inside for the others, he never made it back out. >> we found all three patients in the one room in a bedroom. and they were in a very close proximity. so i'm going to assume they were overcome by the smoke. officials are not releasing the names of the victims, those who called were a mother and a three-year-old daughter and a friend. fire officials say the electrical power in the family's unit was shut off in early september. they are getting power from a near by apartment. >> she has a big family but she has nobody here in the united states. she was here on her own. we have confirmed that the father of the girl is in federal custody awaiting deportation to el salvador. because of the fire, the deportation is now on hold. >> one of the little girls that survived say, all i want is for him to be released so he can come and get us. >> reporter: the girl who survived is in child protective custody. it's unclear if she will be reunited with her father. reporting now in oakland, rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, rob. now we go to allie rasmus for more on the victims and also the troubled past of that building. >> reporter: according to records, the people in charge of it are more than 3,000 miles away from here, this bank is owned, excuse me this building is owned by the bank of new york, it's not clear who if anyone is managing the property. this afternoon friends came to the apartment to grieve for the family and lamented the circumstances that may have led to the victim's death. >> she may have had economic problems. >> reporter: rudy ibarra says one of the tenants could not afford to keep the power on. neighbors knew of the family's struggles. >> someone downstairs was letting them borrow electricity this neighbor says. they took re refuge because they had nowhere to go. the building itself has a tumultuous history. it went into fore closure last year and has been owned by the bank of new york since august 2009 -- foreclosure. the bank has the responsibility of any other landlord. >> it doesn't matter who the owner is. there's someone maintaining the building or checking on the building. >> reporter: it's unclear who was checking on this building. two of the residents told ktvu they hasn't paid rent to anyone since the bank forclosed on the the building last year. it's not clear if the bank was unware that anyone was living here at all. our calls to the bank of new york went unreturned this afternoon. allie rasmus. and police are investigating a shooting. this happened just before 9:00 this morning in the home on the 2400 block of depot road. the business owners feared for his own safety and opened fire on the man. >> the victim succumbed to his injuries. it is important to know immediately adjacent to the suspect on the ground was a large hunting style knife. the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting. an investigation is under way on a san leandro chase. it all started around 10:30 last night when police say the woman and a male suspect stole a jaguar. we're told the officer shot the woman because he believed she was trying to run him over. the male suspect tried to run away when the car crashed but was arrested. the officer in this case was placed on leave while the case is investigated. in pacifica, we have dramatic new pictures on that apartment that are teetering on the edge of a cliff. it appears the city of pacifica is on the verge of making changes. >> reporter: one of the building owner showed us dramatic shows of what happened to that building only a week ago. >> there was land underneath this particular foundation. >> reporter: today the owner took us right up to the current landing. this section shows a portion that was repaired has crumbled. >> the owners are not going to do anything until the litigation is really over. and they decide just exactly what happened, what didn't happen. >> reporter: but today a city of pacifica building official told ktvu the city may not be able to wait. he said the city may decide to come up with its own plan to save the buildings. >> they're going to have to. if the owners aren't going to do it. >> reporter: city officials officials say for know they don't want the buildings torn down. they say they are monitoring the situation, if people or public property are in imminent danger. people say they haven't been kept in the loop and are confused about what's going on. >> they've been dumping rocks day and night for several months and then they stopped. >> people who live around here say they are happy with any action. >> it's an eyesore for the rest of the area. if they're going to repair it, repair it, if they're going to remove it, remove it. >> reporter: the ocean has come right up to it and has done significant damage. there's no better way of saying it, these sandbags were not there just a few days ago, and the damage was not there either. black ice caused big problems for drivers last night it was blamed in three roll over accidents in sonoma county. including one where a vehicle ended in a vineyard. police