news. it doesn't happen to you. there were flames coming out from inside. >> reporter: she says her neighbors had even worse. these are the skeletal remains of the gray family's home. they were celebrating a wedding anniversary. 50 people were evacuated as the flames climbed a nearby hill and burned alongside i-80 forcing it to briefly close. some people fought the flames with their own garden hoses. others could only watching their belongings destroyed. >> sometimes you just kind of get the perfect storm that things are aligned, the wind, the fuel, the homes are aligned. when that happens you just kind of get that cumulative effect. >> reporter: firefighters managed to knock down this portion of the fire quickly. you can see the charred ground and rising smoke before the fire was and how close it got to the freeway. a massive team of firefighters finally stopped the flames. this was 7 alarms. jennifer says that may be the only reason why her home is still standing. >> i'm greatful that we're still alive,. >> reporter: christin ayers, kpix 5. >> one man who lost his home is thankful for firefighters. he told reporter steve large yesterday about the rescue of two of his most prized possessions. >> reporter: i spoke to one of the residents. firefighters grabbed a couple of important precious mementos off his hallway wall. one of them was this american flag that was handed to him on the day of his retirement. another picture of his daughter and his son dressed in military uniforms. firefighters went in as his home was on fire. they grabbed them off the wall and gave it to him. they had been saved. darrell israel very thankful for firefighters' efforts tonight. in fairfield, steve large, kpix 5. cooler temperatures and higher humidity will give firefighters in yosemite a better chance to battle the "rim" fire, still only 20% contained 11 days after it started. this morning, 5500 buildings are threatened most of them homes. crews are working to keep the flames from burning in three mountain towns on highway 108 in the sierra now. 4500 people in those communities are ready to leave at any time. kpix 5's ken bastida is in tuolumne city. >> reporter: these flames are pushing deeper into yosemite national park. the main tourist areas remain unaffected but the fire is erratic. michael williams is on the "rim" fire command team. >> when you get a fire that's this massive and you start to get these different columns in different areas, fire creates its own wind so when you get the heated plume that's developing when it settles back down on the fire what it does is actually spreads the fire in different directions. >> reporter: the fire has now reached the shores of the hetch hetchy reservoir which provides water to millions of people in the bay area. ash could get into the water and contaminate it. so far it's in no immediate danger. crews soaked the ground to protect some 2,000-year-old sequoias but their biggest battle is still near mountain communities where 4500 homes are threatened. samantha smith has been living at a red cross shelter since fleeing her home last week. >> if you were standing on my front porch, you would be looking at the flames right now if my front porch is still there. >> reporter: you don't know whether the home is still standing? >> no, we don't know if it's there or not. >> reporter: smith is 7 months pregnant and had just assembled her baby's crib. >> he is due in only two months so not knowing if i'll have his crib or any of thinks things is hard. >> reporter: in tuolumne city, ken bastida kpix 5. >> you can track where the fires are burning and the communities being threatened with our interactive fire maps. just go to kpix.com/fire. >> we are always turning to the weather to see what's happening. >> they are getting more of that onshore push. they are getting higher humidity. that's keeping the temperatures from getting too hot and also helping to suppress the fire. i think that will continue for today. looks like around the bay area we have thick fog settling in outside. visibilities down to a quarter mile in some parts of the north bay. you can see out over the bay now you have thick fog and drizzle. temperatures now in the 50s and low 60s. toward the afternoon the good news is if you want some sunshine, the low clouds and fog going to peel back to the coastline and then we're looking pretty good. still still it is pressing onshore right now but by the afternoon becoming mostly sunny away from the immediate coastline. 88 degrees in livermore. 