those fires effecting air quality in the bay area. levels the worst they have ever been. effect for several communities. officials plead with people to stay out of the burned areas. >> your choice to stay is a distraction to first responders. the winds that drove the fires across thousands of acres killing at least 26 people have calmed for now. giving firefighters a break. these alive pictures from sky fox. one of those the cruise right now still working very hard to try to contain. the fires have left a widespread devastation. at least 3500 homes and businesses have been destroyed.>> these fires are on

their way to becoming the deadliest and most destructive in california history. any people remain out of their homes under mandatory evacuation orders. that includes thousands in napa county. begin our coverage with tom a car joins us in napa. >> reporter: the damage was sporadic in the neighborhoods near the silverado country club. they allowed some people to go in today whether their home was destroyed or not. only on a specific mission. these neighborhoods are still very much under threat. if you wanted to go in either had to go to pick up medicine or you have to come and pick up pets. the rule was very straightforward. no pets, no medicine, no entry.>> i went with my neighbor. he got medication. they are letting you get the things you need. >> you lose everything.>> what

are you going for? >> money. i would like to be able to pay some bills.>> reporter: a lot of the people were not allowed inside and they were not happy. the police are not happy about keeping them out. that is the nature of this kind of threat. we did notice earlier on route 37 federal investigators with very sophisticated equipment were looking to see if they could find the origins of one of these fires. they want to make sure these are really accidental fires or fires created by something noncriminal. here in napa you go anywhere else in the city life is normal. you go in the areas burning it is anything but normal. let's get over to find out what

is in store for this fire. it looks like a 24 hour window of favorable conditions. by friday night that will be a different story. a wind event. the levels did not reach the extreme category. the strongest we could find in the bay area is mount diablo. 50 miles per hour. most areas 25-35 miles per hour. we still have a northerly flow surrounding these fires. we still have a red flag warning in place until 5 pm today. because of the low humidity. this is the satellite showing you the flow of the slow -- smoke plume. this morning into the afternoon they were drifting closer to san francisco and central portion of the bay area. clearing showing up on the satellite. he mentioned the high fire danger today. this will be allowed to expire at 5 pm. the northbay hills and east bay

hills and santa cruz mountains. checking out some of the current wind speeds around 4-11- 16 miles per hour. pretty dry. relative humidity 14% and portions of the northbay and sonoma valley. 74 degrees in napa. 71. nothing too major -- 7-9 miles per hour. by friday afternoon into friday night and saturday a fire weather watch which will be the next red flag warning. dusty winds keeping up. this will be the strongest wind event since the fire started. as the winds picked up for the hills above 1000 feet. friday afternoon into saturday evening for the areas in red. there is a chance it could be expanded to include valley locations as well. those wins will be up to over 20 miles per hour.

friday, p.m. -- late friday into saturday the winds will be picking up. you can see the timeline throughout the date revving up saturday morning. 1 pm until seven -- 1 am until 7 am. that is almost an east 1. that is a very dry 1. that will dry things out rapidly. tonight we are talking about the break. fire crews are making the most of the break tonight and into tomorrow. look what happens by late friday. the numbers going up into early saturday. 36 miles per hour. 31 atlas peak. on santa rosa closer to sea level xxii miles per hour. wins will be back in the forecast stronger than last night. the next big challenge for fire crews to hopefully get more containment on the existing fires and prevent more fires from starting. sonoma oakmont kenwood there are so many places -- that have been impacted by

these fires. >> not to mention glen ellen. it is under mandatory evacuation. the fire devastated many homes and ranches. a look at the damage in that community firsthand.>> reporter: glen ellen has a population of about 800 people. it is pretty much empty. take a look at the damage. the fire with this section and created a swath of destruction -- whipped. o'donnell lane in 15 of the 20 homes are gone. the fire also took out several ranches. if you look across the way, many homes are still standing. the fire played favorites.>> reporter: to get into glen ellen and the wine country you have to pass through a checkpoint. you need a reason to come. when resident returned for a