in vallejo are responding to a patch of ice in columbus park way after a car there spun out and ended up on an enbankment. >> you have to drive careful. especially when you see any area that happens to be wet, you have to be very careful. this area is known for people sliding all over, especially when it gets cold. >> reporter: now just after that interview, our ktvu photographer actually saw another car slam into a pole. the car bounced off the pole with it's back tire damaged then slid on an ice pack. coming up, we'll have the latest on yet another accident blamed on black ice in the south bay when it blocked the road and spilled diesel into a creek. caltrans shut down highway 140 this afternoon, it's the parks western entrance and it is the only all weather highway. rangers say the rock slide happened about a mile from the yosemite lodge. the road may reopen tonight but it's not exactly clear when. a sad ending to the search for a missing snow boarder in c early today and tonight we're learning more about what happened and how she died. david benick is live in the sierra with the story. >> reporter: good evening frank, this is the ending that no one was hoping for. you can see the disappointment on the searcher's faces. the body was found in a spot that rescuers say was almost impossible to find. on skis and snow shoes, 40 searchers headed out at alpine meadows resort early this morning. trying to take advantage of the first clear weather since snow boarders shante willis disappeared on tuesday. >> we had 105-mile-per-hour winds. and no tracks and no clues. >> reporter: in the end, it was a helicopter that spotted willis about 400 feet off a trail. where it looks as if willis crashed into a tree then fell into a hole that had formed around the tree's trunk. >> the opportunity for someone to see her earlier was very slim. >> reporter: willis who was 25 aparticipantly took a wrong turn and skied out of bounds. her family says she was a good skier, and knew what she was doing. >> and she is a beautiful human being, and i want to say that i love her with all of my heart. >> reporter: news of willis' disappearance did not stop huge crowds from hitting the slopes. >> i've never seen so many people out here before. >> reporter: very few carried beacons that sends out a message to alert where skiers were at. >> i have my cell phone on me, so i guess if i get lost i can call someone. >> reporter: it looks like if willis did not die from exposure but rather from her injuries when she hit that tree probably on the same day she disappeared. the highway patrol is investigating a deadly solo car crash on an east bay freeway. it happened just before 12:30 this afternoon. the chp says the three people were inside the explorer. witnesses say the driver 68- year-old richard sanchez lost control of the suv while changing lanes. it overturned when he tried to avoid hitting the guardrail. we'll tell you what people in the city are doing to ramp up for new year's eve and tell you how police and firefighters say they are ready as well. a bit of a break in the rain for today, but with the fair skies for tonight, temperatures will be dropping off rapidly. areas will be dropping into the 20s. i'll have that forecast coming up in just a bit. final preparations were made today in new york to the famous time square new year's ball drop. the ball was raised up so it could drop at mid-night tomorrow. the ball was made of 2,500 waterford crystals and weighs 5,000 pounds. millions of the people are set to watch that ball drop to mark the beginning of 2011. and in new york, city officials are getting ready for security for the new year's celebration. as in year's past, large crowds are expected. law enforcement officers will be working together looking for those driving under the influence. fire chief says her department will also be on alert. the san francisco fire department will have many resources on and about in the street supporting our team in the san francisco police department ensuring that we don't have illegal fireworks tomorrow night. that our venues are not overcrowded. to add to the congestion, tomorrow night is the monthly bicycling event known as critical mass. you will want to try to avoid the large crowds, people coming into the city should try to take public transportation. unsafe levels of bacteria were found in the marina lagoon at lake shore park both in san mateo. that prompted county officials to restrict swimming at both beaches last week. the concern came after heavy rain caused sewage to leak into several ocean beaches and lagoons. more testing is expected on monday. our chief meteorologist is off tonight, mark tamayo is filling in. mark i heard you say we're expecting temperatures in the 20s. >> patchy fog and black ice will be a concern first thing tomorrow morning. right now on the maps i can show you on storm tracker 2, just a few clouds moving into the region. right now we just have fair skies and as far as current numbers, you can see they are primarily in the upper 30s to right