katie? >> reporter: we are here on the state line, you can see the roadblock, back behind us, this is actually where they are stopping everyone, because the california side of south lake tahoe is under a mandatory evacuation order starting yesterday, but the nevada side on state line where these casinos are, this is an evacuation warning, and the reason why is because they do not plan to give up these casinos. >> that's where we live. in this area, right here. >> reporter: don hynde and her husband had to leave their home of more than 30 years in south lake tahoe, and are now trying to keep up-to-date with fire information by looking at the board set up in front of harris casino. >> it's difficult, not to be able to see what's going on down there at our home. if it's there, not having a lot of information come to you, where is the fire going.

>> she said it's equally strange to see her hometown basically deserted, and the restaurants and hotels that would normally be packed with people during the summer, empty beaches along the shores of lake tahoe. picturesque ski resorts like heavenly now obscured by smoke, so thick it's hard to even make out the mountains. heavenly village also empty, except for a curious black bear wandering around. >> not a soul around. it was creepy, and sad, and scary. >> reporter: the casinos themselves are still open, but due to the evacuations and closed roads, the slot machines are quiet. table games empty. the hotels themselves are playing a critical role for firefighters and other first responders. >> we are keeping the casinos operational because we have a lot of fire assets that are staying here. this is our core. >> we've been talking about

what a critical role the weather is playing in this particular fire. what are the conditions like now? i see your hair blowing a little bit. re/max [ laughter ] so, we have been seeing gusty winds picking up throughout the day today. this is a kestrel, this is a handheld weather center, and it has a wind meter at the top. the peak gusts we've seen in south lake tahoe where we are standing on the state line around 15 mph, so, not that great here, right at the state line, but if it's blowing 15 mph here, you can imagine what's going on along which tops. >> all right, katie, thank you. chief meteorologist paul hagan tracking red flag conditions in that area. >> we mean a ann of low humilevels. let's start with the winds and the forecast model data has a

good handle on the current windspeed because katie reported 15 mph in south lake tahoe along state line, forecast models indicating 17 mph, very close, into the higher elevations and we have the perimeter of the caldor fire outlined, you can see the 20 to 40 mph gust. with wind the clock forward into this evening and tonight, the winds are going to back off a little bit, but at the highest elevations they will still be strong. running in that 25 to 30 mph range into early tomorrow morning, and the winds pick up as we go through the day tomorrow, more 25 to 30 mph gusts with stronger possible during the afternoon, 35 to 40 mph. humidity levels are also very low, below 20%, pretty much across the board, and those numbers just aren't going to recover a lot as we head through tonight. they get lower around south lake tahoe and the state line to 10%, so the combination of low humidity and gusty winds has prompted the red flag warning which continues through 11:00 tomorrow evening, not just around the caldor fire for most of the high sierra and into western nevada.

the southwesterly winds fueling the fire improved air quality across the bay area today. we will talk about that in the full forecast. a look at how much the fire has progressed since it first erupted more than two weeks ago. the green shows the start of the fire, and the dark purple is where it's at now. you can see how quickly it took over the south lake tahoe region. >> the caldor fire burning approximately 300 square miles. for perspective, nearly 4 times the size of san francisco. the flames of destroyed nearly 500 homes, they are threatening more than 33,000 structures. that fire is only 16% contained at this hour. right now cal fire holding a community briefing on the caldor fire, let's listen in. cal fire, as i say is beginning a press conference, yesterday we saw there briefing include the fire department, the city police department in south lake tahoe talking about the 22,000

people that successfully evacuated, here's today's update. >> a mental, all of those areas, there are literally fire engines from here all the way down into tahoe. still doing those pockets, there's a lot of pockets of unburned islands that are burning out, that are still closing in on cabins that are in there, so we are in there actively firefighting and defending the structures that are in there. i did see some damage to structures that the fire burned through, extremely fast, extremely hot, and we did the best that we could, and we are still in there. the head of the fire out here has not made it into a wood, yet, our tactic down here, as you can see, we have multiple lines and we are basically trying to hurt this fire, put a line between the structures out here, and the fire, and we can't control it. we don't have any tools out