good reason. he had three horses to check on. >> i'm just coming to make sure they have food and water. and then assess the situation. if we can we will get them out and take them somewhere else. that has been our concern. how are we going to make sure they are okay? >> reporter: the landmarks is still standing -- giving life to rumors the fire level the town. brought destruction. homes cars in the replaceable photographs are gone. cal fire has a staging area in glen ellen. the concerns are the men's fire and adobe fire. they are working on creating a fire break. >> it blew through with so much velocity we were cleaning up the line and securing it so we don't have it grow further.>> reporter: cal fire says they cannot predict when the evacuation order will lift. they have a lot of work to do. the winds are around.>> they

are causing problems with the firefighters but also for the opportunity to open up the areas and allow people back to retrieve their belongings.>> reporter: that is right. it seems like a day like this it seems that there is no threat. it is not even very smoky right now. things can change in an instant. they don't want to let people back and have to evacuate again. they are keeping people away until they are sure it will be safe. >> you have been out there for straight a's. how are you holding up? four straight days. >> reporter: i'm okay. my lungs would answer differently. i've been breathing a lot of smoke for sure. it does get to you. my house is safe. i can't really complain. it is the people who live here and have been evacuated.

they are breathing bad smoke as well. they are the ones we are concerned about. we have some numbers of the scope of the damage in santa rosa. nearly 3000 homes have been destroyed.>> more than 400,000 square feet of commercial space was lost. out of the people pushed out -- not having a place to go. some have gone to petaluma to evacuation centers. he has been talking with evacuees and a lot of people hoping to help.>> reporter: this is the silverlining. the outpouring of support and people wanting to help. it has been overwhelming. the need is great. it seems like the volunteers are even greater. she is coordinating all of this. jennifer -- the casey park community centers. you are full. >> we are at capacity.

in evacuees and knowing where they can go -- we suggest they go down to the marin civic center and check out the emergency operations center there. they have websites online. they will have updated list of active evacuation sites. we don't want them to waste their time or energy coming here.>> reporter: there is about 2000 people i understand. all the different sensors -- 450 or so here right now. some will be spending the night and you are providing meals. all of this is donated. especially the meals.>> the outpour of community support is outstanding. local businesses and people providing their special skills. we have certain areas that provide certain facilities as far as medical. we have a animal site. the animal shelter provided a safe haven for people in their pets. we have a kids center. we have entertainers that

entertained the community and the residence. it is quite lovely. almost everything we have received has been through donations.>> reporter: a lot of these people are in limbo. how are you helping them get back on their feet long time? >> the process here, they come in. a lot of them have medical intake. we register them. we make sure we know who they are and where they are so they are safe. so if we evacuate again we can find them and take them with us. we have a store. they can get any supplies they need. we also have the kitchen and all the food. that is running for 24/7. just bedding at night. pulling as many cards as we need. and blankets and pillows and toothbrushes.>> reporter: there are some big signs outside the say no donations needed. you have enough for now.

you are worried in a few days this will pass and people will think they don't need to help anymore. >> the excitement -- everybody hearts are pouring out. our concern is the long-term. we have 2000 people displaced. it will take seven months -- several months for people to get in a home. if people want to help hold onto those donations. please volunteer. in a couple weeks you can call different places and get signed up to be a volunteer later. we have a call center. we are expecting phone calls. you can get through to us here. you can get on a list which would be shuttled to a database we will access later. we are taking information -- any housing they can offer people for a day or a week. they will link a people who need housing with those people. that is another way people can donate their time or money or energy.>> reporter: there is a lot of work going on here.

the spirits are high. people are helping out as best as they can. one thing to point out. this isn't a yard sale. they don't need your old clothes or furniture. old nasty blankets. ink if you were in that position. that is not the kind of thing, some old ratty stuff that people would normally toss out. don't bring that kind of thing. the best thing to do is a cash donation or a gift card. those other things that can help specific needs. there will be a shortage of fresh underwear or diapers were a shortage of baby formula. it is real specific things that can really make a big difference in these people getting back on their feet again. it is amazing to see the outpouring. people were coming in with food trucks. camelback set up a water station so people can refill their water bottles. there is a lot of work going on out here. if there is a silverlining to

this tragedy it is that there are so many people trying to help. >> a lot of goodness pouring out. coming up, the death toll from the mid -- mendocino fire is at 8. thousand evacuated. more people need to be prepared to leave. he will talk live with the mendocino county sheriff about the situation. where does he anticipate more people might be evacuated and where will they go? for the latest on the firefight they are coming up next. ah, dinner. throughout history, the one meal when we come together, break bread, share our day and connect as a family.

