to star >>> coming up at 6:00 we'll return live for an update on the rim fire and impact inside yosemite abcws i team looks at the suicide of a former high ranking cop. why the death comes as such a shock to many in the department. and michael finney shows what you to buy, what not to buy your ko college. those stories and more coming up at 6:00. >> hey, warrior fans looking for biggest fans to star in this season's commercial we want everyone, mom, dad, kids and grandparents. >> fans will have 30 seconds to show how much they love warriors. >> yes. >> they'll get registration. >> how fun is that. >>> this is "world news." tonight out of control, how to stop the wildfire now threatening one of america's great national parks, tripling in size, burning in three directions tonight. thousands of families in its path. we're live at yosemite. >> breaking news, the stunning numbers on syria, how many people might have been attacked with chemical weapons and what the fbi director is telling abc news about americans in syria. are they a new threat to our homeland. >>> text messages, the teenager abdu

the biggest threatening yosemite national park with 133,000 acres already burned. the fire is 7% contained. abc's. >> reporter: the fight inside yosemite is hot and intense. crews aren't just trying to stop the fire, they're trying to protect a grove of the park's famed sequoias, three dozen in all. the huge trees among the oldest living things on earth and teams have been assigned just to them. >> i'm from virginia. so the fuel types here are different. this is definitely dry. some pretty extreme fire behavior we are encountering here. >> reporter: more teams are inside the park to protect the area around the massive hetch-hetchy reservoir. we saw firsthand, fire is close to the area that applies 85% of san francisco's water. cause enough for the government there to declare a state of emergency and put public utility crews on alert to monitor the water's quality. >> it is still activity burning as we speak. it has affected our water and power system. >> reporter: on the road outside the park -- [ chain saw buzzing ] crews are cutting down burned trees they call widow makers because they fall wit

team deployed to protect three dozen of yosemite's ancient sequoia trees, some of the oldest living things on earth, in need of protection now. neal karlinsky, abc news, yosemite national park. >>> we also want to show you some dangerous flash flooding tonight in the southwest, including the desert city, las vegas. interstates awash in water and cars have been swamped there. >>> and next tonight an exclusive report on a giant new study about all of us who think we can walk and talk on cell phones and text at the same time. it's a brand new report out tonight and a wakeup call for everyone about the serious danger whizzing right by. here's abc's paula faris. >> reporter: this car nearly hits a pedestrian paying more attention to his mobile device than traffic. watch again, the pedestrian so distracted, he even continues to text. crossing the street, distracted by phones, headphones, tablets is a deadly problem. >> they just think it's never going to happen to me. >> reporter: we saw it on the streets of l.a., chicago and d.c., and even in broad daylight pedestrians were too distracted to notice our camera crew in new york. >> you're texting and y

a fire team deployed to protect three dozen yosemite's sequoia trees some of the oldest living things on earth in need of protection now. neal karlinsky, abcnational park. >> for a large portion of the middle of the country the problem is late summer heat wave. right now the scorching temperatures especially tough on kids back in school with no air conditioning in classrooms many of them. school districts in several sweltering states sent the kids home early yesterday and they will probably have to do the same thing today. >> sometimes the rooms can actually reach temperatures over 100 degrees in which we do not want students or staff to be in those rooms. we ask them to go to better ventilated areas. >> they're even doing all they can to make it cooler for the pigs at the minnesota state fair. the swine barn installed a new $200,000 ventilation system to keep the hot air moving. patrons say they can feel the difference. >>> a giant glob of dust rolling through arizona last night. toppling trees and power lines. 60-mile-an-hour winds and hail fueling the widespread dust storm across phoenix, tempe and mesa. it blew in after a day of heavy

the most serious one, a fire outside yosemite national park that has more than tripled in size. abc'site rose bed and breakfast built for the thousands who flock to yosemite's untouched beauty each year they're making their last stand. the fire is coming over the hill straight at them. the owner in his bulldozer to help out is making plans with the fire team. >> you give me the signal. i can make laps around the house without a problem. >> okay. we have two at your house. >> just down the road, another fire team at this house, staring down an intense aerial fire fight to stop the flames before they burn through his property. >> are you sticking here? >> oh, yeah. >> you are? >> not in a shelter, protect what i can long as i can. >> reporter: the wind has caused rapidly changing conditions as we found out firsthand. it shot up again, the flames did. while shooting this material in the fire zone. whoa. a chunk of flaming tree big enough to seriously hurt some s one -- someone fell near our car. it is unusually bad right now though the wildfire numbers are down nationwide. they're way up