there to stop the fire, so we result to hurting the fire away from structures. and away from people and that's what we are actually doing. as soon as fire behavior settles down, it's not critical, then we find opportunities with tractors and headline and firing, and we make offensive attack to stop the fire. same thing, lots of structured defense in here trying to herd the fire from these homes and all the structure out here. as we move down, this is all out, in no man's land. it's rough country, the fire was burning out here, as people know, it's rocky, meadows and stuff like that. it's out here just doing its thing. yesterday the fire was very active. >> you are watching a live press conference with cal fire, describing the fight that the firefighters are facing with these immense fires. dimension of the fire is not in kirkwood yet, but what they've been doing is using bulldozers

to herd the fire away from structures and more established areas in the community. it's tough. >> continuing our team covered on the firefight, in myers. renc >> you just heard from that press conference how critical the firefight is right now. crews can't stop those flames, so now they are working to protect property in the flames path, conditions are expected to get worse, that red flag warning extended, we were just off of truck he rode earlier today, where flames were extremely close to cabins and homes, removing flammable degree from properties. firefighters are staged up and down that way ready to protect properties, as flames move closer. take a listen. >> these can travel sometimes up to a mile ahead of that, the head of the fire. it tells you there's a risk, that's why we are evacuating

them. this fire can extend. >> reporter: right now we have not seen a lot of activity in this area, as far as where we are standing, directly behind highway 50, highway 50 and highway 89 do meet, we know that up on upper road, there was a home that we saw the homeowner was using a sprinkler system hoping to keep their property safe, but right now we know that crews are actively working to prevent the fire from spreading and burning nearby properties. that firework is happening less than a mile in that direction. back to you guys. >> you can see how dark brown that air quality is. >> she is wearing the proper respirator right. thank you. i'm ken with more on the tools that crews are using to light, to try to find the caldor fire, they have been using the chairlift, believe it or not, to transport firefighters into the heart to get areas on the mountain. also, firefighting aircraft

have played a key role, and sacramento mcclellan field has been turned into a huge refueling and air operation center. they are taking off and landing one after another. after getting loaded with , the c-130 right there, can drop 3000 gallons over the fire lines in one single load. >> we get low, our target altitude is 150 to 200 feet above the ground, keeping in mind that the trees sometimes can be 80+ feet tall. >> talk about guts. about two dozen military and civilian firefighting aircraft are using mcclellan as homebase right now, governor newsome said this afternoon the caldor fire is the top priority right now. >> our number one priority, putting everything we've got on it. a couple days ago, you saw clockwork, dozens of helicopters, coming in, pulling water out of the reservoir.

>> the governor also praised the biden administration for quickly signing off on disaster assistance. back to you, ellen. >> we will have continuing live coverage from the caldor fire on air, on kpix 5.com and our social media platforms, live video reports from tahoe of evacuation maps and raw video coming in showing the most intense firefights. still ahead on kpix 5 streaming on cbsn bay area, president biden not backing down on his decision to withdraw from afghanistan. what happens to be americans who haven't made it out? >> i was not going to extend this forever war. the explosive confrontation as senate clara county officials pass a no-confidence vote for sheriff lori smith. a popular camp for bay area families in danger from the caldor fire.

new at 5:00, jury selection began today in the theranos brought to trial which could send former ceo elizabeth holmes to prison. kpix 5 is at the federal courthouse in san jose, where this high profile case finally got underway. >> reporter: that's right, it is been a years long process just to reach this point. the judge told prospective jurors today that if they do get selected, they could be on jury duty all the way until mid- december. >> morning. >> reporter: former theranos ceo elizabeth holmes walk through a crush of reporters and cameras to reach the federal courthouse for the first day of jury selection, a process of narrowing down a pool of about 200 people to 12 jurors plus alternates, to judge the case impartially. >> you can find a jury that is completely ignorant, that hasn't heard about elizabeth holmes, and you wouldn't want a jury like that. what you are looking for is a

group of people who can set aside their preconceptions and be fair. >> we like to see a world in which every person, >> reporter: holmes was once the darling of silicon valley, of the 19-year-old stanford dropout who find founded theranos which promised to transform the medical world with a device that could measure health ins spot diseases with only a drop or two of blood. the startup was once valued at $9 billion, but questions about the unproven technology came to a head in 2015. >> what about those who say that's not enough blood? >> every time you create something new there should be questions. to me, that's a sign that you've actually done something, that is transformative. >> reporter: many patients were misdiagnosed, the company fell apart and several high profile investors lost big. homes now faces 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. recent court filings suggest her defense will try to pin the blame on her former chief operating officer, and former boyfriend who was allegedly controlling and abusive during

their affair. >> elizabeth holmes will be arguing that because of the abuse that she suffered from her former boyfriend, who is the company's chief operating officer, she lacked the intent to defraud people. >> this is a high profile case, and so many of us know elizabeth holmes from what we've seen in interviews, i'm curious, how is she handling herself in the courtroom? >> reporter: she is very stoic as she walked in the court, as you just saw, she is like that inside the court as well. she is paying attention to what's going on, intently, one thing she did ask the judge to not wear a mask, or not have to wear a mask, during the proceeding, the judge denied that, saying that everyone in a courtroom should be wearing a mask, even her. that was one defense tactic where maybe she wanted to get face time with the jurors and make a personal connection somehow. that was denied. >> thank you.