88 concord. and 68 degrees in san francisco. let's check the roads with elizabeth. thank you, lawrence. and out to the bay bridge toll plaza, you can get all nostalgic. this is your last morning commute to travel on the old eastern span of the bay bridge. of course, it closes at 8:00 tonight. right now, no big delays over at the toll plaza and they are doing some roadwork out there for the next 25 minutes midspan towards san francisco various lanes blocked until about 5:00 this morning. more overnight roadwork in the east bay this time and down the nimitz. northbound and southbound 880 as you approach the downtown oakland exits and it is causing a bit of a delay. usually they wrap that up on time usually around 5:00 this is morning. and the san mateo bridge nice flow out of hayward, no delay, 13 minutes between 880 and foster city. that is the latest from the traffic center. back to you. happening today, it's your last chance to drive across the old bay bridge forever. tonight at 8:00 it closes. the new bridge will open on tuesday at the latest. it may open sometime monday night. kpix 5's brian webb took to the streets to find out if people know about tonight's closure. >> reporter: hey, did you hear? the bay bridge is he is althoughing. but with only one day to go there are plenty of people who don't know. talking to people about the bridge. now what's going on this week with the bridge? >> no. >> reporter: nothing? the bay bridge. >> uhm -- >> they are closing the bay bridge. >> oh, they're closing it? oh, okay. >> reporter: people who kind of know. >> i was aware that they were closing the bridge. i'm not aware of the exact hours they are closing. >> reporter: and people who really don't care. >> where i'm going is on this side of the bridge so i don't worry about it too much. >> reporter: for months, you could hardly miss the messages on see past the signs. it's the biggest bridge news the bay area has seen since the last bridge closing. >> signs everywhere and on the highway. >> reporter: the old bridge will close tonight after rush hour and reopen either monday afternoon or tuesday morning with the new bay bridge. and we hope you heard that. >> shocking that people don't know. >> going to avoid it entirely. >> the last drive across the bridge will be pretty memorable. bob faber in his 1930 model a was hand-picked to be the last car across the bridge because it was one of the first to cross the bridge in 1936. bob will be back in the same car to drive across the new span when it opens. to help you get around while the bridge is closed we have a survival guide on kpix.com/bridge. police are releasing more photos from a smash-and-grab burglary at a tiffany store in walnut creek. the suspects caught on camera at a nearby parking lot right before the burglary. police say they were riding in three vehicles possibly used in the crime. seen here is the white sheriffry blazer new looking black cadillac sedan, plus a stolen white pickup truck which was used to ram into the downtown store in walnut creek in the early hours of august 15. the crooks smashed display cases and got jewelry but didn't get the valuable pieces in the store vault. a construction worker was hilled at part martin luther king middle school in berkeley while incoming students were at orientation yesterday. authorities say the 62-year-old worker was laying asphalt for a new track when was hit and killed by a big rig. his name has not yet been released. classes begin today. san jose is now the largest city in the country to ban styrofoam food containers. the city council voted 9-2 in favor of the ban yesterday. the containers will be phased out in large restaurants by january 1 of next year. all other restaurants will have to stop using them by january 1 of 2015. governor brown proposes a new solution to the state's prison population problem. in a press conference yesterday, brown proposed the $135 million plan that would send inmates to private prisons. the plan is in response to the federal court order to significantly reduce the number of inmates crowding california's prisons. >> this is not an issue of how many people should be in our prison only. it's how many people will pledge not to commit crimes that would get them back in. >> the proposed plan could reach a price tag of some $700 million over the next two years with the majority of the money coming from the state's reserve fund. time now 4:40. imagine having three billion dollars in cash that you can't use. that's what happened to the federal reserve after the mint messed up. plus -- >> my poor little children, one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of of their character. >> his dream lives on. the president and the nation marking the 50th anniversary of martin luther king, jr.'s "i have a dream" speech. needs. this labor day, don't invest in a mattress until you visit a sleep number store. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our biggest sale of the year, every bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and through labor day only, save 50% on our limited edition memory foam mattress sets. only at a sleep number store. momentum is building for wen military action against syria. the secretary of defense says he's just waitg for the green light from the president, to attack syria: "...