around 50 degrees. napa right now currently already 40 degrees, a good sign they'll be dropping into at least right around 30 degrees for the overnight hours. so here's the plan for tonight. in the short term, 6:00, 47 to 50 degrees with partly cloudy skies. by tomorrow night you can expect this as we do havea sun cloud mix, no more sunshine but the sun going away. few high clouds 43 degrees in tonight's forecast at 8:00. chilly out there once again, and temperature. -- temperatures will continue to cool off. napa 29 degrees, fairfield 29. livermore right around 30. right around the bay not as extreme but still in the cold side. upper 40s to the lower 30s. san francisco 42. san jose 37 degrees. santa rosa one of the coldest spots, at least especially in the northern valleys. by 12:00, 46. an afternoon high only in the upper 40s. the clouds will continue to filter into the region. those clouds coming from this guide, weather system out in the pacific. and this will be a rain producer for parts of the bay area. especially as we head into late friday and into saturday. coming up we'ltake a look at the rainfall model and show you the exact timing with the rainfall expectations for tomorrow night and into the weekend, that's coming up in a little bit. we'll see you then, thank you mark. better than expected numbers released today. could be a sign of recovery for the housing market. according to the national association of realtors, the number of contracts to buy previously owned homes in the united states rose 3.5% in november. they are still 5% lower than a year ago but this is the fourth increase since june when pending sales were at an all time low. analysts view pending sales as a look at future sales. fewer americans filed first time claims for unemployment benefits. according to the labor department, new jobless claims totaled 388,000 for the week, that is 34,000 lower than the week before and the lowest level in more than two years. better than expected jobless numbers really didn't help the stock market today.. b oth the dow and nasdaq broke lows today. a $237 million jackpot is up for grabs tomorrow. mega millions has gone 14 weeks now without a winner. the jackpot amounts to a lump sum of $159 million. mega millions is played in 41 states including california and washington, d.c. the winning numbers will be drawn tomorrow night. u.s. military is asking both its active duty and retired soldiers to make an unusual new year's resolution. what it is in a moment. plus, a mother and child reunion after a near death experience with a cow in castro valley. the story still ahead. and the car is still there, but one of the most valuable cars inside is gone. the bay area city neighbors have rising thefts. and we learned the woman in the san francisco crime lab scandal will not be charged with drug theft. black ice sends a truck dangling over an edge. but now there's an environment issue stemming from this acid. we'll have brands new details in the latest officer involved shooting. tonight on ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. the pentagon is asking troops to make a special new year's resolution for 2011. quit smoking. this week military leaders are pushing active duty and retired service members to visit a new website with interactive quitting tools. the site offers live help from personal quit coaches and shows troops how to create customized quitting plans. the effort is being made as defense secretary robert gates faces pressure to ban tobacco use and end the sale of tobacoo products. thieves have been taking catalytic converters from toyota pickup trucks. there's been 13 thefts of the vehicle trucks reported since mid-october. catalytic converters are required by law. now thieves target them for other reasons. >> there's a part in the catalytic converter that they can recycle and it brings a lot of money. there were some heroics this morning in castro valley as a crew rescued an almost 1,000-pound cow. what happened next interested our health and science editor john fowler. >> reporter: her names is orphanita. firefighters and sheriff's desponded that's fitting and they have a story to tell but first question is how this 2- year-old cow fell into a wood covered well. >> the plywood was already rotten, so when she stepped on it is when it fell. >> this is a unique problem because of the terrain around the well. >> reporter: they brought in a pump and started to dump thousands of gallons of water. ania held on and said, i got her. >> it took 30 minutes to an hour to take all the water out of the well. >> reporter: so now what? in rolled a crane and a buckaroo came. >> he knew how to strap the cow up. >> i felt she was okay, he gave her an injection of antibiotic, she's up on the hill behind us now. it's a happy ending. >> orphan nita is a mother, her calf needs her utter. they likely will remember this day a long time. john fowler, ktvu channel 2 news. new details are just coming in about a deadly bus stop along the peninsula today. coming up, we just learned about the woman