finally, again, the most difficult part of my job -- >> tonight another gut-wrenching update from the sheriff. the death toll has risen again and will likely continue to rise. but we are also uncovering some incredible stories of heroism from the burn zone in butte county. >> it burned up through here. >> also tonight, from bad to

worse. want to show you this map. it shows all the red is unhealthy air. the purple spot, very unhealthy. and everyone is wondering when will the smoke clear? now, we're going to show you the upcoming change in our weather pattern in a moment, but we want to start with the burn zone. tomorrow morning marks a week since this fire broke out. >> unlike any fire we've seen, the numbers just keep multiplying. the death toll now stands at 56. but even more sobering, therefore 130 people, mostly senior citizens, who are still unaccounted for. there is, though, an action plan to find them. >> nbc bay area's sam brock joins us from paradise. >> reporter: we spent the day watching search and rescue teams, really recovery teams, going through neighborhoods and painstakingly scouring the ground, looking for the remains of loved ones. they told us this process is daunting and one of the hardest things they've ever had to do. and again today we were reminded why. >> today during the course of our search an additional eight

human remains were recovered. >> reporter: an emotional butte county sheriff, kory honea, called it "the most difficult part of my job," relaying the crushing news to families still holding out hope. all of the latest victims from the town of paradise, most found inside their homes. >> we're good. >> reporter: large teams of national guardsmen performed grid-like searches on wednesday. though none of the inspections we witnessed led to recoveriere. >> it's not just the area. it's the number of homes. the number of trailers. >> reporter: sergeant steve collins described some of the logistical hurdles crews have to overcome. the sweeps aren't random but rather based on phone calls from a pool of family members that grows deeper by the day. >> we currently have 130 people on our unaccounted for list. >> reporter: and difficult days lie ahead for those waiting for word. 47 bodies have been positively

identified and just need dna confirmation, starting tomorrow, families who suspect their loved one may be among the dead can go to a dna collection point at the butte county sheriff's office. in paradise, sam brock, nbc bay area news. the politics during a natural disaster are pivotal. today governor brown and interior secretary ryan zinke put aside their political differences and toured the burn zone. both men say now is the time for cooperation and not pointing fingers. governor brown issued an executive order helping to streamline recovery efforts for the impacted communities. now there's still more than 1,000 people in evacuation shelters, but to make matters worse the chico shelter is dealing with a norovirus outbreak. county health officials have taken the sick people to a separate area where nurses are caring for them. many bay area shelters are stepping up to help in the relief effort. we've been telling you about tony la russa's animal rescue foundation. it's doing all it can to help.

they're taking dogs from the shelters in butte county so that more room can be made for lost pets that have been displaced from the camp fire. eight dogs that were previously in a shelter before the fire arrived at arf walnut creek facility. arf is waiving adoption fees through sunday for those animals. one of the most incredible stories of survival involves a large family in the community of concow. the family managed to save its home and a 90-year-old neighbor that they had never met. they used a canoe to do it. let's bring in nbc bay area's melissa colorado would joins us in chico with this incredible story. melissa. >> reporter: raj, first of all, we happen to be outside of the neighborhood church here in chico where that norovirus outbreak is happening. but first i want to direct you to this white wall. you can see these are the handwritten names of family members that are missing. people just desperate, trying to look for their loved ones. you can see they've jotted down their relationship, their phone number.

you even see the photos of those missing loved ones. now, you won't find the name of a 90-year-old man from concow named bruno because he was saved by a family of heroes that you're about to meet. >> it, you know, burned up through here. >> reporter: on thursday morning the flames were just feet away from peggy and pete mokes' home in concow. >> if we want to live out here, we have to be able to take care of ourselves. we can't depend on fire department. >> these are just a few of the hoses we had around here. >> reporter: the family got to work. a mini army of 13 people armed with sprinklers, hoses and common sense. that's when a stranger alerted the family that there was a crisis unfolding in the nearby concow reservoir. >> there's people suffering from hypothermia on what we call the island, there's a 90-year-old man out there. so we got the canoe. >> reporter: the family went from firefighter mode to caretaker mode in a split second. >> bruno, the elderly man, he