, as 47 fires burn in nine western states, the biggest fight is right there at yosemite and that's where we begin with abc's neal karlinsky again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the fight inside yosemite is hot and intense. crews aren't just trying to stop the fire -- they're trying to protect a grove of the park's famed sequoias -- three dozen in all. the huge trees are among the oldest living things on earth, and teams have been assigned just to them. >> i'm from virginia, so the fuel types here are different. and this is definitely dry, so, this is some pretty extreme fire behavior that we're encountering here. >> reporter: more teams are inside the park to protect the area around the massive hetch hetchy reservoir. we saw first hand, the fire is close to the area that supplies 85% of san francisco's water. cause enough for the governor to declare a state of emergency and put public utility crews on alert to monitor the water's quality. >> it's still actively burning as we speak. it has affected our water and power system. >> reporter: on the road outside the park, crews are cutting down burned trees they

more than 50 fires burning in the western states including yosemite national park. abc'sning us with more from los angeles with this. brandi. >> good morning, john, diana. as fire crews start gaining control over some wildfires out west there are new fires burning out of control and threatening hundreds of homes. >> reporter: this monster fire raging out of control near yosemite national park has burned more than 25 square miles. >> it's terrifying how unpredictable it is and how fast it is moving. >> it just breaks my heart. >> reporter: the rim fire is now threatening 2,000 california homes, hotels and campgrounds. julie tresser believes her home is already gone. >> a lot of memories. we've been up there, 15, 18 years. >> reporter: with nearly 50 large fires now burning out west, the national preparedness level has been raised to five. the highest level since 2008. in montana, some families have lost everything. >> this is no longer any good. antique stove. >> reporter: ron henderson's barn is gone, but his home was spared. in washington state, this fire near leavenwort

that fire one of at least 50 burning in the west tonight in the county where yosemite is just declaring a state of emergency. abc's neal karlinsky is on the front lines for us and he leads us off tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening from the south side of an angry fire tonight. these are not clouds behind me. this is smoke. this gives you a sense of the size and the soap of this blaze as these plumes continue to intensify and get darker and die down again as this fire is fought mainly from the air. at the yosemite rose bed and breakfast built for the thousands who flock to its untouched beauty each year, they're making their last stand. the fire is coming over the hill straight at them and the owner in his bulldozer to help out is making plans with the fire team. >> give me the signal and i can make laps around the house without a problem. >> reporter: just down the road this man has another fire team at his house, staring down an intense aerial fire fight to stop the flames before they burn through his property. >> are you sticking here throughout? >> absolutely. slel ter shelter in place, protect wha

abc's martha raddatz standing by in the region. yosemite on fire. our team inside the park tonight. how close are the flames to sites. a major city, that fire threatening power and water. remember the dream. tonight the march to washington 50 years after the reverend martin luther king made that dream first. how his "i have a dream" speech is being kept alive. and an american voice silenced. ♪ you're no good, baby you're no good ♪ >> singer linda rostadt revealed, the condition that has stolen her voice. >>> good evening, great to have you with us on a saturday night. we begin with that growing urgency over syria. american warships being repositioned, what is coming next? president obama in a rare white house meeting with his national security advisors today. this prompted the meeting. growing proof that chemical weapons might have been used to kill more than 1,000 in syria, among them so many children. tonight volunteers, doctors without borders, inside syria, treating patients. now revealing the symptoms they are treating. saying more than 3,000 patients were rushed in with what t

abc, inc. and touchstone television yosemite has swelled to 175,000 acres. 2,000 firefighters are making some progress. right now they have it 5% contained. the fire is dangerously close to 4500 homes tonight. it has already destroyed 16 structures since it began six days ago. good evening, everyone. i'm carolyn johnson. dan ashley is off tonight. here is the latest map showing just how large this fire has grown. let's get to abc7 news reporter john alston who is live from the fire tonight. john? >> reporter: about 10 minutes ago the hillside exploded into flames. this is along highway 20 which remains closed. the fire has also touched yosemite national park which does remain open at this time. this is one of the many hill sides that cal fire is very concerned about. partially because this wood that is burning is dryer than lumber that you would buy at a store. flames continue to own the hillside. the night sky makes it easier to see the actual fires burning under all of that smoke. tonight cal fire put some crews on stand by to make sure the flames don't jump to the south side of highway 120. a few m

>>> next on abc 7 news at 60, a look at what's keeping firefighters from gaining control over a destructi wildfire at yosemite. >>> two children are shot and rushed to the hospital. >>> and a look at the surveillance video that police in the sou bay hope can help them catch a killer. abc 7 news at 6:00 startsnow. >>> live from the kgo tv broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. >>> a battle for terrain continues in tuolumne county as the wildfire rages fo its eighth day. i'm ama daetz. the fire is just 7% contained right now. it's burned through nearly 134,000 acres. it has destroyed four hos and a dozen other structures. it's nearly put san francisco's water and electrity supplies in anger. more than 2800 firefighters are having a hard time getting control of the fire because of rough terrain and tall trees which catch fire far abov their reach. the weather is making their effort more difficult. leigh glaser shows us why. it was really a hot day out the on the fire lines and a gusty winds, reported gusts to 35 mes per hour in the higher terrain there. we're giving you a good see of that plume of smoke that' bei

