Departments in the area responded, as well as the cal fire helicopter. In petaluma, john ramos, kpix 5. The fire was clearly visibly from highway 101. Viewers send this video with the smoke and flames shoot from behind the trees. The thick smoke also seen in surrounding neighborhoods. Firefighters are expected to be on the scene for some time so avoid the area if at all possible. Firefighters are bracing to contain a fast moving wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Chopper 5 is over the scene. Take a look. Giant walls of smoke have been filling the skies as it ripped through rugged terrain. It threatens nearly 300 homes a short time ago. Chopper 5 is showing us how close the fire is to one of the houses. You can see the flames burn tong nearby ridge. We are have burning on the nearby ridge. And it is completely engulfing this tree. And here is the gray, black clouds seen from all over Santa Cruz County and the santa clara valley. The fire broke out yesterday afternoon and has been spreading ever since. We have Team Coverage on this tire. But first lets go to kpix 5 news keit do on the firelines of the Santa Cruz Mountains tonight. Reporter yes. I want to give you an idea of how unusual the conditions are. When you see a fire grow 500 acre, usually the wind is blowing at a good clip but check this out. There is virtually no wind out here. The firefighters say the conditions out here are so dry the fire is fueled and primed and ready to go. That means they have their work cut out for them. We hear it all the time, the wind is usually what drives the fire, but look carefully. There is none. Blame this one on the drought. In the absence of wind, we are seeing explosive fire behavior just because the fuels are so dry we get these hot days and unfortunately it means the very rapid fire growth. Reporter we spent the day on the fire lines and got an up close lesson in extreme fire behavior. Watch as smoke and heat from below preheats the brush and trees. Once all that fuel reaches the socalled ignition temperature, look out. The smoke combined with the weather accelerates the whole process. Reporter then you get what . You get explosive fire behavior. Reporter crews cleared out brush and trees to get more defensible safe if the wind shifts and the fire crosses the ravine. It is hot, steep terrain and dirty conditions. A small army has assembled. They will do their best to hold the line. Their jobs specifically is to make sure that the fire activity that you do see behind us doesnt make it to that side of the road. If it did, these crews would jump on it and get that put out as fast as they can. The. Reporter all right. You are looking at cal fire crews trying to put out hot spots on the left side of the mountain. That bare strip, line, you see there, that is the line they are hoping to keep the fire from crossing. They are trying to keep the left side of the mountain from catching fire. They are telling us there is a creek that runs parallel to the road. The fire has jump that had creek. It will burn up this road. That is what they are trying to prevent. They do not want the fire to cross this road. If it does, we have mainly problems tonight. We saw one firefighter get hit with the fire retardant they put out. But what is the plan for the firefighters tonight specifically . Reporter so, typically the fire beds down and it quiets down for the night. You cant fly airplanes and helicopters at night, so they will guard a lot of these homes that are threatened right now. They will make sure the fire does not cross the line, but usually daylight is when they do most of their work. They will keep an eye on this and try not to let this thing get out of hand overnight. Back to you. Keit do, thank you so much. We know at least one home has been destroyed in the fire. Lets show you the split screen on the left. This is the flames surrounding this house here. Today on the right, all that is left is debris and ash and the propane tank. The blaze also destroy this had small white outbuilding. The area around it is completely blackened. Here is more coverage with people that had to scramble to save themselves and their animals. Reporter yes, that is right, veronica. This is jen. She is a 26yearold rescue horse that when the flames and fire got a little too close for comfort last night had to be rescued yet again. For animal owners in the fast moving fire, the volunteers here in santa cruz have provided a refuge they are pets that need it and with it peace and mind. The last trailer came in. We got the horses situated and knowing they had food, walter, shelter and there water and shelter and there wasnt fire on the other side of the reasonably. It was really good. Reporter 15 horses were rescued in the dead of night as a wall of flames moved ever closer to his home. Loading horse in a dark trailer with flashlights and head lamps is difficult. We were fortunate that all the horses loaded easily with that. Reporter volunteers at the horse show grounds are caring for two dozen displaced horses. And there are also four apac can as and they are embracing for more animals. Every animal should plan what will they do . How will they get them out . Are the animals capable to get them out . How do you get them in a trailer. Reporter now, jordan says the horses were rescued once by him. Now the second time by an entire community. They have been through a lot of tough situations. They take it really well. We are really fortunate to have a good group of horses. Reporter as you can see some of the rescue horses are getting much needed exercise here tonight. Now, their owners say they are planning to stay here for the next couple of day, they say until the fire is either contained, or out, or until they at least have some confidence the wind wont shift and drive it back toward their house. Devi silvia, kpix 5 news. Take a look at this picture. The fire was taken last night from the santa cruz boardwalk. The orange glow of the fire rising over the mountain. And this is time lapse of the