who was killed today. it's going to be different. >> the next two years, yes are going to be very challenging. a bay area lawmakers are bracing for the power shift in washington -- how bay area lawmakers are bracing for the power shift in washington. got out of the truck and just immediately told the bus driver stop. stop stop. an eyewitness talking tonight about a horrible scene in palo alto today. he was watching as a bus hit and killed a woman who was crossing the street. it happened this morning, another woman told us he spoke to the victim as she was on the ground just moments before she died. maureen naylor is live with new information about that victim. >> reporter: in just the last half hour police have told us the woman who was killed in this intersection was a traveling nurse from cupertino. the driver who hit her was making a left hand turn on university avenue it hit her in the crosswalk. both the bus and the woman had green lights. the sam tran bus came to stop at the intersection. this eyewitness says he is traumatized somewhere >> she was just being pushed off the crosswalk. and that's when she fell under. >> reporter: he watched the horrific scene from his truck. >> i got out of my truck and told the bus driver stop. stop. stop. and she had asked, what was that you know and i had to tell her that that had happened. and she absolutely had no clue at all. >> i don't really know if she even knew -- she basically said that the perceived -- i don't everyone think she saw the person. and was just hysterical and was just in a terrible state. >> reporter: this woman and father was on the street later and spoke to the woman under the bus. >> i heard her say oh my god. he said, an ambulance is coming. and she no longer responded. >> reporter: police said the woman died moments later. two blocks of university were blocked off until 3:30 this afternoon. while palo alto police launched an investigation. they are looking into witness reports that the bus and the pedestrian both had a green light. >> i don't know about the bus driver. i don't know what her attention was, was she looking out of the window. what was she looking at? i don't have any idea. during the investigation, that will all come out, we haven't been able to speak with her. >> reporter: in the last hour, we learned her name was sheina barker. the distraught bus driver was taken to the hospital. sam tran could not provide any information about her record. maw lean naylor, ktvu -- maureen naylor, ktvu news. a mexican american group called centro azteka is bringing information on the latest killing. the suspect was released when the judge said there was not enough evidence against him. protesters say the mexican justice system does a poor job of prosecuting violent killing. >> to bring this to the american people attention, what happened in mexico one day. we're really scared about this situation can one day cross the border. >> and protesters say that america should help mexico fight the violence. chief gascone touched on the importance of -- >> it's important that the police department work effectively together. >> current district attorney harris is said to take over as attorney general. governor elect jerry brown is keeping quiet about how he plans to tackle the state's budget shortfall. his spokesman says next month after brown takes office is the appropriate time to unveil the plan. brown will proprose a special election hoping that voters will extend tax cuts. reporter carol han recently caught up with bay area lawmakers and found out why the transition won't be easy. >> reporter: these roles will be reversed next week when john bohener takes a gavel from nancy pelosi. all these weeks, democrats tell us that being in the minority. >> is going to be different. >> the next two years yes are going to be challenging. >> reporter: especially since they are being in charged of the house. >> our house historian looked at it and says it's been the most productive house in the last seven weeks. >> this is the most despised congress and i think correctly so. >> mohair subsidy. you know what mohair, high speed rail and lots of things we can get rid of. >> reporter: besides cuts we can expect hearings into programs like health care. democrats say they'll put up a fight but rather work bipartisan. >> as a minority, as a woman i know how hard we have to fight. we have to work together. >> reporter: carol han, ktvu news. everyone says they are going green. but up next,what's really happening when it comes to the type of cars drivers are buying. we'll tell you what's in the works that could make them higher. new information shows that patients don't actually sleep under anesthesia. so what exactly are they doing? green cars appear to be taking a backseat to suvs. new figures show that suvs were the most popular vehicles purchased in 2010. by november sales had dropped 41% for the year. sales of smaller cars remain unchanged. purchases of green cars such as the toyota prius have dropped about 10%. gas prices are already at an all