[ bloop, clicking ] and connect, as a family. just, uh one second voice guy. [ bloop ] huh? hey? i paused it. bam, family time. so how is everyone? find your awesome with xfinity xfi and change the way you wifi.

(all with worry-free ownership. colors in your neighborhood... head to your neighborhood enterprise car sales and let the people who buy more vehicles than anyone... shift your thinking about buying your next one.

cal fire giving us an update of the fire in mendocino county. that fire has burned more than 32,000 acres. containment -- at 5% this afternoon. these pictures come to us from cal fire. that fire in mendocino county has killed eight people. 8000 people have been evacuated. the redwood valley area -- there are new evacuation today. for the potter valley area. on the eastern part of the fire. evacuation centers are set up. people can take large animals to the redwood empire fairgrounds in ukiah. we are joined on the phone but there sheriff tom allman. think you for joining us. >> thank you for discussing

mendocino's situation.>> good to have you on board. what is your biggest concern right now? >> the wind. in the last 48 hours they have shifted three times. 180 degrees -- one direction to another. at a very high rate. 30-40 miles per hour. it is certainly a very frustrating situation for cal fire and the residents and law enforcement to think we are getting the upper hand and then have the wind switch. humidity less than 40% for 16 days in a row. probably one of the biggest concerns is a community of willis and potter valley. have lost the majority of phone service. including reverse 911. communications for the citizens are extremely frustrating. we have canceled all days off for law enforcement.

we are joined by deputies from all over the state. and firm fire departments all of the state. our number one concern is getting communication to the citizens. tv is the only way to communicate other than fm radio.>> you mentioned the shifting wind. if they move in a certain direction you mentioned will is you are concerned about. are there other areas you are also concerned about and anticipate having to ask them to evacuate as well -- >> one of the most beautiful spots is potter valley. that is where this fire originated. it was moving from east to west. yesterday it was day 4. last night at 10 pm we had to activate the national weather service emergency alert system. the fire was heading back to potter valley. cal fire positioned a lot of resources on the west end of the fire. yesterday afternoon shifted and

headed to the east. after a fire goes through an area. if a fire comes back the fire has the ability to get into the dry trees and to move in a faster way than it did to start with. that is a concern. we have citizens that are trying to get back to the communities. over 8000 citizens have been displaced. some citizens are trying to get back to their houses thinking it is safe. we had one of our teams recover a body yesterday. a large tree fell within 100 yards. there is huge concerns of downed para-power lines. pg and e has over 100 trucks. they are working closely with at&t to restore power to the communities. one of our concerns is the natural gas has been cut off.

one of our local hospitals went for 36 hours without the ability to heat the hospital. the temperature was in the low 40s. that has been restored. pg&e did a great job. there are things you were not expecting to happen and they happened. that is where our energy goes. and at the same time deal with the fire and evacuee situation. >> resources, you have big fires of the south in the wine country. do you feel like you are getting the resources you need to get the job done? >> i'm not sure if this has been discussed. california has 10 fires which have been declared disasters. this is unprecedented. usually we have teams that go from one fire to another. they take care of the different concerns about the fire. the fact that we have 10 major fires the cost the two fires appear -- lake county and

mendocino county to be joint with one commencing. the resources -- and the leadership. the fire engines and the state prison crews are stretched. when you have to evacuate the community and say we are evacuated because the fire is coming this way. but there are not a string of fire engines going to that community. it should be a concern to everybody. i'm proud of the work cal fire is doing with local agencies. the frustration level is felt at every level with the citizens law enforcement and certainly with the firefighters. >> that is understandable. it is an overwhelming situation. we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. our hearts go out to the family of those eight people who lost their lives. cal fire continues to try to get a handle on this. 30,000+ acre fire. the situation in lake county.

the sulfur fire is 45% contained. it burned 2500 acres so far. joining us is the lake county sheriff brian martin. it appears we lost the sheriff. we will try to get back. in our next break. the air is downright disgusting. we will head outside and learn about what you can do to stay safe in these troubled conditions. >> i've never seen it like that emphasis go before. the devastation the fires have caused is taken a toll on everyone. including the women and men who are working to contain them. i want you to sit on this picture for the moment. officials exhausted firefighters sleeping on the side of the road. one is leaning against a rock. the person who took the photo said so thankful for our first responders. we will be right back.