{sot} reporter: if the r comes, you're ready like that? {sot developing overnight momentum is building for a military strike against syria. the secretary of defense is waiting for the president to give the okay to attack syria. >> if it were to come you're ready to go like that? >> we are ready to go like that. >> the united states-led intervention stems from the belief that president bashar assad's government is responsible for last week's chemical attack. at least 30 civilians many women and children were killed. kpix 5's sharon chin walks us through what a united states attack might look like. >> reporter: the pentagon has moved 4 destroyers into the eastern mediterranean. each of the destroyers carries about 40 cruise missiles. a satellite guided weapon that carries 1,000-pound warhead has a range of 1,000 miles or more and an accuracy to within about 15 feet. standard procedure would be for the ships to fire an opening alvo at night wait for satellites to assess the damage and rehit any targets that were not destroyed, a process that could take a few days. before the u.s. acts, it plans to publicly reveal some of the intelligence which vice president joe biden says proves who was to blame for the mass casualties. >> there's no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in syria. the syrian regime. >> reporter: the british parliament will hold an emergency session thursday to vote on a motion authorizing military action. although president obama has not yet made a final decision, u.s. officials expect the strike to begin soon after that. sharon chin, kpix 5. >> it's important to note the white house has said it will not use any military strike to try to oust the current syrian president. "new york times" website is still down now hours after it was hacked. a group calling itself the syrian electric army claims they are behind the website attack. the group supports the syrian government. this is the second time in a month the "times" website has been hacked. today marks 50 years since martin luther king, jr. proclaimed his dream of a world where racism and inequality did not exist. this is a live look at the memorial built in his honor. and today the nation remembers his speech and reflects on the progress made toward fulfilling his dream. susan mcginnis is in washington, d.c. >> i have a dream -- >> reporter: 50 years ago today, martin luther king, jr. stood on the steps of the lincoln memorial and delivered a speech that would go down in american history. >> my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. i have a dream today! >> reporter: today, as many as 20,000 people are expected to fill the national mall to hear tributes to dr. king. felicia farrell came from massachusetts to be part of it. >> i'm hoping that we can reignite that spark. >> reporter: in 1963, the march here was about equality and most would agree there has been progress in the last 50 years. but many believe dr. king's dream is not a reality. >> if dr. king was here, i'm quite sure he would say, congratulations on all the progress that's been made but let's keep going. the dream is not achieved yet. >> reporter: president obama said the march 50 years ago was about more than justice, it was also about jobs. >> we have done nothing on poverty. in fact, there are more people in poverty now than there were when dr. king made the speech 50 years ago. >> reporter: and the president promises one thing about his speech today. he says, it won't be as good as the one delivered 50 years ago. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. >> other speakers today including presidents clinton and carter, congressman john lewis and members of dr. king's family. i sat down with a man who was there for that legendary speech. how mlk's speech inspired him to affect countless lives in the bay area. that's coming up in a little bit. and we all know who he is. >> there we go. hey, mr. weatherman. >> good morning, guys. good to see you today. a lot of fog around the bay area this morning very thick in spots. got to watch out for that out the door. we have some dense fog especially in the north bay valley. we have patchy, dense fog elsewhere and drizzle along the coastline. temperatures in the 50s and the 60s now but by the afternoon, what a beautiful day it's going to be. temperatures near seasonal inland. you will see upper 80s in the warmest spots. plenty of 60s and 70s and sunshine inside the bay. a mix of sun and clouds out towar the coastline. near seasonal today. very mild temperatures as you approach the bay and toward the coastline. still with that in mind, if you are headed out the door today, that fog very thick early on especially in some of the north bay valleys this morning. visibilities down to a quarter mile in santa rosa. by the afternoon that begins to lift and pull back to the coast. lots of sunshine in the bay and many of the valleys. so some nice weather ahead for today and these temperatures going to look good too. 81 degrees very comfortable into san jose. 76 in fremont. 83 degrees in palo alto. 60s toward the coastline. 