time winter high. now, some lawmakers are proposing a new tax that could send prices even higher. the proposal calls for a gas hike that would start at 1 penny a dollar and would increase by 5-cents a month. the increase would be used to rebuild roads, rail ways and airlines. >> smoother roads, you know bridges, if they saw the benefit of that money. >> reporter: news of this tax proposal follows a warning from the former leader of the shell company, he says gas prices could reach $5 by 2012. a state law that takes effect saturday makes sure that children with preexisting conditions get health insurance. the law signed by governor arnold schwarzenegger september 30th says insurancers cannot sell policies to any individuals in california for five years in they refuse to sell policies exclusively for children. the state law is tougher than similar federal rules that took effect in september. a new study indicates that anesthesia puts people to sleep like told by doctors. the drug puts the brain into a coma. it may help diagnose and treat sleep disorders and help people recover from comas in a future. the study was published today in the new england journal of medicine. with new year's celebrations coming up, new research may have clues as to why hang overs happen. dehydration is probably one of the biggest reasons for a hang over. the type of alcohol you drink may also make a difference. the darker the alcohol, the more potential there is for a hang over. experts say try drinking water, use or some other noncaffeinated drink inbetween each alcoholic drink. not only will this help slow down your alcohol consumption it will also help replace some of the lost fluids. we're on the stanford conference for a big game tonight. women's basketball. two teams, one amazing streak will fall. partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures for this evening in the short term but another storm is developing. it could impact your new year's evening plans. we learned the woman involved in the drug lab scandal will not be charged. plus, we're continuing our coverage in the series of officer involved shootings. we'll have brand new details in the latest incidents. tonight on ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. wrap a new survey shows people are willing to pay for using the web. few researchers say 1/3 of the people asked say they've paid for digital music. the same number have said they paid for software online. about one in ve have paid for digital game, newspaper or articles. skype rolled out a new version of its free iphone app today, the new addition will let users make and receive video calls using wifi or at&t cellular network. others using skype can use wireless calls, users only pay when they make a call from a pc or land line. continuing coverage from a fire that killed three people including a mother and her young child. tonight the story of a family friend who saved another child but then made a decision that cost him his life. only on two, we're learning that a decision was quietly made a month ago on whether to file charges in connection with the san francisco crime lab scandal. in the last three days, in the past day rather three deadly officer involved shootings including a woman who was killed this morning. what police say she did that forced them to shoot. plus an unusual offer from a bay area airport. free parking but only if you're flying to certain locations. those stories and more coming up at 6:00. mother nature gave today people in the southwest something they are not accustomed to, an earthquake. what you are seeing here is grocery store surveillance video that caught the shaking on tape. no serious damage was reported, but it sure did rattle the nerves of residents who felt the quake. >> it gave me a fright because i thought, wow, i wonder if the building has been damaged. from what i gathered, it wasn't that strong of an earthquake. downtown oakland, we saw people walking around in warm winter coats and hats instead of umbrellas and rain boots. >> a few minutes ago we saw sal castaneda all bundled up and he still looks cold. >> get ready for a cold evening on new year's day. you can't see on live storm tracker two just a few high clouds in the bay area but nothing too mayor. with the clearing clouds, that will allow temperatures to drop off quite a bit. there is a system offshore. we'll talk about the forecast track coming up in just a few seconds. forecast overview is this, for tonight we do have this, partly cloudy skies, chilly numbers out there for tomorrow, clouds will be on the increase, and we do bring in some shower chances especially for late tomorrow night, and then for the weekend mostly cloudy skies, a bit of an unsettled weather pattern especially for the first part of the weekend. just a few clouds moving in from the north, and also for tonight. here is our next storm system developing offshore. you can see the cloud ban and the associated cold front that will be on the approach for tomorrow. for your friday forecast, you can see increased