. some residents are not fine much to return to. >>> we have our loved ones and friends still here and our animals and that is more important. these are just "things" and they can be replaced. >> 2,000 acres have been charred in the area of san marcos. >> police are looking for the person would shot and killed a man on a hiking trail. this happened on friday north of red bluff. the sheriff deputies say the attacker robbed a 69-year-old francis gregory and a come pan beyond before shooting both men and leaving them to die. gregory died at the scene. the friend, 76, was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. gregory was a teamer visiting from martha's vineyard, m

the big it concern this morning is the very active 700-acre fire burning this san marcos that destroyed three homes and is zero containment. we at one point, 2 is,000 homes remain evacuated along with a naval weapons station at camp pendleton and many remain out of their homes this morning. katie marzullo has the latest in the next half hour. >> "good morning america" is on the fire lines in san marcos and saw this two hours ago at 4:00 a.m. >>> you can see the hotspots in the ruined home behind me. we took this thermometer to get an idea of how hot it is, more than 1,000 degrees and prime conditions, again today. >> she tweeted this photo shot by her producer, last night in southern california. the firefighters are battling the flame and towering fire in the break ground. we will check with katie marzullo at 6:30 for an update on the nears and at 7:00, ginger will be on "good morning america" with much more from san diego county. >>> a young woman is in custody after a stunning attack on a little girl at a wal-mart store. matt keller is at the san jose wal-mart with the latest. matt? >

in fact, in that san marcos area that i told you about, cal state, san marcos were having commencementrcises this weekend, all canceled. just concerned that the weather conditions, the fire conditions just too dangerous. >>> let's go back now to chief meteorologist bill martin. >> bill, you're tracking changes. >> the records i showed you earlier are not going to happen, nor is the air quality alert, or the heat advisory. tomorrow, a cooler day by a few degrees. santa rosa, 94 today. tomorrow, thursday 89. temperatures cooling down, especially along the bay, and around the coast. this weather system is going to get closer to us. as it does, it's going to increase that onshore flow. we already have a little bit of an onshore flow. you can see it right here. san francisco, now, at 67 degrees at the airport. downtown san francisco is still running about 70. 72degrees. so it's a warm one in san francisco tonight. currently san jose 75 degrees. tomorrow's forecast high in san francisco with that slight onshore flow, still up there, 75 degrees, but not as cold as we had today. cool down in s

in fact, in that san marcos area that i told you about, cal state, san marcos were having commencement exercises this weekend, all canceled. just concerned that the weather conditions, the fire conditions just too dangerous. >>> let's go back now to chief meteorologist bill martin. >> bill, you're tracking changes. >> the records i showed you earlier are not going to happen, nor is the air quality alert, or the heat advisory. tomorrow, a cooler day by a few degrees. santa rosa, 94 today. tomorrow, thursday 89. temperatures cooling down, especially along the bay, and around the coast. this weather system is going to get closer to us. as it does, it's going to increase that onshore flow. we already have a little bit of an onshore flow. you can see it right here. san francisco, now, at 67 degrees at the airport. downtown san francisco is still running about 70. 72degrees. so it's a warm one in san francisco tonight. currently san jose 75 degrees. tomorrow's forecast high in san francisco with that slight onshore flow, still up there, 75 degrees, but not as cold as we had today. cool down

at least 39 of the homes were in the suburb of san marcos and the other eight in carlsbad 30 miles north of san diego. four fires are still burning, one in san marcos and the other three at camp pendleton. damages have reached $20 million. >> check out this selfie: san marcos firefighter is surrounded by fellow firefighters while they took a much needed break. he took the picture to let his wife foe he was okay but somehow the photo made it to facebook of a san diego area restaurant where it has received 30,000 "likes." >> the national weather service says this week winds in southern california keep the fire danger high. most of the state is experiencing a drought. the governor claims climate change on "this week" saying the state is in for serious fire season. >> we are in a very serious fire season more serious than we have seen before. we have to watch and be very careful. >> in future years, californians are to be more careful how we live, where we build our homes and what kind of vegetation is allowed to grow. >> the state could step in by today to do something it has never done: or

as far north at anaheim, as far south as san manager owes, gov -- san marcos, governor brown declareed a state of emergency, county officials recommending that residents evacuate. firemen from state, local and federal agents on fire lines, along with swores of fire department, and military aircraft. only able to contain and estimated 5% of the fires at this hour. right now, you are looking at the city of san marcos, worst of it you can see, uncontrol able blaze, what local officials call a fire nato. -- firenado, city home to 10,000 student state university, 9 other other report that 15% of city has been evacuated. but the biggest of those fires, all good size fires, hitting marine corps base at camp pendleton. burning to 6,000 of the bases' 125,000 acre area. prompting an evacuation order for a naval web son station and nearby military housing units, bases' daily population averages to 100,000 people, and the fire is only 20% contained. at this hour on the base. local officials are confirms more than 20 homes have been destroyed by the fire, thousands in the potential path of all of t