was really feeble at that point. and suffering. so we just laid him on our couch and covered him up with blankets and then stripped off his wet clothes and, you know, got him warmer. >> reporter: even the youngest member of the family, peggy's 14-year-old grandson daniel, stepped up to help. he surveyed the houses in concow that made it and those that are gone and posted an unofficial list to facebook. >> i'm grateful that i was able to do something for the community. >> people rise to the occasion and do what you need to do in order to take care of folks. >> reporter: and again, here's a live look at the neighborhood church where there is a norovirus outbreak happening right now at this shelter. we're being told that lab tests confirm the virus and that those who are sick have been quarantined in the shelter far away from the people who are healthy. but clearly this is just adding to the stress that these displaced people are currently under. that's the latest here in chico. i'm melissa colorado, nbc bay area news.

>> just one more thing they really don't need. thank you, melissa. okay. if it seems like the smoke got worse today, you are not imagining it. it did. that's video from the dublin sports park. it's not fog you're looking at. not mist. that's actually smoke. chief meteorologist jaf ranieri joins us. and jeff, it is especially bad in the tri-valley. >> it is. and due to the fire behavior we saw today, we had this massive plume of smoke moving down from the camp fire across the bay area and the worst of it is in livermore. these are real-time reporting stations. you can see the purple. that is very unhealthy. and the reason we can't get this to clear out is there is absolutely no wind. it's very stagnant. there's nothing to clear that air out. in livermore it is imperative that you limit your outdoor exposure. if you're out in it for several hours at a time it's equivalent to smoking seven cigarettes in just one day. where do we go from here? tomorrow still unhealthy from the north bay to the south bay with our smoke advisory in

effect until 11:00 p.m. friday. what we need is a change in the wind. i do think by early next week an ocean breeze could help us out. we'll have exact details on the timing in about ten minutes. >> let's hope we get it. thank you, jeff. nbc bay area's jean elle joins us live in livermore where as jeff told you it was just awful today. lots of people want those masks but they're difficult to come by. >> reporter: they are, jessica. we talked to several people here in livermore tonight who were anxious to stock up on these, but the stores they went to were sold out. take a look at the flag up there. you can see why they're looking for protection at this point. no wind means no relief. >> we're looking for masks, right? we're probably a couple of hours late. >> reporter: feeling the effects of smoky air, the acosta family spent wednesday night in livermore looking for masks. >> home depot. we called lowe's and walmart. >> reporter: they left empty-handed. stores are sold out. you can see why. lights on an empty baseball

field in dublin shine on thick smoke blanketing the bay area from the camp fire. the air quality in the tri-valley is among the worst in the region. the kangs are feeling better with masks on. >> at first you feel a little bit weird, self-conscious. but i do think i'm feeling better. >> reporter: it's not just the tri-valley. these pictures from the alcatraz facebook page show just how smoky san francisco is compared to a week ago. san francisco state is canceling classes through saturday. in the south bay the smoke made it impossible to see the hills during the evening commute. >> what's concerning is this is ongoing. >> reporter: at santa clara valley medical center doctors are seeing an increase in the number of asthma-related illnesses that require hospitalization. and in some cases doctors aren't discharging patients with respiratory issues. >> in 20 years i'd never seen before, physicians being afraid to discharge some of these patients because the outside air

was more dangerous than the air inside the hospital. >> reporter: doctors say if you must go outside wear a mask. jean elle, nbc bay area news. this is alarming. at this hour crews remain at the scene of a fire near sunol. investigators are still trying to determine what started this niles fire. it was first report add round 3:30 this afternoon burning in the hills over palomares road. 20 acres have burned in the steep canyon area. homes thankfully are not threatened. but 110 firefighters are on site and will be through the night. it's 30% contained. storm ranger mobile doppler radar shows that big plume of smoke that moved down today. we're tracking when this could actually clear out. the new update in eight minutes. a little baby boy. it is a baby boy. he's being called a superstar. the split-second action by an east bay police officer that 15i6bd that newborn's life.