clouds, we bring in the shower chances as that rain ban does approach the coastline. here is our forecast model, i put it into motion. not a lot to show you for tonight and tomorrow morning. tomorrow morning will be dry and just a few high clouds moving into the region. you will notice this by 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 the cloud cover on the increase. the rain fairly close here. so we bring in the chance for a few high showers. late friday night into saturday morning, we do bring in the rain chances across the bay area. first in the coastline and moving into the bay. plans for tomorrow night, a good idea to carry the umbrella around. we hold off to the possibility of lingering showers mostly for the morning hours. as far as lake tahoe for tomorrow, mostly cloudy skies, the clouds will be on the increase out toward lake tahoe as well. chance of snow for saturday, mostly cloudy skies as we do head into sunday. bay area forecast for tomorrow at 7:00, low 30s to lower 40s. no rain drops out there tomorrow morning and then we put this into motion by 12:00, 47 and 50 degrees with partly cloudy skies. the high clouds will continue to be on the increase. by 3:00, mostly cloudy conditions. 49 to 52 degrees. forecasted highs for tomorrow afternoon, on the cool side. not much of a recovery. primarily in the upper 40s to 50s. here is a look ahead. the last day of 2010 will feature more clouds and the possibility of scattered rain showers, especially after 10:00 tomorrow night. showers likely into saturday. we have to hold on for a slight chance of sprinkle on sunday. it doesn't have to be a wash out but plenty of clouds. no major storms, typically there time of year. we could be talking about significant storms. tomorrow not a major deal but still want to keep the umbrella near by. >> thanks, mark. celebrity couple angelina jolie and brad pitt have reportedly gotten married. a magazine claims the couple tied the knot on a beach in africa during a vacation with their six children. the two have been together since 2005. high rollers who like to gamble at the bellagio hotel are facing a deadline. that resort is discontinuing it's $25,000 chips after a robbery at the casino earlier this month. this is surveillance video from that crime. the bellagio is giving the public until april 22nd to education change the chip for money to prevent the thieves from cashing in. after that they'll just be very pricey souvenirs. looking for a lift after your new year's eve party? we're going to show you how to find one. find out how the sweep operation took way today -- and a dui round up operation . bay area transit agencies are gearing up for new year's eve crowds. in san francisco, nummi is expanding it's evening service and is offering free rides between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. b.a.r.t. will extend service until 3:00 a.m. caltrans will add four extra trains after midnight. alameda county's biggest dui crack down of the year is gearing up. ktvu's jade hernandez has the story. >> the livermore police officers found their man at the first address they tried. officers say this 35-year-old suspect has three separate warrants for dui. initially no one inside the home wanted to tell officers rodeo and lash where the suspect was. but they eventually found him hiding inside a bathroom. he surrendered peacefully. >> some of these suspects that have a dui warrant have other warrants and they really need to be apprehended. >> reporter: they made one arrest, learned one of their suspects was already in jail another in a psychiatric hospital. 21 agencies are involved in an operation like this one. >> is there a reason you didn't appear in court. >> reporter: as for this repeat offender taken from his home. officers brought this suspect to the santa rita jail, when asked when he failed to appear in court, he just shrugged his shoulders and said i don't know. >> the most important thing for you today to stay safe -- >> reporter: of the 1,100 warrants, only 50 arrests will be made. it's still considered the biggest dui operation. proving to offenders the reprocautions of failing to appear in court can follow you any where. jade hernandez, ktvu news. a scary accident in the santa cruz mountains leaves a truck and its driver dangling on the edge of the overpass. how it all turned out, coming up. >> and the ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00 is next. a story you will see only on 2. why you were the one that had to tell san francisco city leaders that the woman in the middle of the crime lab scandal won't facing charges. and depending on where you are traveling, you might be able to get three days of free parking at one bay area airport. good evening i'm gasia mikaelian in for julie haener. >> i'm frank somerville. begin tonight with a story you will see only on 2. the woman in the middle of the crime lab scandal will not face any time for that. the decision was made a week ago but no one learned of it, not even her attorney. we were the first to tell him. >>