now, most schools were closed in the area and cal state san marcos was forced to evacuate wednesday. the governor of california has declared a state of emergency in response to the fires. now, back here on the map, i want to tell you how windy the situation is. 140 kilometer per hour gusts reported in southern california. that's very dramatic. very dry weather, very warm weather. so the combination is creating that very dangerous fire weather situation. on the flip side, we have the opposite situation, very wet conditions as this trough slowly makes its way eastward and that's creating the possibility of some severe weather. we're looking at the chance for some hail and maybe an isolated tornado. but the main threat are the strong windy conditions anywhere from columbia, south carolina, up into virginia. severe weather conditions is definitely something you'll have to look out for. as we look forward into the future see the front pushing slowly to the east. a lot of rain associated with this line of rain with the cold front. also some snow into parts of ontario and into quebec. but c

this fire is feet away from san marcos. nine fires raging in san diego. investigators now looking for a cause, including the possibility of arson. this and all fires treated as a crime scene. and now, in this torched land, it is a scavenger hunt for clues. from looking at burn marks on trees and rocks, to finding out if a neighbor cut grass recently. anything, a potential spark and a hint that could point to the origin of this fire. it is a heat and wind fueled battle southern california has been fighting for three days. sending flames shooting up mountainsides, plumes of smoke into the air. firefighters struggling to save what they can. what they tried to save with hoses yesterday, today looks like this, a business engulfed in flames, now unrecognizable. >> reporter: these fire trucks are ready to go at a moment's notice. the biggest issue out here today, the temperature hit 99 degrees. that has not helped. in fighting the fire. so far today, 13,000 new evacuation notices. 1,000 acres torched so far. this fire is just 5% contained. >> 5%. thank you so mu

we'll meet in south plain field. >> in the meantime to san marcos, california. talk about literally a fiery debate here. a fire the likes of which they have not seen in this area in quite some time. getting out of control. will carr has the latest. >> reporter: this was an afternoon when firefighters hoped to get the upper hand on the fire, and actually quite the opposite happened. fire has raced up this hillside. there are a number of homes in this area that have been within feet of this fire. the fire was actually converging on these homes from two sides. the winds have been pushing the flames around there. the santa ana winds are shifting and will push the fire one way and then in an opposite direction. stay on this shot. i want to explain to you what is off to my right. there's another huge plume of smoke. we're told that is another part of this fire. these are all hot spot that spring up. over to my right apparently is where they're concentrating the air support here. dropping retardant over this because evidently the fire is racing toward a neighborhood fi

pattern there as it sucks oxygen in to continue to burn. >> reporter: the fire forced cal state san marcosch has more than 10,000 students to postpone finals and graduation ceremonies. officials alerted 125,000 residents across san diego county to leave their homes. >> the flames up and down there, i was really concerned with that. they were going full force. >> reporter: the wildfire is quickly coming up this hillside so firefighters are working to save as many homes in this neighborhood as they can. hundreds of firefighters and at least a dozen military helicopters are battling the blaze. but the tinder dry brush and triple-digit temperaturesreignited the flames. the unseasonably early wildfires come during one of the state's worst droughts. firefighters say they haven't seen explosive fire conditions like these in years and already had crews positioned in the area. >> it's almost a week and a half before this fire broke out. we had resources ready to go additionally here in southern california. >> reporter: crews hope to get the upper hand with calmer winds but officials think the wildf

we're in san marcos, california. this is one of the areas, as you said, that's been hardest hit. you can see this home. it is just a smokey, charred mess. we're on a mountainside, and you can see off in the distance -- actually where you see that layer of clouds, that's marine layer, that's where camp pendleton is, and we're not seeing much smoke over there. so that is also good news. so here in san marcos, the containment figure is 50%. it's beginning to rise over in camp pendleton, as well. so it appears that firefighters are starting to make good progress, but, you know, as we've seen with the unpredictable nature of wildfires, they can kick up. that's why they have so many people on the ground trying to battle these blazes, both on the ground and, of course, from the sky. victor and christi? >> we know while they're trying to contain the fires, there's an investigation going on. three people arrested, one charge being brought this morning. what do you know about this? >> reporter: well, what we know is when these

this one in san marcos is their top priority. high temperatures and strong winds are feeding the fires, and steep terrain is making it difficult to contain them. we have two reports tonight. first, carter evans. >> reporter: wind gusts as high as 45 miles per hour pushed the fire up steep hills and into this affluent section of san marcos. the fire burned so hot in some places, it pulled in a rush of cooler air. that circulation created a tornado of fire. at one point, the flames were moving in two different directions. firefighter nick najera. >> we got winds picking up, change directions. so we always have to be on our feet. >> reporter: wave after wave of helicopters and planes dropped water and flame retardant on the fire.qñ@v commanders allowed operations last night in the hopes it would help them get ahead of the flames. it didn't. smoke from this fire is simply intense. it is enveloping this neighborhood as the fire makes a run up the hillside. firefighters are right down here now, trying to protect this home. the fire, 15

