Locked and no one was supposed to be in here, but after speaking with eyewitnesss, they are now working on a theory this was accidental. A surveillance camera at a body shop next door caught the beginning, middle, and end of this mornings fire that burned through chualar pallet recycling. This was possibly electrical. You can see the flames inside a building at the top right corner of your screen. It burned small. You can see workers at the shop walking by, aware something is wrong, calling 911. One person out of view tries to douse it. Then about ten minutes later, theres a large burst of flames, turning this into an emergency beyond the skills of a man with a single garden hose. The next thing you know, the whole thing catch on fire and the forklift blew up and it was a whole mess. Reporter by the time firefighters arrived, the fire was fuelled by piles of wooden pallets and oxygen in the open spaces below. The first alarm units went on the defensive to keep the fire contained to the property, the second alarm units protected the exposures, mainly businesses next door. Were all in a panic trying to get it out. The flames were really, really, really close. Almost to the other side of the fence, so we just had to really book it from both sides from getting all the cars out. Reporter and here we are nine hours later after ignition, more than, and you see the Fire Department is still having to dump water on to hot spots, just to give you a sense of how hot this fire burned, and thats typical to pallet fires. The businesses next door, we heard from witnesses, they were able to get cars out of the way. The body shop next door, we spoke to the owner, the man who had the surveillance video, they said theyve lost or at least had damage around 20 vehicles. Reporting live here in san jose, rob redell, nbc bay area news. Thank you very much, bob. Now to the latest on a developing story along the pacific coastline. Tourists and locals along the baja peninsula are emerging from cramped shelters to discover severe hurricane damage and widespread flooding. Even though hurricane odile weakened overnight, the storm continued to wash out roads and trigger mudslides. The category 3 storm ripped through coastal resorts yesterday, uprooting trees, smashing shop windows, and it is one of the worst storms ever to hit the area specifically where the luxury retreats are in the area. Now the focus is shifting to another storm which could affect the same area this week. Meteorologist rob mayeda is watching that and more. Good morning. Kris, were seeing Tropical Storm odile starting to weaken as the Tropical Storm is starting to move over the open waters of california, so weakening may slow down briefly. Well see whats left of the Tropical Storm move into Southern Arizona as a tropical depression, where well see the potential for some flooding rains around the southern end of the state, mainly down towards tucson, the university of arizona, areas south of phoenix, perhaps picking up more than a half foot of rain and three to four hours time. Were also watching a new Tropical Storm polo to the south. You can see off the Southern Coast of mexico, winds at 40 miles per hour, but watch the track here as we head through the weekend, turning to a category 1 hurricane and perhaps drifting a little further to the west of Cabo San Lucas sunday as a strong Tropical Storm, given that its tuesday and were looking well far out into the future, we could still very likely see a category 1 hurricane approaching Cabo San Lucas by the weekend. So there you see all the moisture from odile staying south of Southern California, but notice whats happening here just over my shoulder, pretty good looking system offshore here that will bring an increasing chance of much needed rain for parts of the bay area. Well show you that and when we expect chances of rain to arrive in your full forecast coming up in a few minutes. Back to you. Thank you. Targeting the elderly because of their kindness, who two brazen robbers did this weekend, beating a husband and wife both in their 90s. Police say the suspects actually robbed the couple twice. The first time they befriended the wife by complimenting her garden and stole cash and jewelry while she was distracted. That robbery was not reported. The suspects came back the next day, once again talked their way into the home, this time the suspects began beating the couple. The wife also stabbed as she tried to call 911. Neighbors say they are stunned and on guard. Just disgusting. I mean, what kind of person do that . And i dont let anybody in, you know, i think that was their mistake, they let somebody in. Police say the robbers stole the couples safe during the second attack. Both husband and wife expected to recover from their injuries. Now to seeking more information following the south napa earthquake. Health officials and volunteers will begin walking the streets of napa and American Canyon to talk with as many residents as possible about the damage they suffered in last months earthquake. They say the quake impact study will take them about three days. That team will go door to door, assessing each residents immediate need, including everything from counseling and stress reduction, to actual housing and referrals for services. The volunteers have been trained and everyone taking part will be wearing badges and vests, so not like the story we reported before. Happening now, Golden Gate Bridge workers officially on strike. A live look at the bridge. 