y cheeses. but if you snooze, you'll lose out on this deal. ck's $2 breakfast pockets. new from jack in the box. throughout history, the one meal when we come together, break bread, share our day and connect as a family. [ bloop, clicking ] and connect, as a family. just, uh one second voice guy. [ bloop ] huh? hey? i paused it. bam, family time.

so how is everyone? find your awesome with xfinity xfi and change the way you wifi. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

for just two bucks, get a forgrilled pocketh. filled with your choice of ham, or sausage, freshly cracked eggs, and two melted cheeses. jack's breakfast pockets, each for just two bucks. only from jack in the box. the fire in lake county is the sulfur fire. 2500 acres have burned. we tried to get county sheriff. do we have him? >> i am on the phone.>> mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted. that is great news. >> we are working on lifting evacuations. we have some advisories. a couple areas are closed while pg&e and cleanup continues.

some areas are still under evacuation. a lot of areas that were previously evacuated have been opened up. 3000 people were allowed to go home. >> that is a big relief. the areas that you are keeping off-limits is not because you are concerned about flames approaching again. it is a matter of safety in regards to pg any lines and restoring powers. >> we are always concerned about flames reapproach it. there is more wind in the forecast. our primary concern is the safety. there are still some active hazard situations. the crews are working to reestablish power. working on getting the water supply up and running. we also have a lot of firefighters and officers patrolling the area for hotspots to cool off before we let people get back. >> we asked the mendocino sheriff are you getting the resources that you need?

northern california -- there are so many fires going on right now. >> whenever there is a fire you cannot have enough firemen they cannot get there quick enough. we would like to have more. we are fortunate we have 45% containment on the fire. a lot of very good good fortune combined with hard work dedication by first responders. we haven't had any fire spread activity in the last 24 hours. we are feeling fortunate.>> in your county a lot of acres burned. if there is one thing you can walk away from all of this, at least no one died in your county.>> my heart goes out. there are so many families that are grieving. we had that during the valley fire in 2013. it is a tremendous impact to the community. we get into this profession

because we want to save lives. when there is a loss of life it affects all of us. even if we don't know the person. i do feel blessed we were lucky. we were looking at the situation. there is also a combination of quick thinking and quick work by first responders the early hours of the fire to get people notified. this is our third year dealing with historical fires. our community works well. they are accustomed to having evacuation notices and following them. they realize the importance of following those notices. they realize it is for their safety and they work well with us. >> i have been up there to cover those devastating fires. what you say is true. they know how to come together and their actions are commendable. thank you for taking the time to talk with us. hopefully next time all of

bill's orders will be lifted. >> i am hopeful that happens. bay area phil -- feeling the impact of the smoke from the wildfires. here is a look at treasure island from san francisco through a thick layer of smoke. the air quality management says these air pollution levels of the worst they have recorded. they are recommending people stay inside. set the air conditioning to recirculate indoor air. the main concern tiny particles that the lodge in your longings and get inside your bloodstream. >> it can cause immediate health impacts. asthma attacks. it can exacerbate respiratory conditions.>> sfo officials say the low visibility caused them to put a ground delay program into place causing more than 100 flight cancellations and numerous delays. >> i cannot get over how smoky. you can barely make out the city. you cannot make out the bridge.

>> it depends on where you are and what they. -- what day.>> this is the worst day we have had since the fire started. this head out to meterologist to get a look at things outside the studios. i can see mark behind you all of that smoke. >> a lot of haziness and smoke. with the fires burning to the north we have had a north wind. the smoke can only go one direction. from the north to the south. we have that dick layer of haze over the bay area. smoke advisories unhealthy air quality as well. that's take a look at the forecast. this is from the air quality management district. you can see the scale from 0- 300. we would like to be at zero. you can see the number in the north bay at 210. these numbers projected to go down tomorrow. that is good news. it all depends on the behavior of the fires as well.