88 degrees in livermore and brentwood and antioch. those will be some of the warmest spots, 86 san ramon. inside the bay 60s and 70s. over the next few days no major changes. probably the warmest day going to be on friday. then the weekend comes getting ready for the holiday, the trough moves in, clouds are on the way and some much cooler temperatures. now let's check the roads with elizabeth. thank you, lawrence. this is where we sent our trusty photographer to trimble. he often gives us traffic shots along 101 at this time of the morning if you tend to watch us and here he is again showing us live look near that exit. as you can see, northbound and southbound 101 moving at the limit if you are heading towards santa clara 101 traffic moving fine this morning. let's go to our maps and check some of the road sensors. westbound four looks good off the antioch bridge and continuing towards "a" street and look at that all green on the sensors all the way towards 242 and concord. westbound 580 coming through the altamont pass no big delays there either a few brake lights in the eastbound direction but commute looks good towards the dublin interchange. this is one of our slower drive times. it's because of that overnight roadwork still in lanes. it should all wrap up shortly after 5:00 or right around there. it's northbound this morning between 23rd and broadway and that's why that drive time 23 minutes or so between san leandro and the macarthur maze. if you are heading towards the dublin interchange, all those headlights as you can see starting to get crowded now heading towards 680 but it still moves well towards the castro valley y and the drive time is still in the clear. that is the latest from your "timesaver traffic" center. back to you. 4:49 now. a much loved fountain near union square will stay put after all. apple submitted this new design for its flagship store it wants to build at post and stockton streets. the original design meant the fountain had to go. people weren't happy. the fountain was going to be removed to make way for the new building but the backlash prompted appear toll make some changes. they did -- prompted appear toll make some changes. they did make changes and it will just move a few feet away. the designer of the fountain died. much of her work is on display throughout the bay area. wall street is worried about the possibility of the united states taking military action against syria. traders are concerned about instability in the middle east and a possible disruption of oil supplies. the dow dropped to a two-month low yesterday losing 170 points. the nasdaq closed 79 points lower. walmart employ release have a new benefit next year. the retailer is extending health insurance benefits to include the domestic partners of employees. it says the move is to create one uniform policy for all 50 states. walmart is the single largest u.s. employer aside from the federal government. the united states mint is having problems printing the new $100 bill. the tamper resistant redesign includes 3-d and color changes. the bill keeps getting botched up. the first batch had a blank spot. now excess ink is a big problem am. >> ironically it appears not to be any of those advanced security features themselves which are causing the problem. it's the way the paper that they are using is responding to the weight of the printing press. >> the latest bad batch included about $3 billion worth of cash at more than 12 cents a pop that adds up quickly $4 million. time now 4:51. it looks like snow in the middle of las vegas. what loft behind mounds of foam in the vegas suburbs. >> and don't feed the wildlife. the reason behind the new ban considered for a bay area city. ,,,,,,,, people go to a mattress store and essentially they just get sold something. this labor day, don't invest in a mattress until you visit a sleep number store. when we actually lower the sleep number setting to get the sleep number bed to conform to them, it's amazing the transition that you see with people. -oh, that feels really good. it's hugging my body. they just look at you like you cured all the problems they've ever had. we hear it all the time: "i didn't know a bed could feel like this." oh yeah. at our biggest sale of the year, every sleep number bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and for one week only, save an incredible 50% on the sleep number limited edition memory foam mattress sets but only through labor day! the sleep number bed is more than just a mattress. you sleep on it, you'll understand. don't miss the biggest sale of the year on the bed that can change your life. the sleep number bed. special offer ends labor day. only at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized. some. it looks like snow... in the middle of au! but it's actually foam -- ms eftover this white stuff piling up in las vegas may be shocking to some. it looks like snow. it's the middle of august in vegas. it's