13 union coalition, which includes ferry captains, said todays strike will not affect traffic on the bridge or ferry service. Video of the workers from earlier today, union says its been unable to reach an agreement with the Golden Gate Bridge district on a new contract. Picket lines started at 6 00 this morning and will last until 3 30 this afternoon. Drivers have always been expected to share the road with cyclists, but now if you dont, you will be slapped with a fine. A new law takes effect today, requiring motorists to give bicyclists a threefoot buffer zone when passing. Stephanie chuang is live in San Francisco. Steph, its a matter of be patient or you may have to pay up. Reporter thats right. Good morning to you, kris. Especially if youre in San Francisco, where people are having to share the road all the time. Here along 18th street in the mission, its a popular route for cyclists, but for drivers its only one lane each way, so they cannot pass unless they have three feet of space between them, and i want to show you our live truck door here is about three feet and people are saying this kind of space is going to be too difficult. Count them, one, two, three. Bicyclists sometimes outnumbering drivers on the road behind the wheels of cars, suvs, and buses on market street. Starting today, drivers may not pass cyclists unless theres at least a threefoot safety space between them. The options are wait or risk getting caught and pay a fine. 200 for a ticket with fees, if theres a collision, its up to 1,000 with fees. Bicyclists we spoke with had a split reaction. Some worried this might result in even more road rage. Its difficult, because theres a danger that drivers are going to get frustrated behind you. It gets tough. Biking in San Francisco, especially on market street, tends to be pretty dangerous. Anything to give bikes more space is a good thing. Reporter some say the law isnt enough to keep cyclists safe. David says they shouldnt even be on the road unless theres a designated bike lane. I dont think the bikes can compete with the trucks and the muni railway and the cars. I mean, its just way too much traffic and its too dangerous. Theres generally an accident every couple of days a week. I drive a car in the city, too, and i think its just, you know, about being aware and looking around and paying attention and knowing that between bikes and pedestrians, buses, you know, we all got to share. Reporter theres a flip side to this. If theres a bicycle causing a traffic backup of at least five vehicles behind it, it must pull over. Its just like if you were a driver and the chp telling me this morning that you as a bicyclist would get the same fine and a point on your record if you were caught doing that. Also saying that theres not going to be a crack down per se, they are not going to get out the yardstick, its up to the officers discretion, but they will be out there trying to catch people who are not obeying this new law that goes into effect today. Live in San Francisco, stephanie chuang, nbc bay area news. As i was driving around yesterday, steph, i was thinking about that buffer and i think there are going to be spots where its going to be kind of hard. Thank you very much. Well, now to that developing story north of the bay area, where a destructive wildfire is still threatening most of an entire town. The boles fire burning in weed, california, near mt. Shasta. At least 100 structures have been destroyed, hundreds more threatened. As Miguel Almaguer reports, some families have nothing left. Reporter flames didnt just race through weed, california, they exploded out of control. Shooting hundreds of feet into the air, this blow torch igniting this tiny town in minutes. Hopscotching from one neighborhood to another, at least 100 structures are gone, 1500 people forced to flee. I saw the flames heading up towards the school. Reporter anna widener watched the inferno engulf her entire block. Im alive, im thankful my children are alive. Reporter whipped by 45 miles an hour winds, this monster is feeding on bonedry land ready to burn. Beneath the smoke, the blaze reportedly destroyed a church and a lumber mill. One of the towns biggest employers. Theres a strong south wind right now pushing the smoke, and definitely encouraging for a lot of this whole area. Reporter this Community Just the latest disaster zone in a region battling a brutal heat wave and a devastating drought. A dozen wildfires are now burning in california. The heat and humidities were expecting again today with those dry conditions, it causes extreme fire behavior. Reporter nowhere is the threat more extreme than here in weed. This morning, the damage is still being tallied, but in a fire like this, many have already lost it all. Like a war zone. Miguel almaguer reporting. The blaze in weed roughly 15 contained. crews have made progress, but when the fire is still advancing in mountainous terrain, the weather over the next 24 hours certainly going to play a major role in what the fire does next. Contra costa county firefighters now helping to protect hundreds of homes from a raging wildfire west of lake tahoe. Strike team members met yesterday afternoon near fairfield to gear up. This is the strike team from Alameda County now on the front lines of the king fire. That fire has doubled in size from yesterday to more than 11,000 acres. Hundreds of homes threatened. Firefighters say again the rugged terrain making it difficult to battle from the ground. Evacuations are in effect for several neighborhoods in pollock pines, between lake tahoe and sacramento. Right now, that fire, 5 contained. Happening today, a kickoff ceremony for a project to fix a dangerous roadway. Heres the area that were talking about. It is rollins road to bay shore highway across highway 101. The fix is expected to ease traffic and make the area safer. Todays kickoff event starts at 1 00 this afternoon in front of the San Francisco bay trail. Now to an exclusive Investigative Unit report, an officer veteran from pittsburgh has a warning this morning about a promising job