that is setting up a lot of smoke that could be drifting close to the bay area. we should have a better forecast tomorrow. we are still going to have a lot of haziness and smoke in the bay area for tomorrow and into the weekend. it shows up clearly dramatically on the satellite. this is from this morning into the afternoon. plumes heading to san francisco. heading to oakland as well. numbers show a slight improvement. based on the fires if we have another big burst of activity tonight that changes everything. smoke will be an issue for us for tomorrow and possibly through the weekend. especially with the wind increasing by friday night into saturday morning. we will keep an eye on the air quality in the fire conditions. they say the air quality is as bad in san francisco as it is in beijing.

think about that.>> that is the big headline. we are not used to that. it is a thin layer. a smoke plume might come. this is so dense. blanketing most of the area.>> there are more pollutants in the air the last few days in california karim -- emissions do in a year. >> oh wow. >> hopefully that south wind will kick in some. quite an eerie sight. it has received a lot of attention. images from the fire ravaged to zones. the long postal worker delivering mail to a desolate neighborhood where most of the homes were burned to the ground. the drone operator said at one point the mail carrier looked up and waved. the carrier was fulfilling a

request from fire victims who ask him to leave their mail at their mailbox if it was still standing. the postal workers actions serve as an example of the long- standing relationship of trust between carriers and their customers. the latest on the firefight in sonoma county. one celebrity chef who is working to bring some joy to those displaced by the flames. from sonoma county to solano county. officials limited access to certain neighborhoods. concerned that the fires might approach those areas next. the cruise battling the atlas fire. -- crews.

firefighters are optimistic the tide might be turning in sonoma -- and napa county. she was at a briefing this afternoon and joins us now with more.>> reporter: the atlas fire started sunday and napa county. it has moved into solano county. it is still actively burning. we get an update from officials here at the county building in fairfield two hours ago. there were three additional areas today in the fairfield area put under an advisory. they are warning residents be ready to go. they did also say they are cautiously optimistic the winds were last night were not as

bad. they are getting some more help. we want to show you video from earlier. the firefight has been from the air with helicopters launching an aerial assault with water drops from above. near mason road in fairfield. the use bulldozers to keep the fire from progressing further. so far 13 buildings including two homes have burned in solano county. 2500 residents have been evacuated from their homes. 90% of residents have heeded the warning. met two neighbors who have ignored the mandatory warning. they are in the upper green valley neighborhood. first you will hear from one of those neighbors and then from a chief about why those who did leave should stay out. >> i think last night was a scary time. the winds were supposed to pick up they did not. i haven't slept a lot. you don't want to. you want to make sure if something happens you are awake.

>> it is not safe to let the public back into those areas. it was so intense and move so rapidly he still today are experiencing trees falling. power lines that are burned that are falling. all of those risks is not tenable to allow the public to go back in.>> there is still active fire burning in solano county. a lot of the air support will be here for a while. it will be a long fight. he also said staffing triple comes -- compared to the day before with help coming from all over california along with other states. cal fire is starting to talk about the repopulation plan -- went to allow people back in. they are saying there is no timeline. they are trying to be cautious. they don't want to give people a date and have that change. they know residents are eager to go back home. the atlas fire alone has burned 43,000 acres. at this point it is 3%

contained. firefighters expect that containment number to go up. we are hoping to get updated numbers coming up in the next few hours. >> hopefully they can with the amount of resources tripling. that is good news. devastating news in sonoma county. more than 2800 homes have been lost in santa rosa alone.>> the number of people also killed in that county rose to 15. crews are searching the burned areas looking for more possible victims.>> in sonoma county there has been 1000 missing persons reported since the fire began on sunday. 603 people have been confirmed to be safe. >> some of those reports could likely be duplicates. the most destructive fire the tubs fire on the north side of santa rosa is 10% contained. more than 34,000 acres. many evacuees and first responders enjoyed special

meals prepared by a well-known chef.>> reporter: celebrity chef guy pierre he is from santa rosa. he told me with all of these fires raging in wine country he had to do his part to comfort people. >> guy pierre he a santa rosa native son cooking of meals for fire victims and emergency workers. >> this is the least we can do. we are happy to do it. we are sorry for our friends who have lost their homes.>> reporter: he said of his mobile barbecue outside the veterans memorial building whipping of meals.>> we are doing pulled pork. bean salad. roasted chicken. we will be setting up at the fireline. firefighters have been eating. they get these big package meals which are also. nothing beats a hot meal.>> reporter: many are grateful for the assistance they are getting