mounds of foam. the leftover fire retardant used on a recent fire has been spewing out of storm drains after a torrential rainstorm. >> quite a fire. don't feed the wildlife. one bay area city is pushing for a new ban now. kiet do shows us it's because, get this the birds are getting too stressed out. >> reporter: after decades of feeding the birds there's no polite way to say it. palo alto's famous duck pond is more like a poop pond. >> raised here. i have been here my whole life so it's kind of like to ban it is to take the whole experience away and like, you know, you can come here and watch the birds but to feed them it takes the whole experience away. >> reporter: the area is covered in bird droppings. it is everywhere! and with it comes bacteria, water that's filthy with algae, and sick animals. these birds are supposed to eat plants and insects and shellfish and then do their business outside of here. the problem, when people feed them, is that they poop where they eat. >> if you stop feeding them, will there still be ducks there? >> reporter: tonight the palo alto planning commission voted 7-1 to tell the city council to forbid people from feeding wild animals in city parks and open space areas. the fine would be $250. the commission says the birds attract predators and transmit disease. and staffers say all that fighting over the human food stresses the birds out. >> but when you throw down a piece of bread and 50 ducks climb into the same square inch chasing it that's the abnormal part. anywhere in nature you don't get that feeding frenzy. >> reporter: john watts and his family fed the birds 10 loaves of bread and a cooler of bread. >> i grew up all my life doing and my gratinees grew up doing it. this is one of our activity times that we have. >> i have been doing it since i was 6. i enjoy it. if you get fined for it, it's sad. it's very depressing. >> reporter: in palo alto, kiet do, kpix 5. >> the full palo alto city council will vote on the ban later this year. i lived on a lake in new hampshire. and you learn quickly if you feed the ducks, they keep coming back. and they leave their little friends with them. too. a new york city zoo is debuting one of its newest most rare residents. this energetic snow leopard is only 4 months old. born to his mother maya on april 9th at a zoo in the bronx. visitors coming to see the baby are looking at one of the most endangered cats. it's estimated only 7500 remain in the wild. the cub's father was rescued from northern pakistan after being orphaned. >> he is going to be a big kitty. >> cute. 4:56. coming up, preparing for a commuter chaos. what you need to know about the bay bridge closure tonight. >> reporter: a seven-alarm fire in fairfield burns two homes and damages several others. we are live with the aftermath. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, burning out- of-control the yosemite fire is expected to we're live in fairfield where a seven-alarm fire left several families homeless. we'll bring you the details in a live report. >> burning out of control, the yosemite fire is expected to grow today. why the flames are so unpredictable. >> low clouds and fog are back and it's very thick around the bay area today. what about the afternoon? we'll talk about it coming up. >> and bart is running on time. 35 trains all on schedule. coming up, a check of your bay area bridges. >> good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, august 28. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. nearly 5:00 now on your wednesday. right now, fire crews are keeping watch over a neighborhood devastated by a fast-moving fire nearly a half dozen homes are gone on marigold drive in fairfield. kpix 5 reporter cate caugiran is in fairfield where the homes were destroyed. she joins you with the latest. cate, good morning. >> reporter: frank, i want to just give you a look over here so you can see one of the those homes that was completely destroyed. you're just looking at a skeleton of a garage there all of it completely charred out. this is one of the six homes either damaged or destroyed in that massive fire. as you mentioned, firefighters have been here overnight keeping a close eye to make sure there are no signs of flare-ups. now, here's some shots from our kpix 5 chopper. it took minutes for these flames to turn up marigold drive into an inferno. the fire started in the grass near interstate 80 just around 3:40 yesterday afternoon. firefighters got on the scene quickly but mother nature worked against them. wind that fanned those flames carried it to the nearby homes. >> sometimes you get the perfect storm that things are aligned. the wind is aligned, the fuel is aligned, the homes are aligned. and when that happens, you just kind of get that cumulative effect. >> reporter: about 50 people in the area were told to leave their houses. some of them watched helplessly as their homes burned in the fire. that fire forced two lanes of eastbound