fire taken from our shows camera. Joints san jose camera. Giant plumes of smoke all through the sky. Yesterday flames came close to taking down a set of communications towers. Here is a quick recap of the latest numbers. The fire burned nearly 1,500 acres. It is only 5 contain this had hour. Nearly 300 homes in santa clara and santa cruz counties are being threatened. One structure has been destroyed there. More than 500 firefighters are out there fighting the fire. Air tangers and firefighters have tankers and firefighters have been fighting the flames from above. The firefighters have their hands full but there is good news as we take a look at chop chop live over the fire right now. Eather weather fficult cloudies of smoke have been filling the clouds of smoke have been filling the air all day but the temperatures have fallen into the 80s. Winds out of the northwest at the most 10 miles per hour. As has been pointed out, the lighter winds have helped out. This will help out, too. Temperatures will begin to cool after readings in the 90s inland today. Still 79 in santa rosa and 79 in mountain view. Look at what is on the way. Low pressure on the Pacific Northwest will bring on winds. It will be much, much cooler as we head into the latter half of the week. In fact, we may even get some rain. We will have details in the forecast a few minutes from now. Thank you, brian. The heat making it difficult for true crews to contain the saw mill fire in Sonoma County. Flames scorched nearly 1,500 acres there since sunday. It is 55 contained. No word yet on what start that had fire. And all the eastbound lanes on the eastbound san rafael bridge is finally reopened, nearly nine hours after a traffic nightmare wreck. A truck crashed into a guardrail and burst into flames. The rig was hauling 24 tons of contaminated soil from a construction site. No injuries were reported. And a driver share this is video on social media as he approached the wreck. You can see that giant plume of thick black smoke filling the air there from the lower deck. It took hours for crews to make sure the bridge sustained no significant damage and clean everything up. And here is video. You can see how difficult it was to get the charred big rig out. The frame of the rig was stuck to the bridge deck chp says. Drivers trying to avoid the bridge are stacked up on highway 101. Take a look at that. All the red arrows leading to highway 37. That is the other alternate route for people trying to head east. Testimony in a case against a pair of drifters charged with two bay area murders. Kpix 5s Mohammed Emwazi got out of emily turner got out of court. Reporter the prosecutions key witness, one the defense, took the stand. That is the attorney for lila olliegoods description of sean angles testimony today, the third suspect in the morin murder ofstein carter, deafing against olliegood and lamply as part of the plea deal. The prosecution would not talk on camera but argued against cameras in court for fear of angles safety. In his teary testimony he watched lamply shoot both audrey carrie, the canadian backpacker in golden park and steve in fairfax. During the cross examination, the defense went after angles testimony, highlighting all the times he lied to investigator, been on drugs and changed his story. Then sited his plea deal with the prosecution as a possible motive for more lies. Hoping those questions could plant a reasonable doubt in the future jurors mind about who actually pulled the trigger is there that is clearly the big lie, but everything else, all this isnt that he is talking about. He with out himself in a position and that is not the way it went down. To save his own neck . Of course. Reporter the preliminary hearing will resume friday at 10 00. In morin county, emily turper, kpix 5 news. Angle agreed to testify in exchange for a 15 year sentence but it is contingent on whether the prosecution believes the testimony is truthful. And i am len len. What would happen if a real jetliner caught on fire. Ahead, how this realistic training is making arrangements in the bay area safer. A bay area couple thought it was a halloween prank until they saw the guns. The husband describes the terrifying homes robbers pistol whipped him and shot his wife in their own driveway. And what the candidatesdy and didnt say, including name calling. Experts weigh in on the hidden maning in the images, coming up. When mexico sends its people. Theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists. Are you going to have a massive Deportation Force . Youre going to have a Deportation Force. Were rounding em up in a very humane way, in a very nice way. Were going to build a wall. Thats not america. Were all californians. Im tom steyer. Its time to speak out. Please, register. And vote. Vote. Nextgen California Action Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. Area safer. And its happening right in our backyard. Kpix 5s len ramirez gives us a closeup look at the simulation. From moffett field. [nats] fire on the runways at this aircraft is a mobile lifesized mock up of a jet liner, complete with passenger dummies inside and rigged with pumps and propane tanks to shoot flames from the wing, engines and fuselage. It is a big difference from squirting water out of a fire truck and pretending you are an aircraft fight her than being able fighter than being able to stand there and visualize what is actually going on. Reporter the san jose Fire Departments came in for the specialized training, part of a yearly requirement for hot training by the faa. Instead of making firefighters travel Cross Country to simulation sites, it comes to them, saving tax payers money. They get to use their own equipment which is beneficial. They could not be familiar with somebody elses equipment. They are working as a team. And here you are sending two or three firefighters on a fixed site but here we are training a whole shift. Reporter these firefighters may not actually see a actual event in their career, but if it happens