plus explosive force from an unexpected place, the front seat of a car. >> i'm consumer investigator chris ch mura. some drivers want their cars and even yours recalled immediately. we investigate next. ♪

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connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪ this is the responsibility of doctors to speak out on behalf of their patients. >> the national rifle association may have met its match in san francisco doctor judy melenek. the forensic pathologist is leading the counterattack to an nra tweet telling doctors to stay in their lane in the debate over gun control. nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney joins us live in san francisco where he spoke to that doctor tonight. terry. >> reporter: yeah, dr. judy melenek performs autopsies and teaches forensics for a living. bullets and death are around her

on a weekly basis. so when the nra comes out with that tweet telling members of the medical profession to stay in their lane when it comes to gun control, she fired back. >> here you can see the entrance wound. >> reporter: dr. judy melenek knows what bullets do to bodies so when she recently saw an nra tweet saying someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay their lane, half of the articles in annals of internal medicine are pushing for gun control. >> it was like a gut punch. >> reporter: she tweeted back do you have any idea how many bullets i pull out of corpses weekly? this isn't just my lane. it's my blanking highway. >> it it made me so incensed because this is the responsibility of doctors to speak out on behalf of their patients. >> reporter: dr. melinek's hashtag this is my lane went viral. doctors posting pictures of blood soaked scrubs and operating rooms where gunshot victims died. melinek says physicians and nra members can find common ground. >> the majority of their members

are not necessarily behind the silencing of scientists that is going on right now. >> reporter: the doctor says physician activism has worked before, most recently in the ongoing anti-smoking battle with big tobacco. in san francisco terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. >> terry, thank you. a bizarre story in the south bay. there's still no trace of that missing 49ers fan who disappeared during monday night's game at levi's stadium. here's what we know. santa clara police you can see here have been swarming the area around the stadium looking for ian powers. powers was visiting from washington state and was at the game with his girlfriend and her two kids. he went to use the bathroom and never return. the family tells us they're organizing a search tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. volunteers are welcome to meet them at the old ironside cafe near the stadium. tonight some drivers feel that their cars and maybe millions of others have a serious safety issue and that those cars should be recalled.

>> many of these drivers ended up in the e.r. let's bring in our consumer investigator chris chmura with this unusual warning. >> they are voicing concerns about the head rest in the car. did you know your head reft might do something like that right there? some drivers say theirs forcefully smacked them in the back of their head without warning. a few have even wound up in the emergency room. >> i love the car. it's a nice car. >> reporter: shawn alger's suv. >> 2015 jeep grand cherokee. >> reporter: is fully loaded. but he recently customized the headrest. >> put a nice little bungee on here. pretty tight. so it can't come apart. >> reporter: come apart is what shawn says it did while driving to work one morning. the headrest just burst open. >> all of a sudden i felt like a hit in the back of the head and i was freaked out a little because i was like is something in the car? i looked back, there's nobody back thereby, there's no cars behind me. >> reporter: video from an auto shop posted to youtube shows what shawn likely felt.

here's another angle as a mechanic's computer triggers the headrest. >> i started to feel nauseous, and i had a headache and everything. i went to the e.r., had a concussion. >> reporter: shawn has company. >> it hurt really bad. >> reporter: laura baca told our response team in los angeles that she was parked in her 2014 chrysler town & country van when the headrest spontaneously blew open. >> i was sitting there with my phone, and i just suddenly got hit very hard in the back of the head. and it pushed me completely forward. >> reporter: we searched the national highway traffic safety administration's complaint data base and found dozens of other chrysler, jeep, and dodge drivers telling similar stories. so why would a headrest open up like that? it turns out some of them are actually designed to. in an accident. through crash tests engineers developed what they call the active head restraint to reduce whiplash. the front part snaps out a few