a live look at the white house where president biden spoke to the nation today, boldly defending his decision to end the war in afghanistan. the president defended e chaotic withdrawal of u.s. forces in the massive evacuation of afghan refugees from kabul. biden's address comes less than 24 hours after the last u.s. soldier left afghanistan. ending a two decades long war. >> leaving august 31st is not due to an arbitrary deadline. it was designed to save american lives. >> administration estimates more than 122,000 people were evacuated while fewer than 200 americans remain in afghanistan. >> americans need to be able to be brought home. this cannot be our history, this cannot be where this ends. >> the president says he will continue working with international partners to ensure safe passage for u.s. citizens and afghan allies who still want to evacuate.

and out to our storm watch, new orleans mayor declared a nighttime curfew to prevent theft following the destruction left behind by hurricane ida. it's now a tropical depression turning northward. rescuers in boats and helicopters are still searching for people stranded in floodwaters along louisiana's gulf coast. sweltering heat and rain is also hampering cleanup efforts. >> the ceiling in every room caved in. it was, it was unbelievable. four feet of water just came rushing in. >> the storm is blamed for at least four deaths, including two people in mississippi who died after their cars plunged into a whole when a highway collapsed. >> back on the fire watch, it appears a campsite long operated by the city of berkeley has been spared by the caldor fire. at least for now. crews who were trying to protect echo lake camp near tahoe yesterday, they were

forced to retreat, but today, berkeley's mayor says it appears the camp is okay. he tweeted, well a more thorough assessment is needed and the danger is far from over, it appears many buildings at berkeley echo lake camp remain intact. new evacuation orders issued today in the dixie fire, parts of plumas county, more than 800,000 acres have burned there over the last month and a half. that fire is 48% contained. but, it is still threatening more than 13,000 structures. the wind making things tough for the fire crews, but it helped improve our bay area air quality. are you ready to talk about better air? >> you can still see hayes on the horizon, air-quality readings for the bay area have been better today, it's the same weather pattern driving gusty winds and the higher elevations in the sierra, it's in onshore breeze pushing the smoke farther off to the northeast into the central valley. mostly good to at worst moderate air-quality readings across the bay area, a couple malfunctioning sensors, but

drastic improvement compared to what we had 48 hours ago. let's take a look at what's going to happen over the next couple of days, we are in this pattern where there is smoke around us, just a little shift in the wind direction can send more waves of smoke. let's wind the clock forward into tomorrow, and some of the smoke from the fires in northern california specifically the mcfarland fire and the monument fire is blowing out over the ocean, but then it can circulate back toward the bay area, especially into the north bay. i don't think air-quality will be too bad, a lot of that will be elevated but more of that over the ocean is likely to blow in on thursday. that's when we will get back to moderate air-quality pretty much across the board for the bay area. in the forecast, that's the worst air quality we have for everybody will be thursday in the moderate category. beyond that, looks like inland parts of the bay area will see moderate air-quality for the most part with better air quality around the bay and the coast. long-range air-quality forecasting comes with a significantly sized grain of salt, we will keep you updated as we had through the rest of

the week week and into labor day weekend, which is definitely looking warmer. enjoy the temperatures the next couple of days, big cooldown today, you can see the haze on the horizon. downtown temperature, 61 degrees, the upper 60s right now in oakland, 70s for san jose and santa rosa, after several straight days in the 90s, close to 100 degrees for inland parts of the east bay, 79 in livermore, 80 degrees in concord, those temperatures from 13 to 18 degrees cooler than where they were 24 hours ago, everyone else died it on that cooler weather already yesterday. it made its way farther inland. headed to oracle park for game two of the giants and brewers, two first-place teams matching up at 6:45, temperatures just a couple degrees cooler than they are right now but that puts us down into the upper 50s already before the sun goes down. temperatures farther into the 50s overnight, upper 40s for some of the north bay valley's mostly low to mid 50s, by early wednesday morning and temperatures will try to warm up, but the strong onshore

