"today in the bay's" terry mcsweeney has more. >>> here is extending on the narrative of some early good signs. >> reporter: governor newsom not only pointing to a 21% drop of cases in the past week but the past two weeks, hospitalizations down 10%, icu cases down 5%. those statewide numbers are good. bay area numbers are even better, says dr. george rutherford at ucsf. >> similarly in the bay area cases are dropping, programs even more markedly than statewide. 15% as opposed to 10%. >> reporter: the survival rate of covid-19 patients is up dramatically because of drugs such as remdesivir as well as high flow oxygen and techniques like having patients lie on their stomachs to make breathing easier. the success leads to a shortage of do a better job in intensive care and for people severely symptomatic, as we do a better job of saving them, they're going to be in the icus longer amounts of time. >> reporter: the recent spike in bay area, he says, was partly because of local facilities taking patients from the huge outbreaks in places like imperial county and san quentin prison. those numb

terry mcsweeney, "today in the bay." >>> with slight cooling on tap, the threat of rolling blackouts has now passed. for the fourth straight day yesterday, the grid held and last night pg&e tweeted thanks to the customers for conserving. although there's no flex alert today, people are still being urged to save that energy as much as possible especially from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. >>> well, everyone across the bay area is being impacted from the smoke and haze from the fires. take a look at this satellite photo taken by nasa. the thick plumes of smoke go over much of the entire state right here in the bay area where the fires are burning. a spare the air alert is in effect until sunday. we're not going to get any relief from any of this smoke in the air. >>> want to check in with kari right now. she has a look at our forecast and we need cooler temperatures and a nice, big breeze but that's not coming our way. >> we are not going to see much of a breeze and temperatures only come down just slightly. as we look at our wind gusts we're seeing right now, currently, most of those wind gusts

here's nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney. >> reporter: there were two explosions. this was the first about 6:00 this evening at beirut's main port, sending up a plume of thick smoke. beneath it, you see fires raging and flashes of light. authorities say at a warehouse storing very dangerous, very explosive chemicals. all this turned out to be just a precursor of this. a far, far more massive explosion. a mushroom cloud of debris and seawater blasting into the air. the detonation heard 200 miles away in at least two other countries. >> i'm like mind blown. i can't believe this is happening. >> reporter: this woman of san jose was raised in and around beirut. her husband and her husband's family live in a suburb still. she immediately called her mother who lives eight miles from the blast. >> she hears and feels the entire place shake in a way but a really loud bang. >> reporter: she has friends who live farther away from the blast but they were not spared. >> his windows and everything shattered from his building, from his apartment that he just finished remodeling.

terry mcsweeney is live along state highway 128. this appears a little too close for comfort. >> reporter: yeah, it's getting pretty close. be hennessey fire going from 2,500 acres at this time last night to 10,000 acres. keep in mind that state resources are stretched thin. more than 500 firefighters up here but they're no match for these flames. we have spent the night watching these firefighters stop the flames halfway up this mountain from taking a house. look at this battle going on in napa county tonight. fire crews staving off the flames head towards a hillside home. embers showering down on the roof. firefighters armed with hoses, apparently winning this battle. but not all battles have been won in the hennessey fire east of st. helena. at least three structures leveled, 10,000 acres burned, zero containment with fires blazing across the state, crews with their backs against the wall. >> with the resources stretched thin across those fires, it does make it difficult to get some resources in and also air resources are stretch

live in napa, terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. >> thanks, terry. we have video of that fire, the gamble fire. lightning also blamed for this fire burning out of control near lake berryessa. this video just into our newsroom. the gamble fire, as we mentioned, also in napa county. we just checked with cal fire. as terry mentioned, 600 acres and 0% contained. >>> now, because of the dangerous and wild weather we've been seeing, we remain under a microclimate weather alert. meteorologist rob mayeda is here. rob, what are we looking at for the next couple of days? >> well, right now at least the good news, terry did mention it. we're not seeing as much wind as we had earlier today and the lightning that sparked many of these fires has for the most part moved out. temperatures still pretty warm. 79 degrees. the wind is relatively light at both the hennessy fire and the gamble fire, which has burned right down to the edge of lake berryessa. let's give you the time lapse looking back on the hennessy fire. notice that smoke plume being pushed all over the p

nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney has more. >> here is extending on the narrative of some early good signs. >> reporter: governor newsom not only a 21% drop in cases the past week, but in the past two weeks, hospitalizations down 10%, icu cases down 5%. those statewide numbers are good, but the bay area numbers are even better says dr. george rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at ucsf. >> similarly in the bay area, the cases are dropping perhaps even more markedly than statewide. you know, 15% as opposed to 10%. >> reporter: dr. rutherford says the survival rate is up dramatically because of drugs such as remdesivir as well as high flow oxygen and techniques like having patients lie on their stomachs. >> as we do a better job in intensive care and for people who are severely symptomatic, as we do a better job of saving them, they're going to be in the icus longer amounts of time. >> reporter: the doctor says the recent spike in bay area cases was partly because of local facilities taking patients from areas like san quentin prison. those numbers are now easing. both the doctor and the

good evening, i'm terry mcsweeney. >> in a few hours, many businesses in san mateo county will have to a way to move outside or shut down completely. all nine bay area counties are now on the governor's watch list. they now must enforce restrictions to try and get covid cases under control. but for a time today, it appeared maybe san mateo county businesses would get a reprieve. these businesses will need to close by midnight. the ones you see on your screen, gyms, places of worship, salons. in the bay area there have been more than 52,000 cases. santa clara county reported 410 new infections today. the county now topping 10,000 confirmed cases. but health leaders say that high number in new infections is because of a backlog of lab reporting. this all coming in right now. >> the push to reopen continues. the state is setting records but not the kind anyone wants to be setting. yesterday, 219 californians died from the virus. just yesterday. that's a new high. it was set over the one that was set on tuesday when 197 californians died from the virus. statewide, our numbers remain high.

. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. it's not just a protest leading to concern on the streets of oakland. tonight it's also about something that's disappeared from downtown corners. some say it's a ploy to slow down the election process. nbc bay area's sergio quintana explains. >> reporter: a tonight honoringicms of police violence like jacob blake in kenosha, wisconsin. >> it's important for the community to keep coming out and showing this is something that we're aware of, that we're passionate about, that matters, that's not going away until we make systemic change. >> reporter: this vigil continues with a march. the last couple nights have seen some vandalism as these protests stretch late into the night. the alameda county courthouse is boarded up in anticipation of more destruction. but right outside the courthouse is a blue u.s. post office mailbox. it is not among the six others in downtown oakland that have been cut loose and taken away by the u.s. post office. according to congresswoman barbara lee's office, those blue mailboxes have been removed in anticipation of weekend demon

. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. as we wrap up a third day of dangerously high conditions across the bay area, we remain under a microclimate weather alert. take a live look at walnut creek. temperatures there topped 100 degrees today. a lot of places in the bay area did. it's still in the 80s right there, right now. >> reporter: as soon as the sun set in san francisco, the heat dissipated, making for a much more comfortable evening. the bay area is resting a bit more easy tonight because rolling blackouts did not affect people here. instead, monterey, santa cruz, and san joaquin counties had their lights go out. more than 200,000 customers affected. it all came as a surprise. cal iso, which controls the state power grid, said there would not be a repeat of friday night, the first rolling blackouts since 2001. then a short time later, pg&e said it was told to begin the blackouts. most of the power has now since been restored. rolling blackouts in the the next few days, and with western states suf grid is being taxed.

. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. enhanced unemployment benefits an executive order aimed at helping people across the country. nbc bay area's marianne favro is in san jose with a closer look tonight. >> reporter: blaming democrats for the corr executive orders saturday less than 24 hours after he warned lawmakers he would move forward if they couldn't come up with a deal. the orders will defer payroll taxes through the end of the year for people making less than $100,000 a year and extend the much debated enhanced unemployment benefits, something many americans were relying on. >> for this reason i'm taking action to provide an additional or an extra $400 per week in expanded benefits. $400. >>. >> reporter: the previous unemployment boost was $600 a week, but some feel the new reduced pay may not be enough to help people in the bay area who are out of work. >> i'm glad he's stepping in. i know we're having trouble agreeing in congress. but i think he should have kept it at $600 instead of reducing it, especially wit

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> no closures after all. tonight there is a lot of confusion for san mateo county gyms, hair salon, indoor malls and places of worship. they were supposed to be shut down as of today. >> that's because the county was added to the state's covid watch list earlier this week. today marks the third day on the list which is supposed to, repeat supposed to trigger additional business closures. >> but this morning the county said those restrictions are not being imposed yet. that's because the county says it's still in discussion with the state. now county leaders say they will let businesses know if anything changes, but all other bay area counties on the list have imposed restrictions because of it. so a lot of confusion in san mateo county our sergio quintana is speaking to county health leaders. he'll have the latest information on our next newscast at 8:00, right after nhl on nbc. >>> also tonight, hair salon owners and stylists in alameda county are pushing back on what has been a devastating past four months

. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. worsening air quality around the bay area today. you probably noticed as fires continue to burn. now crews are racing to control as much of the flames as they can before more troubling weather moves in. our skyranger was just over the collection of fires up in the north bay. this is near lake berryessa. you can see some of the destruction this fire has left behind. four people have died in the lnu complex fire. at 314,000 acres, it is now the second largest fire in state history. a slice of good news, it's 15% contained, but crews have not announced if they've gained any ground today. >> now, along the coast, overnight fog helped firefighters finally gain some ground on the czu complex fire. that's the one burning in san mateo and santa cruz county. here's a look at what crews are up against. flames have scorched some 63,000 acres, containment is at 5%, up from 2% last night. an update is set for 6:00. we will stream that for you on nbcbayarea.com. >>> this map shows you where the fires are burning. nearly 670,000 acres burning in o

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> no closures after all.ight there is a lot of confusion for san mateo county gyms, hair salon, indoor malls and places of worship. they were supposed to be shut down as of today. >> that's because the county was added to the state's covid watch list earlier this week. today marks the third day on the list which is supposed to, repeat supposed to trigger additional business closures. >> but this morning the county said those restrictions are not being imposed yet. that's because the county says it's still in discussion with the state. now county leaders say they will let businesses know if anything changes, but all other bay area counties on the list have

. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. worsening air quality around the bay area today.bly noticed as fires continue to burn. now crews are racing to control as much of the flames as they can before more troubling weather moves in. our skyranger was just over the collection of fires up in the north bay. this is near lake berryessa. you can see some of the destruction this fire has left behind. four people have died in the lnu complex fire. at 314,000 acres, it is now the second largest fire in state history. a slice of good news, it's 15% contained, but crews have

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> and i'm anoushah rasta. a day a lot of business owners thought would never come. starting tomorrow, most bay area counties can move back indoors, but not everyone is happy about it. marianne shows us county could could it the mane de. event. they can finally style clients indoors. welcome news. >> we were a little confused by the information and where to go to. we figured it out, and we're back in business. >> the salon spent the weekend getting ready with extra cleaning supplies, dividers and signs. but here hair salons are only allowed to operate outdoors in alameda. which is why rudy is testing out his popup tent and reading as he prepares to reopen elines tuesday. he's not been able to cut hair here since mid-march. while he's excited to get back to work, he's not thrilled alameda county still requires him to cut hair outside even after the governor announced a new tiered reopening system that would have allowed it. counties are allowed to enact stricter rules than the states. >> i'm disappointed. we nee

i am terry mcsweeney. >> we also have anuosha rasta tonight. >> yes, coming up in a few minutes i will break down how fast they have grown and how they compare to the largest wildfires in state's history >> thank you. >> let's get right to our fires burning across the bay area. one of the most concerning fires is the scu fire in santa cruz and san mateo. >> that fire is 5% contained. we have team coverage for you. let's begin with marianne favro. >> reporter: a lot came out of that press briefing, terry. what we want you to know is the good news is more help is on the way including the national guard. the bad news is more threats are on the way, too. right now more than 24,000 homes and other buildings are threatened. 115 buildings have been destroyed and 20 more reported yesterday but with more ec the weekend. firefighters believe that number will go up. today winds cooperating which allowed firefighters make some progress. >> a good day for firefighters today, the weather have been cooperating with us within the past 24 hours. it is giving us the opportunity to jump on or control obj

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> minutes ago pg&e announced it does not expect to be ordered to shut off power. warned 210,000 customers in san francisco, san mateo and contra costa county there would be a chance they could be in the dark. final call comes from cal iso, the agency that watches the power grid. >>> threat of lightning continues. many people were woken up by the extremely rare conditions. this lightning strike in hayward from early this morning. >> that's unbelievable. likely caused dozens of fires across the bay area. two of the biggest, milpitas and brentwood. meteorologist rob to explain the ton that's going on right now. >> unusually high temperatures and moisture values off a weakening tropical storm to the south. at least more than 1,000 lightning strikes inland, nearly equal offshore. widespread lightning. surge from weakening tropical storm, warm high, high instability, triggering a number of thunderstorms and at least length-sparked wildfires around the bay area. pattern tonight, connection with the tropical storm to the south is still there, supplying more moisture and