yosemite national park. >> morning, it's threatening homes as well as the city of san francisco's water and power supply in a state of emergency. we start the coverage with abc'seil karlinsky in yosemite national park. neil. >> reporter: good morning. a bit of good news this morning, the fire is not growing larger, and critically, it is now 7% contained. a steady move in the right direction. the unseen war against the fire. teams set backfires overnight, hoping to burn up fuel in the way of the rim fire while the wind is down in order to stop it from growing once day breaks. this is what they're trying to protect, yosemite. a national treasure that draws millions of tourists from around the world. so far, it's working. we spent time with fire teams inside yosemite, far from the mountains and water falls which make it famous and which remain open and untouched. but they have concerns about the giant sequoia trees, three dozen are in the burn zone, and teams are giving them special attention to protect them. >> we want to stop it from getting worse. so if it picks up in intensity, we keep it from crossing the road. >> reporter: while they hold the fire at bay, a

. >> then on abc 7 news at 11:00 rim fire near yosemite threa threatening to destroy mem yirys and belovedrounds the fire is now bearing down on. >> and we have wipeout, moat skbrif rookie blue. you can see it online, wlif watch abc's app. >> don't forget the alarm clock app for your smart phone go to abc 7 news.com/apps for details. easy to do. >> thanks for joining us everyone. >> from all of us have a good evening. this is the "jeopardy! teen tournament." please welcome today's contestants -- a senior from moweaqua, illinois... a senior from little rock, arkansas... and a sophomore from englewood, ohio... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! thank you, johnny. and welcome, ladies and gentlemen. last week in our first three quarterfinal matches, a freshman, a sophomore, and a junior became semi-finalists by winning their games. oh, and all three of them were from the state of georgia. will this be a senior's turn, or will tori, the sophomore, win today's game? young lady, gentlemen, welcome aboard. good luck. and these are the categories you have to deal with. . young

take a look at these arresting pictures of the inferno around yosemite right now. abc'seal karlinsky is on the fire line with all the latest. neal. >> reporter: george, good morning. the fire seems to be stuck in a frustrating and very dangerous pattern. it is still only about 7% contained. it continues to burn very, very hot. what they need here is a break in the weather. it is a fire that poses every threat imaginable. temperatures in the 90s mixed with bone-dry trees in the midst of a drought. steep, rugged terrain and then this. the winds gusting to 30 miles an hour have created a phenomenon known as crowning where the tops of tree torch. fire that skips along spreading faster than on the ground. all of that intensity is creating its own weather pattern, big enough to be seen from space. something called thunderous pyrocumulus clouds that can alter the wind direction rapidly and potentially trap firefighters. >> we are expecting the wind to push tonight, whether it comes or not we don't know but we're planning on that. >> reporter: the fire has taken on a life of its

never perform again. ♪ all i'm saying i'm not ready for any -- ♪ >> that was abc news reporting. >>> visitors heading to yosemiten free today if the rim fire burning near the park doesn't discourage them. all 401 national parks will offer free admission today in honor of the 97th annual anniversary of the park service. it was created on august 25, 1916. >>> emirates new zealand is one victory away from racing for the america's cup. the team set a speed record on the racecourse yesterday with the help of strong winds. the kiwis topped out at 47.2 knots, going nearly twice the speed of the wind. they sped away from italy's luna rossa in race 7 to take the 6-1 lead in the best-of-13 louis vuitton cup challenge. race 8 was postponed until today because of the high winds. it is scheduled to begin at 1:10 this afternoon. if race 9 is needed, that would begin at 2:10. should new zealand win one more race, they will face oracle team's usa for the america's cup starting september 7th. >> what do you think, will the wind die down enough for them to race today. >> we will have the sea breeze. it will kick up 10 to 20 miles

. >> then on abc 7 news at 11:00 rim fire near yosemite threa threatening to destroy mem yirys and belovedis now bearing down on. >> and we have wipeout, moat skbrif rookie blue. you can see it online, wlif watch abc's app. >> don't forget the alarm clock app for your smart phone go to abc 7 news.com/apps for details. easy to do. >> thanks for joining us everyone. >> from all of us have a good evening. >> male announcer: in new york city's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the major case squad.