breeze will help to keep temperatures cool in the mid 60s for san francisco, upper 60s for oakland and the east bay, upper 60s and low 70s for most of the north bay with mid- 70s around san jose closer to 80 degrees farther inland, but even the warm spots inland and the east bay, barely above 80 degrees. saver this while it lasts, temperatures will climb the other side of the roller coaster farther down the line especially away from the bay, but by sunday and for labor day, high temperatures will be in the low to mid 70s with high close to 80 degrees and into the upper half of the 80s around san jose. the hotspots, no surprised, and reaching into the mid-90s for the second two thirds of labor day weekend, and close to 90 degrees for most of the north bay along the coast, temperatures up to around 70 degrees. we will track the surface level smoke coming up at 5:30, keep you updated on how the haze above is different than what we have to breathe at ground level. >> glad that it is. thanks. quite a catch in concord

tonight, how dwight clark's memory is helping ex-49ers players. continuing coverage on the majestic mountains... scenic coastal highways... fertile farmlands...

there's lots to love about california. so put off those chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm when less clean energy is available. because that's power down time.

on november 12th, the 49ers will kick off their 75th nfl season, and the 40th since dwight clark made the catch. to help send them to their first super bowl. b mc clark lost the battle with als in 2018 but his memory is benefiting others. vern glenn is in concord, the site of the first annual dwight clark legacy series. vern? >> reporter: in just a little bit, fans of dwight clark and the 49ers will fill this concord pavilion venue, and listen to conversations told by 49ers legends, right on the stage behind me. among those to attend, former 49er defensive back ronnie lott, and dwight hicks. also, tight end brent jones is flown in for this one.

george kittle expected to make an appearance, all of this to benefit the 49ers golden heart fund which financially assists former members of the team. kirk reynolds is the one who made this event possible. >> his spirit is alive and well and we will keep it alive and well. his teammates continue to come back to celebrate him. the fans obviously love to come back and celebrate him. is going to be a phenomenal night of storytelling that the fans are absolutely going to truly love. they will leave here on one of the most memorable nights they will never have. honestly. in just a little bit, in the next hour, we will tell you what the current 49ers are up to, because it was nfl cut down day. back to you in studio. >> we will look forward to that. great event, thanks so much. still ahead, the massive caldor fire advances toward south lake tahoe, the fight

happening right now to save homes. the emotional toll of fire is taking on families forced to evacuate from their homes. plus, >> after years of scandals and investigations, today santa clara county leaders voted unanimously to say they have no confidence in sheriff lori smith.

homelessness, housing, taxes, water, electricity, crime, wildfires. [sfx: bear roar] gavin, you've failed. we have to immediately cut taxes twenty-five percent. fix housing and homelessness. and make life in california affordable again. i'm a businessman, the only cpa running. shouldn't we choose ability this time? do you think john cox will be a better governor than gavin newsom?

[sfx: bear roar] does a bear sh*t in the woods? >> you're watching kpix 5 news at 5:30.

right now on kpix 5 and streaming on cbsn bay area, more breaking news at 5:30, including our continuous coverage of the massive caldor fire. it's now burning nearly 300 square miles, and has destroyed around 500 homes, and is threatening more than 33,000 structures. right now, around 50,000 people are evacuated in the fire is only 16% contained. good evening. >> i'm allen martin, residents, tourist and wildlife are fleeing the fire, our cruise spotted a bear in the christmas valley area, today, there he goes running from flames being pushed to the valley floor. >> our reporter has more on the firefight from myers. jeff? >> reporter: what we can tell you right now is that air operations have been suspended, the reason for that, all of this thick smoke out here. in plain english, no water drops, no retardant drops, all

of this comes after a rough night for firefighters. now we in the midst of red flag conditions, and that's expected to last until tomorrow at 11 p.m. the next few hours will be very dangerous. let's roll video for you, because ground crews out here have been battling flames, about two weeks, now, earlier today at times flames were close to structures and making matters worse, the fire started to spread, into trees, which provided a lot of dry fuel and because of the severe drought conditions, the main objective right now is protecting homes after more than 50,000 people evacuated. so far, as we come back alive, you can see all of the dry brush and all of the fuel that's on the ground right now, some of that fuel is the dry pine needles that are sitting down there, so when the