flames coming within feet of cal state university san marcos.ers picked up hoses and fought off flames, too, trying to save their school. >> i think you might be heros. >> no, no heros here. only ones heros. >> is the firefighters. >> reporter: final exams and graduations cancelled. a campus evacuated. a grassfire in northern california spread to one home. this on top of the nine fires raging in san diego. firefighters are fighting this fire with air tankers. you can see this one is about to drop on that hillside. right there on that ridge, you can see firefighters on the ground. this is the problem. this fire is mere feet away from cal state san marcos. >> reporter: investigators are looking for a cause including the possibility of arson. this and all fires treated as a crime scene, and now in this torched land it is a scavenger hunt for clues. from looking at burn marks on trees and rocks to finding out if a neighbor cut grass recently. anything a potential spark and a hint to the origin of the fire. it is a heat and wind-fueled battle that so

this home right behind me in san marcos reduced to rubble. firefighters say what makes this wildfire so difficult to battle is that it's essentially creating its own weather pattern as it sucks in oxygen. residents have completely lost their homes. >> i'm very upset. but, uhm, what can you say? i'm alive. and it's okay. you just have to look at it that way, i guess. >> reporter: cooler temperatures and calmer winds are forecast for today and firefighters say that could help them gain more control of the multiple fires burning around san diego. david begnaud for cbs news, san marcos, california. >> firefighters in the bay area from alameda, sonoma, napa counties headed south yesterday to lep. the fremont fire department posted this photo of its strike team which arrived after 12 hours of driving. cal fire is getting into full swing so early. in just the past two weeks, cal fire added 25 engines and 100 firefighters to the front lines. all of that manpower sent to southern california in anticipation of what's going to be a rather long week. >>

many homes here in san marcos have been destroyed. firefighters from all over southern california are here on scene. the day started off where it appeared we were not going to have so much of a problem. the fires were much less than they were yesterday. but then around 12 noon we saw them pick up dramatically. we were in a place where we saw this so-called fire tornado. what they did is make the fire spread in literally seconds. we saw trees and foliage, over a short time here we'll zoom in. and you will see a house that burned to the ground. all you see is the foundation. and that is what people in this town of 83,000 people are dealing with. they're very scared. you move here and you know it is going to happen. but typically it doesn't happen until the middle of the supemme. fire season doesn't usually start until later, but the winds have calmed down quite a bit and this is a crucial key moment right now. right now the local time just after 6:00 p.m., it is the beginning of the evening. by the time it gets dark fire decreases. and

as far as san marcos, this is where the fire is burning. a thousand acres burned, two homes destroyed and 45,000 people evacuated. >> thank you very much. you can see smoke behind rob, there. >> a billionaire beach battle. a judge gets to see why local surfers are complaining. >> this fresh look and big announcement on the championship games played here this fall. >> later with a million plus bicycle thefts a smart phone bike lock just might help take a bite out of crime. a lot more to bring you. stay with us. heat shields are compromised. we have multiple failures. are those thrusters burning? that's a negative. what's that alarm? fuel cell two is down. i'm going to have to guide her in manually. this is very exciting. but i'm at my stop. come again? i'm watching this on the train. it's so hard to leave. good luck with everything. with the u-verse tv app, the u-verse revolves around you the u-verse revolves around you dog: what's this? mattress discounters' what's this? mattress discounters' memorial day sale ending? but mattress discounte

for and now california state university san marcos has been evacuated to the middle of finals week totion was planned for this week and so we have teen coverage as we continue our look this man at the fire situation. says on flames. and san marcos late afternoon the invasion began and the battle for everything, dozens of contracts and over 600 a. burned. , almost like a cyclone and the fire is spreading and reigniting in an area where it just put out. mandatory evacuations were in place in this neighborhood just off one of the valley had some many stay behind. >>: i was is claiming that of numbers of behind. two hours into the blaze tiers of the first firefighters arrived and battling flames across the county. many homes your spirit.others not so lucky. just up the road and washingtonian. this on a fully involved. wind changed end of line stayed on the most varied and ablaze igniting and threatening homes on a hillside into the night to. >>: you can see the glow of the fire off and the distance from this evacuation center. here inside the mission hills high-school gym. it will be long