in the bay area, the training will help save lives. Len ramirez, kpix 5 news. A new report found out violate crime in oakland is at its lowest rate in more than a decade. According to fbi Violent Crime dropped in oakland each year since 2013. Between this time last year to now it is down 9 . However, oakland was named the 9th most dangerous city in america with one of the highest robbery rates in the country. In orinda robbers shot a 70 yearold woman in the driveway of her home and pistol whipped the husband. They. Reporter attacked last night on claremont avenue. He told the reporter he thought the robbers were playing a prank. Jewels . Reporter veronica, they thought the robbers were playing a halloween prank because they were wearing halloween masks. The couple had just gotten back from the grocery store. They were outside the home when they were con fronted with the unexpected. We thought they were my son and buddy doing a prehalloween prank on us. Then i saw the guns and the guy said give it up. Reporter 63yearold tom spalding was pistol whipped in the driveway of his orinda home and his wife, 73yearold carol brown was shot twice in the shoulder and pelvis. She is still in the hospital. The suspects were wearing halloween masks, catching the couple offguard. Sort of shaken. Nobody expects this to happen. Reporter he gave up his wallet but was still pistol whipped. Carol thought it was a joke and was fighting to keep her purse but the suspect eventually got it and shot her twice before taking off. She is the Vice President of the orinda school board. The family has lived in this Quiet Community for more than 35 years. It is likely the suspects followed the couple home, police say, but they knew the neighborhood because they parked their car facing down the street because there is only one way in and one way out. This is very rare in orinda. Reporter the chief of police in orinda do you have any car or suspect description to go on . The neighbors obviously heard the shots and heard a vehicle leaving at a high rate of speed. That means engines revving and tires squealing. We are canvassing the area and looking for witnesses. Reporter the couples son was inside the house at the time. He heard the commotion but never would have suspected this. This is a whole black lives Matter Movement going on. It makes me think all lives matter. You dont really hear about stuff like this happening. Reporter and police are reviewing Surveillance Video in the neighborhood. The suspects have already used the victims credit cards which they put a hold on right now. As for carol, she is still in the hospital but her husband tells me she is diligently checking her emails because she has a job to do as school board Vice President. A homicide in san jose tops our bay area headlines. Police say a man was found stabbed to death in a filed behind an Apartment Building on gene avenue. The call came in at 10 20 this morning. No word on a motive or suspect. Two motorcyclists dies from injuries after crashing in separate races sunday at the Sonoma County fairgrounds. Identified as a 20yearold and 17yearold. The questions are now being raised online about the Safety Measures and track conditions at the event. Alameda county is getting a 1 million federal grant to help outfit officers with body camera, one of 106 national, state and local grants announced by the Justice Department this week for that purpose. The Foothill CommunityCollege District also received a 27,000 grant for police body cameras. And a sign that there is a change coming to our weather. Fog is now moving back into the bay area. Take a look at this time lapse video taken earlier today. That fog rolling in right over the bay. All right. Well, brian will tell us that is a lot of relief for folks, firefighters and folks inland . Yes. Really, first the coast, and then it will spread to everybody like thursday. Tomorrow more of a transition day but there is relief on the way so that is good news. Temperatures will come down as much as 25 degrees between instead and tomorrow night. So, that is probably a step in the right direction as we have a look outside right now. Another Vantage Point of the fog spreading through the bay. A beautiful shot here. The numbers we achieved. 100 degrees at morgan hill today. Concord 99. San jose was still 95. Along the shoreline the numbers really dropped. 71 in San Francisco. Look at half moon bay, the influence of the fog and low clouds offshore will keep the game moderate tonight. Dennis odonnell is there. He will have a live report in a few minutes. Game time will be 64 degrees. The low coming down from the Pacific Northwest as the High Pressure gives way and the pressure falls. In the futurecast you can see the bank of low clouds offshore. As we roll this along it is coming right through the gate. It is persistent much of the day. We wake up tomorrow morning with overcast skies over the peninsula and south San Francisco. It will pull back to the shoreline later in the day. It will be milder inland but definitely mild along the shoreline. The coast and bay fog tonight, near seasonal tomorrow and much cooler by late in the week. The forecast highs for tomorrow warm in the east bay, just not as warm as it has been. 87 at fairfield, 89 in concord, San Francisco 66. 64 in pacifica. In the extended forecast, finally we get a little breath of fresh air in the bay area. The warmest temperatures tomorrow about 90 degrees. Then they continue to drop until the weekend is only in the mid 70s inland. And the low 60s around the bay. That will be dramatic turn around. For the first time it is really going to feel like fall by the time we get to friday, saturday and sunday. There is a hint maybe of some rain sunday and monday. Okay. My goodness. I am wearing a white sun dress. I am trying to soak it all in before we get that rain. I hear you. All right. Brian, thank you. Wells fargo executives making hefty bonuses while employees and customers pay a hefty price. Now the plan to pay back millions over the fake acc