our reporter, abc's neal karlinsky, on the front line, just outside yosemite national park.ood morning to you, neal. >> reporter: josh, good morning. this fire has proven unpredictable. right now, it's burning in three different directions. but fortunately, it is not getting closer to yosemite at this point. from the air, the curtain of smoke nearly blocks out the sun. >> ready. ready. drop. >> reporter: on the ground, it is an eerie tunnel of fire and smoke. a sense of how hot it is. look at the burning stumps holding up the guardrails. within minutes, an example of how quickly things can change along the fire line. it shot up and crossed the road right behind us. whoa. a chunk of tree, more than enough to seriously hurt someone, falls near our car. soon after that, another flare-up. and we're forced to back out. 16,000 acres are burning along mostly rural land in yosemite, forcing a nervous few to grab what they can and get out. >> it was frightening. it becomes so unpredictable. it looked like lava coming over the tops of the hills. >> reporter: more than 50 large fires a

. >> still head tonight here on abc 7 news live from the rim fire near yosemite. there is a new state of emergency tonight and high school sports now being cancelled. >> in sacramento, california gears up to enroll uninsured for health coverage under obama care. what $80 million will buy. >> i'm spencer christian. live doppler 7 shows sunny skies tonight and sunny skies tomorrow. a warming trend i'll have a look at how high temperatures will be where you are in my after the accu-weather forecast. >> we'll continue our coverage for the bay bridge closure and what's happening to all of >>> welcome back, the time is now 6:12 this, is a pic4(5de of 101 in the southbound direction through san mateo. you make the approach to the bridge, it's jam packed it's going to take more than an hour to leave san francisco to head to highway 92 and another half hour across the bridge so packed conditions now. and i've got your full commute for this afternoon coming up in just a little bit. >> thank you. well werk have breaking news we're following in southern california now. take a

abc news, good night, america. is threatening at least 2500 homes near yosemite. it spread to 10,000 acres west of the park and destroyed seven buildings. >> despite having 700 firefighters trying to contain it, they cannot get uh hold of the fire. it is burning on steep terrain and firecrews are having trouble getting at it. residents and campers have been forced to get what they can and get out fast. >> i don't even know what to think. >> that is the veer ross tee of the flames -- that is the verocity of the flames. yosemite national park remains open. >>> three camps run by bay area cities have been affected. san francisco has been rerelocated and canceled a weekend event for teenagers. the family camp sent 80 students and staff home yesterday and another camp was evacuated this evening. campers and staff are expected to arrive back in berkeley any minute now. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm carolyn johnson. firefighters throughout the state are dealing with dry conditions and in the bay area we are experiencing it as well. >> sandhya patel is here with the details

abc, inc. and touchstone television is threatening at least 2500 homes near yosemite. it spread to 10,000 acres west of the park and destroyed seven buildings. >> despite having 700 firefighters trying to contain it, they cannot get uh hold of the fire. it is burning on steep terrain and firecrews are having trouble getting at it. residents and campers have been forced to get what they can and get out fast. >> i don't even know what to think. >> that is the veer ross tee of the flames -- that is the verocity of the flames. yosemite national park remains open. >>> three camps run by bay area cities have been affected. san francisco has been rerelocated and canceled a weekend event for teenagers. the family camp sent 80 students and staff home yesterday and another camp was evacuated this evening. campers and staff are expected to arrive back in berkeley any minute now. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm carolyn johnson. firefighters throughout the state are dealing with dry conditions and in the bay area we are experiencing it as well. >> sandhya patel is here with the details

families flocked to yosemite national park with its triumphant waterfalls, deep valleys and the ancient se coy yas. tonight camp sites evacuated, roads closed and the wildfire is growing as abc's neal karlinsky brings us the latest. >> reporter: tonight the gateway to one of america's most pristine national treasures is a wall of flame. yosemite national park is threatened on one side by a growing 25 square mile wildfire. >> it just breaks my heart. >> reporter: this flared up here. they want us to back out. they're going to try to protect this area. >> how active is it right now? >> real active. >> reporter: you much of the battle is fought from the air. a fire fighting plane makes a dangerous run. 2,000 homes and outbuildings near the park guiding this rural landscape are in danger. some are evacuating along with many who come here to camp. neal karlinsky, abc news. >>> now one american family grapple be with a medical scare tonight, the bidens. vice-president joe biden and his son, 44-year-old beau. the son undergoing tests after an incident he said of disorientation and weakness. late today the vice president said beau will be heading home. >> reporter: bau biden was last

and is coming up later in this ead>> tonigh here on abc 7 news live from the rim fire near yosemite. there is a new state of emergency tonight and high school sports now being cancelled. >> in sacramento, california gears up to enroll uninsured for health coverage under obama care. what $80 million will buy. >> i'm spencer christian. live doppler 7 shows sunny skies tonight and sunny skies tomorrow. a warming trend i'll have a look at how high temperatures ll be where you are in my after the accu-weath forecast. >> we'll continue our coverage for the bay bridge closure and what's happening to all th [ female announcer ] safeway presents real big deals of the week. or how to find big savings on the things you need. just make a straight line to safeway. your club card gets you deals you can't find anywhere else. load up the cooler. your favorite pepsi products are just $2.47 a 12-pack. charmin is $11.99 for 24 double rolls. and make it a giant scoop. breyers ice cream is only $2.88. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. >>> welcome back, the ti