cal state san marcos is evacuated and commencement ceremonies are canceled. carlsbad eight homes have been closed and schools, too, more than 9,000 acres have been charred and some residented had only minutes to grab third possessions and pets and flee. >> we ran. there were orange flames 50' or 60' high. we packed everything and we were out. >> a lot of resources with two helicopters from the california department of forestry and fire protection and eight navy and marine hill courts worked through the night fighting the flames. today, 22 military helicopters will take to the skies. governor brown has declared a state emergency for san diego county and because of that, the district attorney is reminding people that looting is now a felony and a crime for businesses to raise the price of goods or services by more than 10 percent. >>> and we will have more from san diego at 7:00 a.m. on "good morning america" next. >> extreme fire conditions through the row beyond and san jose has closed alum rock park to the public. officials concerned of low humidity, dry con

flames coming within feat of cal state university san marco marcos. firefighters struggling to keep the blaze at bay on a hillside. while 2 university workers pick up hos hoses and fought off flames too trying to save the school. >> i think you might be hero. >> no. no. no hero here. the only one that are hero. >> the fire department. >>reporter: final exam and graduation cancelled. campus evacuated. as this fire burns dangerously close to the school ground. >> these firefighters are fighting this fire right here with air tanker. you can see this is about to drop on the hillside right open the ridge. you can see firefighters on the ground. this is the problem. this fire is mere feet away from cal state san marcos. >>reporter: 9 fires raging in san diego. investigators now looking for a cause including the possibility of arson. is this and all fires treated as crime scene. now in this torched land, it is a scavenger hunt for clue. looking at burn mark on tree and rock and fin finding out if a neighbor cut grass recently. anything potential spark and hi

as far as san marcos, this is where the fire is burning. a thousand acres burned, two homes destroyed and 45,000 people evacuated. >> thank you very much. you can see smoke behind rob, there. >> a billionaire beach battle. a judge gets to see why local surfers are complaining. >> this fresh look and big announcement on the championship games played here this fall. >> later with a million plus bicycle thefts a smart phone bike lock just might help take a bite out of crime. a lot more to bring you. illamookmook old fashioned is absolutely amazing. creammmmmy. it makes my tongue dance. me too. hey you two, stop that tillamook tongue dancing and get back to work! tillamook ice cream, tastes better because it's made better. >>> usually, attorneys bring the case to the courtroom. but today, a beach in half moon bay and mostly a mystery until today. >> it's a lot to look after after five years of wondering. this is the controversial 53 acres it's a place of beautiful white sand and today, a judge trailed by attorneys and interested parties >> i ca

the san marcos fire is the last of four remaining blazes still burning - including three at base. family members say that he was store. he left around 9 a-m that day, but never came back. police aren't sure if he made it to the store. adams was driving this 70's model international harvester pick-up truck. robber who shot and killed a man on a remote hiking trail in red investigators say the robber shot two hikers friday after taking their money and belongings. 69 year old francis gregory died on the trail.and his hiking partner is still in the hospital with serious injuries. click it or ticket. the california highway patrol is trying to amp up their seatbelt campaign. kron four's dan rubin shows us.how authorities are turning an old slogan hiip. if you don't buckle up. you might pay the ultimate price. starting on monday. chp is going to be keeping an extra eye out for drivers not wearing their seatbelts. having the sense to buckle up is less common than it should be. so c-h-p put out this song to try and appeal to ultra-cool youth. it's hard to see why the ultra cool youth would

all three homes have been destroyed by the san marcos fire. at the same time, residents tell us they're in a state of disbelief. >> you see smoke and you have no idea how far it is. when you can see flames, it really hits home. >> to help out, the governor's issued a state of emergency because there's already been tens of millions of dollars of damage. >> any idea what started these fires? >> that's the question everybody is asking around here. like you said, this is one of nine fires that broke out in the relatively same time period yesterday, in the morning and the afternoon. those fires end up burning 10,000 acres, destroyed more than 20 homes. right now, fire investigators say they are looking into arson but as of right now, they don't have any facts to back that up. and obviously they still have crews trying to get containment of these fires at the same time because if any other fires break out, they want to make sure that is their absolute top priority. >> will, thanks for kicking us off. more on that throughout the day. >>> in the meant

earlier this morning we were in san marcos. and we were in that neighborhood where would literally got there. watched the sheriff deputies evacuate all the homes in the area. blaring loud speakers please leave their homes. within, i swear to you, 10 minutes that we saw that fire just come roaring over the ridge and that is what firefighters are dealing with today. this fire is so fast moving fanned by these winds that continue to kick up every now and then and, of course, the heat. the heat is definite factor in this fire fight today. and as you can see, some people are still trying to get their animals out of this harmony grove area which is a lot of horses in some of these homes, greta? >> >> sharon, any idea on containment? i mean, when you look at the video from here, it looks awful. it looks dangerous. it looks like it's just going to, you know, take over the entire area. burn everything in sight. but is there any containment? >> i wish i could give you a better numbers than. this but, no. at this time the last report we h