opportunity left him on the brink of bankruptcy. Mark bloom spent eight years overseas serving his country. He says when he returned to the bay area, a recruiter found him online, but after weeks of training, even a facetoface interview, the job offer turned out to be an online scheme. I dont want anybody else to go through this, especially, you know, fellow veterans. Iteam Investigative Unit exposes this complicated scheme and what all job seekers need to watch out for. Well investigate tonight at 11 00. Stepping up the search for a Bank Robbery Suspect that terrorized northern california. New details straight ahead. And somehow some bay area parents dropping their kids off at school are becoming victims of crime. And were seeing a lot of sunshine around the bay area right now. San francisco looks pretty nice, where we have temperatures near 70 right now, on our way to low 70s for the afternoon. You can see san jose there climbing up to 82 degrees later today. Were watching warming temperatures and a chance of midweek showers in your forecast when we come right back. At 1800dentist, were about one thing. Helping you find a dentist youll want to go to for the rest of your life. Weve helped over 8 Million People find that dentist, and we can do the same for you. Call 1800dentist today. Authorities released the name of another suspect connected to a Violent Bank Robbery in stockton that ended in a hostage situation and deadly shootout, and now there is a 55,000 reward for information leading them to 21yearold paul ravalcava. They say he and the teen are associated with the same gang as the suspected gunman. You might remember three women were taken hostage during that bank robbery in july and the police chase that followed. 41yearold misty holtsingh was killed in that shootout. Police say misty holt was used as a shield by one of the bank robbers. Some recent smash and grabs have left a lot of people rattled. Jodi hernandez in oakland with details on this back to school crime. Reporter one of the recent smash and grabs happened right here on broadway in front of a preschool. In fact, you can see the remnants of the breakin still here on the curb. This is where an unsuspecting mother became a victim in mere seconds. They broke the window, the passenger side window. Reporter emily feels violated and rattled after someone broke through her mini van window as she dropped off her 4yearold at preschool two weeks ago. Within 30 seconds, a neighbor ran in and said, who has a van . Your car was broken into. Of course, it was me. Reporter her bag containing her laptop, phone, and wallet was gone in a flash. The Graphic Designer lost all of the projects stored on her computer. Of course, i was in a hurry and just racing in and, you know, giving the kids goodbye. Reporter the preschool director says its something they see at the start of every school year. Thieves targeting busy parents during dropoff and pickup times, a similar burglary took place earlier this month. They seem to go from one place to the other. There are several schools right around us, and they just know the very vulnerable time the mom has to carry lunches, backpacks, all of their equipment, so they dont have the hands free to take care of everything else. Reporter Oakland Police say they are not ready to call whats taken place a trend, but they say its a wakeup call every parent should learn from. Put items of value away, they be cognizant of their surroundings and not be distracted when dropping off or picking up children from school. Reporter now that this is on their radar, Oakland Police say theyll be looking for patterns throughout the city, but no matter where you live, parents are being urged to take precautions. In oakland, im jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. Two East Bay High SchoolFootball Players face hazing charges in connection with an attack on a teammate. Investigators say both are accused of pulling a fellow teen down, a freshman, and shaving his head. Police say it happened last week in the locker room at Livermore Valley charter prep. Because the suspects are 17 years old and minors, they have not been named. Police say the victim, who is a freshman, was not physically hurt, although his head was shaved. They also warn there could be other arrests. San jose state trying to figure out what happened to nearly half a Million Dollars, actually, a Million Dollars in missing equipment. 800,000, thats the precise number, in brand new wireless equipment brought in to improve Internet Connections on campus, but the problem is, the school doesnt know if the equipment was stolen or lost in the mail or just simply misplaced. San jose state police investigating. The federal government this morning sued the Parent Company of shield and Everest College for predatory lending. A number of trade schools in the bay area and across the university, several have been shut down as part of an agreement with the u. S. Department of education. The feds allege the schools try to lure people into paying unrealistically high tuition and want a half billion in restitution. As were entering just about the nicest time of the year here in the bay area, rob mayeda, nice and mild and sunny. Yeah, sunshine around San Francisco, as we get in the latter half of the month, tends to be the warmest time of the year. 70 degrees, 71 right now in san jose. You can see 72 out in the north bay. Mostly sunny right now, well take you in with this view from the Weather Underground team. You can see that weve already hit 75 at the civic center, head down to north beach, youre at 70 degrees, but towards the west, still seeing mid 60s for temperatures as we see the ocean influence backing off a bit in the Higher Elevation locations around downtown San Francisco. So this is the pacifica ti