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> chaos on the golden gate bridge, a rally in support of president trump faced by counter protesters. >> sergio at the golden gate bridge. >> reporter: chp and golden gate bridge patrol officers tried to keep two groups separate in an effort to try to keep the peace and for their own safety, but there was a confrontation and four people were taken into custody. now, this march across the golden gate bridge was billed by conservative organizer brandon streak as an effort to save san francisco. he's behind a campaign called walk away, an effort to have the democrats leave their party and join the republican party. there was a flotilla of floats with trump banners but that didn't organize. organizer says they were peaceful but they became animated when a traffic cone was thrown at them. >> these very same types of people who spent the last three plus months destroying our neighborhoods, our city and country show up. yeah, our side's going to have something to say about it because they're really, really ang are i. >> reporter: four people were taken into custody but

terry mcsweeney, bay area bay area. >> it does bring people together, as well. thank you, terry. we're sending push alerts out throughout the day. this is so important for you to follow along and know what's going on in your neighborhood and around you. you can download it for free on any apple and android device. >>> even though our excessive heat washing has expired, we'll talk about what the new channels are and what air quality impacts we can expect tomorrow in our forecast coming up. >>> i accept your nomination for vice president of the united states of america. >> not just kamala harris,ic na. >> and the clock is ticking. why uber and lyft may stop offering rides here in california beginning friday. we made usaa insurance for veterans like liz and mike. an army family who is always at the ready. so when they got a little surprise... two!? ...they didn't panic. they got a bigger car for their soon-to-be-bigger family. after shopping around for insurance, they called usaa - who helped find the right coverage for them and even some much-needed savings. that was the easy part.

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> and i'm garvin thomas. we also have anoushah rasta with us tonight. >> that's right. these fires have been so destructive, turning homes into ash and rubble, and grown considerably in the last the largest wildfire in state's history. >>> new video showing flames coming dangerously close to neighborhoods as the walbridge fire changes direction. burning closer to healdsburg and guerneville. >> that fire is part of the lnu complex burning across the north bay. right now you can take a look at all the fires in the bay area burning right now. >> our team of reporters has been covering the fires all day and night. let's begin with nbc bay area's sergio quintana. he's in the north bay. sergio, you saw an active firefight where you were tonight. >> reporter: yeah, and the shifting winds today have actually helped firefighters shore up some of their fire lines along the western side of the walbridge fire. unfortunately those winds have now been pushing the fire east and north towards healdsburg. that's one of the re

i am terry mcsweeney. >> we'll have more on the heartbreak of the firefighters of santa cruz mountains monitoring dangerous weather conditions that could make things worse on the fire lines. crews are bracing for the lightning and gusty winds. lightning is what started all the fires raging across the bay area. you can see where the fires are burning. let's get you e latest information right now. >> the lnu 341,000 acres eight burning in theg napa, sonoma an sloa solano. you can look at the video, containment of 17% from the 50% last night. the scu of 340,000 acres. fire burning in santa clara and alameda and contra costa county containment at 10%, unchanged from last night. the czu at the santa cruz mountains up to 67,000 acres. new video showing crews lighting backfire to help clear the brush. >> we are covering the fires from all angle, let's

i'm terry mcsweeney. >> a confusing night across california. the company that orders utilities to turn power off when that grid is strained. tonight, it's said there would be no outages but then a short time later, gave the order to pg&e to begin a second night of rolling blackouts. >> the reason due to increased electricity usage along with unexpected loss of a power plant and wind power. announced it would impact 220 in parts of the central coast and central valley, monterey and not clear how long those areas lost power but moments ago, cal ico reporting all power has been ordered restored for now. 220,000 customers lost power during the rolling outages, including tens of thousands here in the bay area. it was the first time rolling outages had been called for in two decades. now we spoke with cal ico earlier, explaining this is because of the hot weather and increased electricity usage across the west. >> we rely on imports from other states with our brand, especially in the later evening hours. so when energy tends to rise during the summer