abc 7 news bay area. >> build fire shut down main p &ntrance in yosemite national park.ate route 120 near grove land is off limits to drivers going in and out of yosemite. the 800 acre fire has burned several structures and forced campground evacuation agencies along route 120. authorities say to use highway 140 as alternative to get in the park. >> moving on. man at the wheel of limousine that caught fire with deadly results will not face charges. 5 women died in that limo in may. 7 news has that and reaction from the driver himself. lillian. >> today announcement confirmed what abc 7 news reported friday that the cause of the fear was mechanical and that cautions against limo driver were unfounded. >> some tragedy are cems and some are not. this one is not. hence will not be any criminal charges. >> took three months for investigators to claw that the fire was accidental. in all 10 people were inside the limo when it burst in glimpse on the san mateo bridge. 5 female passengers died that night. >> primary catalyst of the tragedy was the catastrophic failure of the rear

yosemite beginning tomorrow through labor day holiday. >> that fire now burned 180,000 acrerrihs let's go liveo abc 7 news reporter. >> larry cheryl, somecouraging news not windy here right now. it's stagnant and the most smokey and most-disgusting air i've smelled here over last couple day chz can help in this effort behind us. work helicopters have been coming in dipping in. we may see one helicopter shortly in and out. it's fine here they've been holding it. we have a helicopter coming in now we have time we might tinl see hard work these folks have been doing. this is one of the helicopters that have been here and this craft is going to be coming down here and dipping it's nozzle into one of the giant drums of fire retardant. two to three thousand gallons. nozzle going into one of the drums will take about a minute we won't see say but will take about a minute to fill up then will head out another chopper will be able to show you. on the other end of the fire in groveland they have been hurting because of what the fire has done to shut down tourism. >> we've got that. >> that is one of the few bright spots since the rim fire began a

abc 7 news bay area. >> build fire shut down main p &ntrance in yosemite national park.ate route 120 near grove land is off limits to drivers going in and out of yosemite. the 800 acre fire has burned several structures and forced campground evacuation agencies along route 120. authorities say to use highway 140 as alternative to get in the park. >> moving on. man at the wheel of limousine that caught fire with deadly results will not face charges. 5 women died in that limo in may. 7 news has that and reaction from the driver himself. lillian. >> today announcement confirmed what abc 7 news reported friday that the cause of the fear was mechanical and that cautions against limo driver were unfounded. >> some tragedy are cems and some are not. this one is not. hence will not be any criminal charges. >> took three months for investigators to claw that the fire was accidental. in all 10 people were inside the limo when it burst in glimpse on the san mateo bridge. 5 female passengers died that night. >> primary catalyst of the tragedy was the catastrophic failure of the rear

yosemite. surrounded in three weeks a reporter on the scene tonight from our abc affiliate in fresno. >> smokerose at the tree that's gave the ridge its name. >> it's going to continue for a few more weeks. >> tom tidwell surveyed the damage and the work the firefighters are doing the fire growth clo sloeed this week, but spread like a new breed of wildfire before firefighters could get contain oomt when getting these conditions these fires are somewhat explosive what. used to maybe take two, three weeks to be able to burn we're seeing that in two, three day autos some smoke coming from backfires set by firefighters that are trying to stop fire progress. >> this is our group here. >> firefighters are also preparing communities. the crew from san mateo acts as scouts mapping out an attack or escape for mountain residents. >> our job is to go out to identify houses and location autos communities are still evacuated today including buck meadows but people here are still safe and that home, and if they look, you can tellrq they're thankful for firefighters that are keeping it that way. >> investi

abc 7 news bay area. >> build fire shut down main p &ntrance in yosemite national park.ate route 120 near grove land is off limits to drivers going in and out of yosemite. the 800 acre fire has burned several structures and forced campground evacuation agencies along route 120. authorities say to use highway 140 as alternative to get in the park. >> moving on. man at the wheel of limousine that caught fire with deadly results will not face charges. 5 women died in that limo in may. 7 news has that and reaction from the driver himself. lillian. >> today announcement confirmed what abc 7 news reported friday that the cause of the fear was mechanical and that cautions against limo driver were unfounded. >> some tragedy are cems and some are not. this one is not. hence will not be any criminal charges. >> took three months for investigators to clawre fire was accidental. in all 10 people were inside the limo when it burst in glimpse on the san mateo bridge. 5 female passengers died that night. >> primary catalyst of the tragedy was the catastrophic failure of the rear suspen

. >> the wildfire outside yosemite national park has nearly quadrupled in size, triggering a state of emergency and massive evacuations. abc's preeti arla has the latest. >> reporter: a tough battle ahead for firefighters out west. there's some 50 uncontained wildfires raging out of control in 10 states. >> ready. ready. drop. >> reporter: in the air and on the ground, more than 19,000 firefighters are attacking all these blazes. many times they fight through a wall of smoke. >> there's fire over there. and there's fire here. you're right in the middle of these two coming together. okay? >> reporter: california's governor declared a state of emergency. the wildfire at yosemite national park has nearly quadrupled in size. it's peak season. and tourists who travel to take in the park's natural beauty are, instead, watching flames take over. tourists and residents across the area have been asked to evacuate. >> we have everything loaded and ready on trailers and stuff to go if we need to go. everybody's on high alert. >> reporter: for now, some are standing their ground, hoping to protect their property. >> the shelter in place

yosemite national park in the nick of time. the fire stopped before it reached the gates. abc's neal karlinsky now on the front line once again. >> reporter: diane, good evening from inside the fire zone tonight where for the first time officials believe they have turned a corner on this one. they say the fire is roughly 20 percent contained. the areas of concern right now are to the northwest, towards the city of tuolumne. they believe that have that one fairly well in hand and also to the east into dense forest land that officials say they're not concerned about. at the same time people who live in the area have been dealing with dense heavy smoke for more than a week now. schools have been closed. tourism is way down. we talked to one business owner who says he's lost about 98 percent of the business he normally has this time of year. however, yosemite, the heart of it, remains wide open with blue skies, clear sailing, they say, for the holiday weekend. >> still hoping people will come. thank you, neil. that's great news. what a debt owed those firefighters. >>> the midwest l

abc, inc. and touchstone television . >> tonight firefighters are losing control of the rim fire burning near yosemite. just short time ago the fire grew by 10,000 aingeers. bringing the total to more than 63,000 acres burned. twice the size of san francisco. >> and the fire is just one percent contained tonight. national fire center says it's the fourth largest and fastest growing wildfire in the country. earlier today the governor declared state of emergency freeing up money and firefighters resource. >> fire also caused san francisco to declare a state of emergency because it gets both water and power from the reservoir there. water officials say it's infrastructure is damaged but water quality and supply at this moment are not affected. >> the fire is growing on 3 sides and moving both up and down the river canyon and toward the community of pine mountain lake. highway 120 in yosemite remains closed. more than 2500 structures are threatened and residents living in the fire path are getting ready to evacuate. >> just want to get our pet out and my computers and all my photo and box of clothes and th

abc's neal karlinsky leading us off. >> reporter: a view of the surreal war above yosemite of a fire that is now so big and so fast-moving, veteran pilots are stunned by the sight. >> that is unreal. >> reporter: from the cockpit, look closely, that speck is a spotter plane, it unleashes some smoke to mark the target, seconds later that's where pilots drop their flame retardant. >> ready? drop. >> reporter: the land is torching with extreme fire behavior. you can clearly see trees ignite and be swallowed up in seconds. the park, bigger than the state of vermont, is only being touched by fire on the west side right now. far from the camp grounds and mountains that make it so famous. >> i got to know where people are. >> reporter: we caught up with hot shot fire teams concerned about conditions. >> you guys got to -- [ bleep ]. >> if you guys pull out, i have to know. >> absolutely. >> your job here is hold the line. >> exactly. >> are you surprised the behavior of this fire? >> never seen a fire move this fast. >> really? >> and it's in different directions. >> reporter: along the other front lines, homes with views of th

yosemite. they hope to have it surrounded in three weeks a reporter on the scene tonight fromur abc affiliate infresno. >> smoke rose at the tree that's gave the ridge its name. >> it's going t continue for a few more weeks. >> tom tidwell surveyed the damage and the work the firefighters are doing the fire growth clo sloeed thi week, but spread like a new breed of wildfire before firefiters could get contain oomt when getting these conditions these fires are somewhat explosive what. used to maybe take two, three weeks to be able to burn we're seng that in two, three day autos some smoke coming from backfires set by refighters that are trying to stop fire progress. >> this is our group here. >> firefighters are also preparincommunities. the crew from san mateo acts as scouts mapping out an attack or escape for mountain residents. >> our jb is to go out to identify houses and location autos communits are still evacuated today including buck adows but people here are still safe and that home, and if the look, you can tellrq they're thankful for firefighters that are keeping it that way. >> invest

abc 7 news. >> wildfire forced 2 bay area camp located west of yosemite to evacuate and the third is on alert nowexploratorium camp relocated seniors and stv and cancelled weekend event for teenagers. san jose familyr sent 80 students staff home yesterday. firefighters from alameda county are heading to yosemite to help deal with this blaze. alameda county fire department tweeted this east photo of the team heading up to the sierra this afternoo afternoon. they get to work just the moment they arrive. >> 3 hours from pine mountain lake it is water bucket mission like this one by the air national guard that is helping drown the wildfire in butte county. guard provided this video. fire near or ville 90 percent contained tonight so they have made remarkable progress having burned roughly 2500 acres however destroying one house plus several buildings and cars. but they are again making some real progress there. >> sandhya is keeig track of the weather system and the red flag warning that it hats sparked as a result. she has latest on this site. >> right now all quiet we look at live doppler 7hd doesn

also yosemite, parts of yosemite are burning at this hour, but such a large park and it is open, however, highway 120 still remains closed. live in tuolumne county, john alston, abc 7 news. >>> thank you for the update. our twitter feed@abc 7 news bay area. >>> we've been following a shoot in north oakland that sends two people in the hospital including two children. kira klapper is live with details. >> reporter: ama, a man, a woman, a 12-year-old girl and an 8-year-old are being treated in the hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries. police still need any leads they can get. we have video at the scene. it happened about 2:30 this afternoon at 104th and graffian in east oakland. about eight blocks are still closed off surrounding the shooting scene. police are still in their preliminary stables of investigating. the lieutenant tells me about a dozen officers were there making sure that everyone else in the neighborhood was safe. they were trying to determine if anyone else was hit by any stray bullets. good news, i'm told about the 12-year-old victim, though. take a listen. >> there's nothing life threatening whatsoever. she is with her mother. everything appe

abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. >> there aprilors to be no end of the massive fire burning near yosemite, gaining more ground.f  >'ll have current conditions plus a look at what is changing here locally for the weekend coming up. >> a girl's 911 call that ended in a shooting death of her father by hayward police. police layout how it happened. >> i'm just this, fire is so large. the head is creating its own weather. >> the massive fire burning near yos stim three times the sifz san francisco with no containment in sight. good evening. >> right now, 4500 homes under danger because of the wildfire that destroyed 16 structures since it began six days ago its 2% contained. overnight the fire nearly double td in size and now reached in toes sem ti national park. >> the cost to fight that fire topped $5.4 million. and today, a popular summer for a cal alum shut down. there were smoke other concerns for the camp. >> take a look at how much the fire has grown this is how big the rim fire was wednesday morning by thursday morning look how much tripled in size, by thursday, doubling in size again to the point it's crossed

as we mentioned, our reporter, abc's neal karlinsky, on the front line, just outside yosemite nationalark. good morning to you, neal. >> reporter: josh, good morning. this fire really has proven unpredictable. right now, it is burning in degree directions. but fortunately, it is not getting closer to yosemite at this point. from the air, the curtain of smoke nearly blocks out the sun. >> ready. ready. drop. >> reporter: on the ground, it is an eerie tunnel of fire and smoke. to get a sense of how hot it is. look at the burning stumps holding up the guardrails. within minutes, an example of how quickly things can change along the fire line. it shot up again, the flames did, and crossed the road right behind us. whoa. a chunk of tree, more than enough to seriously hurt someone, falls near our car. soon after that, another flare-up. and we're forced to back out. 16,000 acres are burning along mostly rural land near yosemite, forcing a nervous few to grab what they can and get out. >> it was frightening. because it's so unpredictable. it looked like lava coming over the tops of the hills.

yosemite national park. two homes have been destroyed. highway 120 shut down in both directions for a four-mile stretch soft fire burned 16,000 acres, only 5% contained. abc 7 news joins us are with the very latest. nannette? >> well, unpredictable sums up the fire, take a look. that smoke and flames behind trees. winldz are the enemy here, there is very little containment. tourists and drentsz are affected. >> i'm just concerned about that. it wasn't like that. >> with friends so strong, kathy and the family don't know what to do. the rim fire is behaving erratically, residents kor safe one minute but not the next. heavy gusts pushed flames aconsiders an incident command post forcing crews to evacuate. they were packed up, but should they go about their business? or hang out? >> we're afraid to leave to go to doctor appointments. we're afraid we're going to lose our house while we're gown gon. >> burning since the weekend control of the rim fire has been elusive. the terrain is rugged and dead brush is fueling the flames. this area is playing a key role. this video shows bomber:upz cres at work to get the fire under control. >> it's weird there. is no sa

in the yosemite more than 20,000 acres of burned but such a small portion of the park which is still open. into tuolomne, abc 7 news. >> the as john mentioned there the fire has now reached hetch hetchy. concerns about the bay area water supply appears to be difficult miniissuing. officials reduced the threat of contamination by increasing the transfer of water from hetch hetchy to other reservoir by 10% and because hetch hetchy terrain is so rocky also risk of contamination this within the frer mud slide. also the kirkd with power house well to the north of the fire but one of 2 san francisco hydro-electric plant knocked off line now repaired. hazardous tree must be cleared away from transmission lines before power flows again. officials promise there will be no interruption of electric service. >> spencer has a look at live doppler and conditions at the fire site. >> okay. start with live doppler 7 hd. look at the bay area of course but travel over to the sierra and in the area of the fire here are the currentintergrove land which isf course nearest reporting station to the fire. temperature 72 degrees so

abc 7 news at 5:00. >> thank you. governor brown offers praise and support to thousands of firefighters trying to contain the massive blaze near yosemiteif a look at hope found on the front lines today. >> i'm sandhya pat yes. i'll have the current conditions there, warnings and new concerns coming up. >> and a psychiatrist betraying trust of clients. learn the price he will pay. >> firefighters finally able to make some gain on that sierra wildfire burning nearly out of control 10 days now. >> fire now 15% contained after losing ground last week. the governor went today to check out the fire firsthand promising support for the response and saluted the nearly 3700 firefighters on the ground and in the air. >> fema approved aid spending to help ease costs of the response. so far costing more than $20 million. >> fire has become 13th largest on record in california history. it's already largest ever in the sierra, wildfire now grown to 150,000 acres and destroyed a campsite with a bay area connection. let's go live near the fire line. john. >> this is one of the more populated areas people have thousands here and on pins and needles. beh

yosemite national park. two homes have been destroyed. highway 120 shut down in both directions for a four-mile stretch soft fire burned 16,000 acres, only 5% contained. abc 7 news joins us are with the very latest. nannette? >> well, unpredictable sums up the fire, take a look. that smoke and flames behind trees. winldz are the enemy here, there is very little containment. tourists and drentsz are affected. >> i'm just concerned about that. it wasn't like that. >> with friends so strong, kathy and the family don't know what to do. the rim fire is behaving erratically, residents kor safe one minute but not the next. heavy gusts pushed flames aconsiders an incident command post forcing crews to evacuate. they were packed up, but should they go about their business? or hang out? >> we're afraid to leave to go to doctor appointments. we're afraid we're going to lose our house while we're gown gon. >> burning since the weekend control of the rim fire has been elusive. the terrain is rugged and dead brush is fueling the flames. this area is playing a key role. this video shows bomber:upz cres at work to get the fire under control. >> it's weird there. is no sa

yosemite national park. thousands of people are being evacuated. and now, the governor of california has been forced to take an extreme measure. abc'sl karlinsky is right there in groveland, california. neal, good morning. >> reporter: dan, good morning. california's governor has declared a state of emergency, for the city of san francisco, 150 miles from here, because of the threat to the power and water supply. power and water lines for san francisco, apparently run right through here. and they are now in danger because of this fire. this morning, fire teams are grappling with a seemingly insurmountable challenge. >> get the top of the tree. >> reporter: to take on this massive wildfire, in steep, rugged terrain, before it reaches the heart of one of most's most press teen treasures. yosemite, with its waterfalls and famed peaks, like el capitan, are still open. and the landmarks remain untouched. but the rest of the park is burning. and firefighters have dug in to stop it to get it from going any further. >> it's enormous impact. we have a major holiday coming up. the last holiday of the season. the last big weekend of the season

abc 7 news at 4:00. >> the news at 5:00 begins right now. >> yes. relief cannot come soon enough for residents and crews battling the fire near yosemite.with evacuation asks those still in the path. >> i'm sandhya patel. i'll have very latest weather conditions for that area, plus, where we may see isolated thunderstorms poppinggy up locally, coming up. >> thank you. and the bay arean; most-famous bridge about to become a road well traveled. to navigate and get around the labor day festival. >> the fire is frightening those who got away safely tonight proving to be a struggle for firefighters. good evening. >> the u.s. forest series says the fire is only 5% contained. there is also an advisory evacuation order for folks in the pine mountain lake area. the fire burning along both sides of highway 120 and is still growing. nannette? >> well, this is a big and very tough fire. 16,000 acres burned. if you take a look this canyon is filled with smoke because of the fire. u.s. forest series says it may take two weeks to knock out. >> it's very hard for firefighters to get to. this is video from wuchbt california international guard bombers

yosemite. the fire has burned nearly 130,000 acres. it's just 7% contained. more than 5500 homes are threatened. eleven were destroyed. officials worry the number could rise. abc 7 news reporter john alston has the latest on the fire from tuolumne county. >> one weapon against the fire is a pistol that shoots an incendiary device to burn the ground cover before main fire can. firefighters were able to get water directly on flames burning within yosemite. the park remains open but highway 120 is still closed. along that road, large fires flared into larger ones in an instant. winds shifted every few seconds. >> i have lived here since eighth grade. >> for the first time in nearly a week, some residents were allowed to see their property. this couple, both originally from the bay area, lost two homes that had been in their family for years. the main house survived. >> we feel lucky to have this guy still standing, which was my family home in high school. yeah, super close call for this house. >> there are custom houses that are cute to make this place look extra nice for guests and stuff. >> darma, who lives on the property, said firefighters did an admirable jo