from people like guy pierre he the red cross and others. they are taking comfort with fellow evacuees. >> everybody loves everybody. there is no i hate you. or i wish you would go back where you are from. or whatever. there is none of that. it is all everybody just being human. >> i think it is a great thing. i see so many post on social media about people donating stuff. right now food donations are overwhelming. so food is going bad. >> we are sonoma strong. we are getting through it strong. as far is gipe year he

nothing beats a hot meal. to investigates is looking into everything they could have caused the fires in the north bay. an update on complaints against pg&e. talking about a break for the fire crews. we had into tonight and friday. another round of wind and possibly down the road rain chances. will break it down coming up. as wildfires burn the support and appreciation from the community rose as well. take a look at this picture of three hard-working firefighters taking a break. on the front lawn with two kids. the woman who posted the pictures that tankful for the family that fed my nephew tonight. the people extending gratitude to the firefighters who are working to save lives

and protect homes.

is investigators look into the causes of the fires signs are pointing to pg and equipment. we continue to go through dispatch calls that might link the first fires to down power lines. candace is here with what pg

and he is saying.>> reporter: pg&e and fire investigators say it is too soon to point to one cause. with early reports of impacted equipment and utility company's responsibility to be ready for emergencies like this critics say it is also too soon to rule them out. >> do you think pg any contributed to the start were exacerbated any of these fires? >> that is my suspicion at this stage.>> reporter: the pg and a explosion and the deadly 2015 beautifier. pg&e was find $8 million after they found that fire sparked by a power line hitting a tree.

the case of the north a fire he believes pieces of a puzzle dispatch calls and outages maps show equipment somehow played a role in the flames that continue to destroy homes and claim lives. in terms of how exactly and what they did in response still to be investigated. to investigates brought our questions to pg&e. they will likely be a review of the wildfires by the appropriate agencies. right now we are focused on restoration. we are not going to speculate about the causes of the fires. we will support the review by any relevant agency. is there a point that the conditions are so bad -- it doesn't maintain -- it doesn't matter how much you maintain the temperature this would still happen? >> it is possible it is still happen. is that what happened here?>> those of the questions our team is continuing to find answers

to. by going to reports and anything public. you are looking at mother by pg&e or somebody else that attorney said even though mother nature is as powerful as she is unpredictable. there are some points where utility companies are supposed to prepare for them. that area is known to have heavy wind. we are known to be dry. we knew we had a drought. if so what did they do to prepare for those conditions? >> let's get a check on the current conditions.>> good news. we had a window of improving weather conditions for the fire crews. that being tonight and tomorrow morning and afternoon. by late tomorrow afternoon the next event could be developing. looking at all the haziness towards after cisco.

unhealthy air quality over the bay area. that will continue to be a factor the fires still burning. the arrows are coming from the north to the south. transporting the smoke closest to the bay area. it shows up nicely on the satellite from earlier. two significant plumes heading to the central portion of the bay. i will stick a ribbon heading toward san francisco. low humidity. a red flag warning. this will expire in a few minutes. at 5 pm. hopefully they will let that go. current observations to hawkeye 69. winds out of the west 14 miles per hour. onshore breeze that will hopefully help with humidity. the boosting of the moisture levels. sonoma valley 75. atlas peak 73. humidity very low. 8% for that portion of the

area. live camera looking to the bay. you cannot see san francisco from oakland. lots of hayes restricting visibility across the bay area. making it hard to breathe as well. fire weather watch as will be our next red flag warning friday afternoon into friday night and into saturday. wins will be increasing. this will be a stronger event than last night. this could be the strongest event since the fires have started. wind 35 miles per hour. topping 50 miles per hour. this in place for the hills of the north bay and east bay. there is a chance this could be expanded to include the lower elevations. some of the models -- santa rosa showing them topping 25-30 miles per hour. this will be the next event. stronger wind developing later in the day. early saturday morning at 7 am as well. might be able to taper off by saturday afternoon. trending in that direction

friday night. probably the biggest period of concern will be saturday morning early. you might wonder how do we forecast the wind speeds. can see the system showing you clouds and a few showers to the pacific northwest. is this dies to the east of the bay area -- will be replaced by high-pressure. the isobar is -- that sets up the north to northeast wind component. that will develop once again. it is still a long ways out. we would like to have a few drops of rainfall. there is a chance. may be late wednesday into thursday. not significant rainfall. a shift in the weather pattern later next week. we have to deal with this wind event approaching friday night and sunday morning. tomorrow 60s and 70s. the five day forecast. gusty winds saturday in the morning. red flag warning kicks in.