inches to stop your neck from moving too much in a rear-end collision. but shawn says his active headrest deployed randomly on the road. and remember, laura was parked. why, then? >> what our experts have told us and what we believe is the plastic is deteriorating over time. >> reporter: attorney stuart tally is suing chrysler over the headrests. he points to a tiny plastic bracket inside. tally believes one side of this latch can wear out and shatter spontaneously. propelling the springload headrest into the driver's head. shawn's owner's manual tells him do not drive with a deployed headrest, it must be reset by an authorized dealer immediately. but shawn told us his couldn't be reset, it had to be replaced. and jeep made him pay for it despite his warranty. >> 900 bucks. >> why the bungee around his new headrest? shawn says it's the same design as the old one. we traced the headrest and found they're made by a german auto

supply company called grammer. grammer wouldn't comment, but chrysler sent us a statement saying its vehicles meet or exceed all federal safety requirements. also it continually pornts monitors the performance of its vehicles in the field, responding accordingly. "customer safety is paramount at fiat chrysler u.s." >> there definitely should have been a recall. >> it's a matter of people who don't know this can happen to them. >> we wondered how many chryslers, dodges and jeeps have these headrests. the cole wouldn't tell us. tally, the lawyer, believes it's millions. we also asked the national highway traffic safety administration if it's investigated all those plants it complaints it's gotten but we did not receive a response. >> i'd never heard of this. >> those videos on youtube really opened our eyes. >> thank you, chris. if you have a headrest problem in your car, let us know. go to nbc bay area.com/responds. chris and his team want to hear from you. you can also call them at 1-888-996-tips. let's bring in chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. i was just asking you this

question when we were off camera. why the livermore valley? is it because there's no wind? why is that area being impacted so severely? >> it's a one-two effect. we're seeing the very light winds. it's very calm right now. is the first thing. and because it's like a valley, it's like a big bowl. so it is getting trapped in there. if we get a little bit of wind it would help clear it out. but that's the problem across the bay area. we can't get the wind in here to clear the air. but there is some hope in that forecast. you've just got to hang with me here. as we start off our microclimate weather tonight. all of that -- we're used to seeing this shot. and this is fog. but every single bit of this view, that's all the smoke particles we've been breathing in. we're going over this a lot. but today was another one of those days where you open up the door this afternoon and it just smacks you in the face. all the smoke. you smell it. limits your outdoor exposure. that's obvious. keep the car ac on recirculate. get your manual out, find out what that button is. and n95 masks if you can get one that's great. stay hydrated and bring those

pets inside. we have storm ranger scanning right now. and i've got it set up to send out 1200 pulses per second. and it's able to detect some of the smoke particles in the atmosphere. you can see it right now across the bay. and that's all the stuff for breathing in. that just makes it hard if you're outside for more than 15 minutes. so tomorrow get ready for another day of unhealthy air from the north bay down to the south bay. we're still under the smoke advisory until 11:00 p.m. on friday. this might actually be extended into this weekend. tomorrow morning's forecast you have the haze to start. upper 30s and low 40s from the tri-valley to the south bay and more 30s to low 40s for the north bay, san francisco, and the east bay. afternoon temperatures in the mid to upper 60s throughout the bay. san francisco seven-day forecast stays in the 60s the way i see it right now, and for my inland forecast we'll stay with the smoke, unhealthy air, right through sunday. then by next week. i'm hearing you. a lot of you just say okay, when

is this going to clear out? i think by next tuesday we could get the ocean breeze back to help out with that smoke. let's get a look at what this would look like. and you can see the ocean breeze. it's a westerly wind that imports that cooler, cleaner air. 10 to 20-mile-per-hour wind gusts by tuesday night could be just what we need to clear this out. what about rain chances? we're still holding on to the possibility maybe by the end of next week. the chances have been pushed back, but it's still in the calendar for the 23rd through the 25th. so i think the first thing we focused on is keeping a close track on that wind early next week. the rain, that would be the second thing down the pipeline. but we've got to get this cleaned out. i don't know about you guys but i -- >> it literally smelled like smoke inside my house. >> yeah. a barbecue. it's awful. >> and so many schools are impacted with this as well. >> all the afterschool activities. >> and just residual from the fires, which obviously is so much worse. >> thank you, jeff. well, up next it's steph the