we want things back up sunday into monday. monday a few neighborhoods close to 90 degrees on monday. no real rainfall just yet. it will be nice if that approaches the region. >> are we eventually going to get a wind from the south ? >> that could be happening -- the north wind will stick around for the weekend. it depends on the fire activity. and what happens with the inversion. how much the smoke is transported to the bay area. that will make a difference. at least 45 -- 40 firefighters have lost their homes. alex savage along with two of them as they return to their destroyed neighborhoods. >> i keep waiting to wake up from the stream.>> reporter: it doesn't seem real to domenici -- dmitry. the chief with the fire department showed us his home in santa rosa dark-field neighborhood which was leveled by the fire.

>> it is a total loss. there is nothing to salvage. i was here yesterday looking through these things. there is nothing left.>> reporter: emery's gone. priceless family photos. is five-year-old daughter's stuffed animals. even his wife's wedding rings still missing.>> i was here for most of the day yesterday looking for that. it is not the monetary value. it is the emotional connection. these other things can be replaced.>> reporter: he was out of town on the tub's fire exploded sunday. wiping out entire neighborhoods. he has been a firefighter for 25 years and faced many challenging situations. but never anything like this. >> it is a whole new meaning being on this side of it. being a victim. i have traveled to states and same things happen to people. but you are there to help.

you are there to fix things and put things back together. to be on this side of it, it is a unique challenge.>> reporter: he is one of many firefighters who fell victim to the destructive fires.>> today captain jason beach with the alameda county fire department showed me the ruins of his two- story home in santa rosa fountain grove neighborhood. he was home with his 15-year- old daughter as flames closed in on sunday. after getting her to a safe place he went back to help evacuate many of his neighbors knowing his home had been lost. the international association of firefighters set up a fund to help the firefighters. 40 have lost their homes. the union organized a gofundme hero account. many of those firefighters are

on the fire lines right now. they have not been able to see the damage or comfort their family. we have a link to that account on our website. ktvu.com. continuing coverage of the north bay fires. including an update in sonoma county. coming up at 5 pm and 6 pm. stay with us. ah, dinner. throughout history, the one meal when we come together,

break bread, share our day and connect as a family. [ bloop, clicking ] and connect, as a family. just, uh one second voice guy. [ bloop ] huh? hey? i paused it. bam, family time. so how is everyone? find your awesome with xfinity xfi and change the way you wifi.

♪[ music ] linda macdonald, captioner vitac corporation wildfires continue to race across the north bay and today, the death toll went up again. so did the number of people missing and the mandatory evacuations. there are already thousands and thousands of people in shelters and now, thousands more are being told to evacuate as the wildfires continue to threaten the north bay region. good evening, everyone. i'm frank somerville. >> i'm julie haener. it is another agonizing day for thousands of people who have been told to leave as fires race toward their homes. this is a look from skyfox above calistoga. the entire city remains under an evacuation order tonight. meantime, across northern california, the number of people killed has now risen to 29. cal fire says 25,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. the fires have now burned more than 300 square miles.

and cal fire says more crews are pouring into the disaster zones. >> we have seen a huge influx of resources throughout the day and more coming in tomorrow. it's a testament to our master mutual aid system in california. >> the sonoma county sheriff said deputies are also beginning to search through the burned areas for possible remains of fire victims. out of about 1,000 people missing -- missing persons reports in sonoma county, they say about 400 people are still unaccounted for. 603 other people have been confirmed safe as of this afternoon. we have live team coverage tonight. our chief meterologist bill martin is tracking the conditions and what we can expect. ken wayne is in petaluma with the hundreds of people staying at evacuation centers there. ktvu's maureen naylor is live in fairfield with the latest from authorities there. first, though, to ktvu's rob roth in glen ellen with the devastation behind him. rob. >> reporter: frank, yeah. we're standing in