peacemaker for the warriors. we'll tell you about the private meeting he had with draymond. and we have jimmy. >> hey, guys. michael shannon is my guest tonight. plus we have ashley graham, music from the stress, and kesha. it's a great show. stay tuned. and happening now, our smoky skies are causing problems at sfo. 284 flights were delayed today. 19 were canceled. it's unclear just how many were directly related to our air quality. we're back in a moment. teens. a new report out tomorrow morning showing the alarming number of young people vaping in an east bay city. plus: lots of car repair disputes arise after fender benders. we )ll tell you how to get a fre inspection. tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

he encountered a newborn baby -- who wasn )t breathing. no time to waste for an oakland police officer. he encountered a newborn baby who wasn't breathing.

>> when i showed up, he was blue, not breathing. i cleared his airway and patted his back and cleared it all out. >> that's the voice of officer gregory palomo on his body camera. he was telling paramedics he had just started his shift on tuesday when he got a call about a woman who gave birth to her child in an abandoned car. the baby was not breathing. >> do you feel like a superhero? >> i don't feel like a superhero. i think any of my brothers and sisters would have done the same thing in my position. >> you are a superhero. the baby suffered no lingering effects, thankfully. and the mother is stable. we have the latest from the warriors soap opera as it arrives in houston tonight. stay with us.

this is a fight. not to the finish. but to the beginning. a fight that can only be won, if we stand together for one cause. him.

expert care for every new beginning.

okay. maybe they need a therapist or they need a good heart to heart. or maybe they just need to hug it out. >> that would be nice. >> the warriors are in houston tonight and they've got a lot of emotional baggage going on. >> guess who the peacemaker might be in this draymond-k.d. drama. steph curry. curry is injured. he'll miss the entire three-game road trip. but he still traveled with the team tonight to houston. that's significant. his presence alone really sets the tone. he also reportedly went to draymond green's house yesterday to get his side of the story.

last night you're seeing k.d., who said he hadn't talked with draymond since their verbal altercation on monday night. it's a big soap opera. here's the skinny. we expect draymond to address the media tomorrow. well, the bad air quality is impacting everyone. the raiders are even dealing with it as they practice for their upcoming game against the cardinals. in al meedate air quality index was a very unhealthy 168. >> i really don't think it has affected very much. i think a couple players on our team sunday had, you know, some oxygen issues. but none that really inhibited their ability to go out and play. i just hope the fires end soon. >> yep. the raiders play at arizona on sunday. when we return, love is in the air and love is in the ashes. we'll show you something from the burn zone. i am a family man. i am a techie dad.

i believe the best technology should feel effortless. like magic. at comcast, it's my job to develop, apps and tools that simplify your experience. my name is mike, i'm in product development at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome.

before we leave you we want to share a special story from the fire zone. love does prevail, or in this case an engagement ring. nick mayes, his family home in paradise was destroyed by the flames. going through the wreckage, you can see here the young man

didn't have much hope of finding the dream ring he was hoping to give his girlfriend. the ring was secured in a safe. nick and his dad pride it open. you see it there. to find that box full of ashes. >> oh, wow. >> and look at that. a small glimmer of light. he's got his mask on, but he's got that ring. a little tarnished but still intact. >> if they can clean that up no problem. symbol of hope. >> that's a fantastic ring. hopefully we'll be there for the ring ceremony as well. when she says yes. >> and she's got to now. all right. that's going to do it for us for this evening. thank you so much. hopefully, the air will start to clear up for us all, jeff. >> yeah, eventually, by next week. ocean breeze. >> thanks for joining us. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests --