Updated: 8:23 PM PST Nov 8, 2024 THIS IS KCRA THREE NEWS AT NOON IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE DESTRUCTIVE MOUNTAIN FIRE CONTINUES TO GROW. THE LATEST IN THE FIGHT FOR FULL CONTAINMENT. PREPARING A NEW BATCH OF FIREFIGHTERS TO PROTECT AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY. WE’VE GOT AN INSIDE LOOK AT SAC METRO FIRE’S TRAINING ACADEMY AND THE TRANSITION BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE. NOW UNDERWAY FOR PRESIDENT ELECT DONALD TRUMP. HIS HISTORIC PICK FOR HIS CHIEF OF STAFF AND THOSE WHO COULD HOLD KEY POSITIONS IN HIS ADMINISTRATION. RIGHT NOW, AT NOON, THE CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD IS HOLDING A MEETING WHERE THEY’RE EXPECTED TO VOTE TO UPDATE THE STATE’S CLEAN AIR RULES. THEY’RE VOTING ON THE LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARD. IT’S AN EFFORT TO REDUCE EMISSIONS HERE IN CALIFORNIA. THE NEW STANDARDS ARE EXPECTED TO ADD TO THE PRICE OF GAS, BUT IT’S NOT CLEAR BY HOW MUCH. LAST YEAR, THE AIR RESOURCES BOARD ESTIMATED PRICES WOULD INCREASE BY $0.47 A GALLON. IT HAS SINCE WITHDRAWN THAT ESTIMATE. THE BOARD IS MEETING RIGHT NOW IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, AND OUR KCRA 3 CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT, ASHLEY ZAVALA, IS FOLLOWING THE MEETING FOR US. SHE’LL HAVE THE VERY LATEST COMING UP WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR VOTE LATER ON TODAY. AND THAT WILL HAVE THE LATEST ON THE KCRA THREE NEWS AT FOUR. TURNING NOW TO OUR WILDFIRE COVERAGE. THE MOUNTAIN FIRE BURNING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS NOW DESTROYED MORE THAN 130 STRUCTURES IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS. IT MOVED FAST. DOZENS OF OTHER STRUCTURES HAVE ALSO BEEN DAMAGED. THE FIRE STARTED WEDNESDAY MORNING. IT’S NOW GROWN TO MORE THAN. 20,600 ACRES. SOME POSITIVE NEWS CONTAINMENT IS NOW AT 7%. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, THOUGH, REMAIN EVACUATED RIGHT NOW, THEY’RE UNDER EVACUATION ORDERS. ONE VICTIM DESCRIBING THE HARROWING MOMENTS BEFORE FLEEING AN EVACUATION ZONE. ALL RIGHT. I HAD A BOX OF PICTURES. I WAS GOING TO WORK WITH, SO I HAD THAT TOGETHER. I DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF GETTING CLOTHES. YOU DON’T. I NOW UNDERSTAND WHEN PEOPLE SAY I ONLY HAD THE CLOTHES ON MY BACK. WELL, YOU JUST IT’S THE LAST THING YOU’RE THINKING OF WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING AROUND TRYING TO COLLECT VALUABLES, MEMORIES, THAT KIND OF THING. YEAH. THEY DIDN’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO ESCAPE. CAL FIRE IS REPORTING FIVE CIVILIANS AND ONE FIREFIGHTER HAVE BEEN INJURED IN THIS FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE MEANTIME, GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM IS TOURING SOME OF THE AREAS IMPACTED BY THE FIRE. YESTERDAY, HE DID THIS. NEWSOM HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR THE REGION, AND THAT WILL ENABLE FIRE VICTIMS TO GET FEDERAL ASSISTANCE. LET’S GO TO OUR KCRA 3 WEATHER AND METEOROLOGIST DIRK VERDOORN IS TRACKING THINGS FOR US HERE. WE DID HAVE SOME WIND EARLIER THIS WEEK, BUT THINGS SEEM TO BE CALMING DOWN. HOW IS THE SITUATION LOOKING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA? DIRK YES, LOOKING MUCH BETTER. LET’S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK. SATELLITE IMAGERY. YESTERDAY YOU SAW THAT PLUME OF SMOKE THAT WAS BEING PUMPED OUT OF VENTURA COUNTY. TODAY THERE’S NOT MUCH YOU CAN SEE. WE HAVE FAIRLY CLEAR CONDITIONS. SO WHILE THE FIRE STILL MAY BE GROWING, IT’S NOT GROWING NEARLY AS RAPIDLY AS WHAT WE SAW OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. SO ZOOMING IN TO WHERE WE HAVE THE WIND GUSTS RIGHT NOW. BETWEEN 10 TO 14MPH, AND WE STILL HAVE KIND OF A NORTHERLY MORE OF AN OFFSHORE BREEZE. BUT THAT’S EXPECTED TO SWITCH TO MORE OF AN ONSHORE BREEZE AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT FEW HOURS IN THE AFTERNOON. STILL VERY DRY CONDITIONS THOUGH. YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN HUMIDITY. 9%, 10%, 13%. THEN YOU GET TOWARDS THE COAST. WE’RE LOOKING AT 30 TO 43%. SO THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE. THAT SHIFT AS THAT AIR FROM THE COAST GETS PUSHED MORE INLAND, WE’LL SEE THOSE HUMIDITIES GO UP, AND THAT ALSO WILL HELP TO SLOW THE FIRE DOWN QUITE A BIT. SO CALM CONDITIONS IN OUR AREA, CURRENT TEMPERATURES RANGING IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S RIGHT NOW. EXPECT TO HAVE DAYTIME HIGHS WARMING INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON YOUR WEEKEND FORECAST COMING UP. NOW BACK OVER TO YOU, DIRK. THANK YOU. A NEW BATCH OF FIREFIGHTERS WILL SOON START PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY. SACRAMENTO METRO FIRE’S INTENSIVE TRAINING ACADEMY IS IN ITS FINAL WEEKS RIGHT NOW IN KCRA 3’S. MELANIE WINGO SHOWS US THE HANDS ON EXPERIENCE RECRUITS GET BEFORE THEY HEAD OUT TO FIGHT FIRES. ROLLING UP WITH LIGHTS AND SIRENS. A SACRAMENTO METRO FIRE ENGINE APPROACHES A BUILDING IN FLAMES. ON THE SECOND FLOOR, RIGHT UP THERE IN THAT WINDOW. THE SKILLS OF THE AGENCY’S NEWEST RECRUITS ON TRIAL WITH LIVE FIRE. THEY GET TO STRETCH A HOSE LINE OFF THERE, FORCING THE DOOR AND WORKING AS A TEAM. THEY’RE GOING TO ADVANCE THE LINE INSIDE. THEY’RE GOING TO KNOCK DOWN A FIRE. ANOTHER SET OF RECRUITS SIMULTANEOUSLY SEARCHING FOR VICTIMS INSIDE THE SIMULATED STRUCTURE. FIRE SCENARIO, CREATING VENTILATION POINTS, LEARNING BY DOING WHAT THEY WOULD ON A REAL FIRE CALL. THE FIRST IMPRESSION IS YOU’RE NERVOUS, JUST LIKE ANYBODY WOULD BE. MICHAEL DIBENEDETTO WAITING TO DO ALL OF THIS FOR A LONG TIME. I PURSUED IT SINCE THE TIME I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, NOT LETTING NERVES GET THE BETTER OF HIM. JUST HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN HEAD, TAKE A BREATH AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WHILE. IT IS WARM AND REAL FIRE. IT’S STILL A TRAINING ENVIRONMENT AND YOU’RE WELL TAKEN CARE OF. A CLASS OF 17 METRO FIRE RECRUITS LEARNING THE ROPES. THEY ALSO ALLOWED US TO TEST FIRSTHAND. HERE’S YOUR GIDDY UP AND PULL YOUR PANTS UP. THIS IS YOUR COAT. WEARING ALL THE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, PULLING A HOSE LINE TOWARD THE FIRE. THEN GETTING AFTER IT. THEY TRAIN YOU AND GIVE YOU ALL THE TECHNIQUES AND TRICKS THEY LEARNED. FIRE ATTACK AND SUPPRESSION TACTICS TAUGHT AT THIS ACADEMY BY VETERAN MEMBERS OF THE FIRE SERVICE. EVERYTHING THAT WE’RE DOING OUT HERE IS DESIGNED AROUND TRAINING OUR RECRUITS TO BE THE BEST OF THE BEST OUT THERE. OUR HOPE IS THAT WHEN THEY GO OUT, THEY HAVE THE CONFIDENCE AND THE SKILLS AND THEY’RE READY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC LESSONS. THE RECRUITS EXPLAIN ARE SINKING IN AND THAT THEY’LL ONE DAY PUT INTO PRACTICE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. YOU GET TO CONNECT WITH HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT OTHERWISE YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN. THE RECRUITS, REALIZING THE POWER OF HELPING THE PEOPLE OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY ON WHAT COULD BE THEIR MOST CHALLENGING OF DAYS. YOU CAN’T PUT THAT INTO WORDS. MELANIE WINGO KCRA THREE NEWS. METRO FIRE TRAINS ABOUT TWO WAVES OF FIREFIGHTER RECRUITS THROUGH THE ACADEMY EACH YEAR. THE CURRENT GROUP IS SET TO GRADUATE IN ABOUT A MONTH FROM NOW. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF THEM. WELL, MANTECA POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE WITNESSED A DEADLY HIT AND RUN. POLICE SAY A 40 YEAR OLD MAN WAS HIT AROUND 830 WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHILE WALKING ON EAST YOSEMITE AVENUE. WHEN OFFICERS GOT THERE, THEY FOUND THE INJURED MAN ON THE GROUND. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE HE LATER DIED. ANYONE WHO WITNESSED THE CRASH IS URGED TO CALL MANTECA POLICE. A DRIVER IS UNDER ARREST AFTER AN SUV SLAMMED INTO A HOME IN ELK GROVE LAST NIGHT. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO OF THAT SUV BEFORE CREWS PULLED IT OUT. THERE YOU CAN SEE IT PRETTY LODGED IN THERE. SOME SORT OF A FORD. IT ENDED UP HITTING A WALL IN THE BACK OF THE HOME. WE’VE LEARNED THAT WALL GOES TO THE GARAGE. NOW, THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 830 ON ARCHES WAY NEAR WHITE LOTUS WAY, JUST EAST OF FRANKLIN BOULEVARD. STREETS IN THE AREA WERE CLOSED WHILE CREWS WERE WORKING TO GET THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE HOME. OUR CREW ALSO CAPTURED THIS VIDEO OF SOME OF THE DAMAGE, AND IT APPEARS THE SUV WENT THROUGH A FENCE BEFORE SLAMMING INTO THAT WALL. THE VEHICLE DIDN’T GO INTO THE HOUSE, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF DAMAGE. YOU CAN SEE THERE. WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE FRAMING OF THE HOUSE. POLICE SAY THE DRIVER WAS ARRESTED FOR DUI AND HIT AND RUN. NO ONE WAS INJURED. TURNING NOW TO OUR ELECTION COVERAGE AND TODAY WE’RE EXPECTING AN UPDATE ON MANY STATE AND LOCAL RACES SO FAR, ELECTION OFFICIALS HAVE COUNTED 10.7 MILLION BALLOTS. THEY ESTIMATE THEY STILL HAVE MORE THAN 5 MILLION TO PROCESS. AND COUNT COUNTY ELECTION OFFICES HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 5TH TO REPORT OFFICIAL RESULTS TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE. SEVERAL COUNTIES IN OUR AREA ARE EXPECTED TO UPDATE THEIR VOTING DATA LATER THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH COULD ALSO IMPACT SOME CLOSE RACES THAT HAVEN’T BEEN CALLED YET, LIKE THE SACRAMENTO AND STOCKTON MAYORAL RACES AND TWO KEY CONGRESSIONAL RACES. WE’VE GOT MORE ELECTION COVERAGE ONLINE. YOU CAN FIND RESULTS FOR LOCAL AND STATE RACES, PROPOSITIONS AND MEASURES ON THE KCRA 3 APP AND KCRA DOT COM. WE’RE POSTING UPDATES AS SOON AS RESULTS COME IN. THE TRANSITION WORK IS UNDERWAY FOR DONALD TRUMP’S RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. THE PRESIDENT ELECT ANNOUNCING HIS PICK FOR CHIEF OF STAFF, KRISTEN WELKER, HAS MORE ON THE OTHER NAMES BEING FLOATED FOR KEY ROLES IN HIS ADMINISTRATION. REPORTER THIS MORNING, PRESIDENT ELECT DONALD TRUMP IS PREPARING FOR HIS HISTORIC RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, TELLING NBC NEWS HE BELIEVES HE HAS A MANDATE TO BRING COMMON SENSE BACK TO THE COUNTRY. HE SAID ONE OF HIS FIRST PRIORITIES TO MAKE THE BORDER STRONG AND POWERFUL. ASKED ABOUT HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO DEPORT MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, MR. TRUMP INSISTED HIS ADMINISTRATION WOULD HAVE, QUOTE, NO CHOICE. BUT HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST? THE PRESIDENT ELECT TELLING NBC NEWS THERE IS NO PRICE TAG. MR. TRUMP TOUTING HIS PLAN DURING HIS VICTORY SPEECH. THIS. WEEK. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEAL UP THOSE BORDERS, AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LET PEOPLE COME INTO OUR COUNTRY, BUT THEY HAVE TO COME IN LEGALLY. IT ALL COMES AS THE PRESIDENT ELECT BEGINS TO PUT THE PIECES IN PLACE FOR HIS NEXT ADMINISTRATION. GIGI COME, SUSIE, COME HERE WITH HIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER, SIOUXSIE WILES, SET TO SERVE AS CHIEF OF STAFF, A MOVE THAT WILL MAKE HER THE FIRST EVER WOMAN TO HOLD THE POSITION. MR. TRUMP PRAISING HER ON ELECTION NIGHT. SUSIE LIKES TO STAY SORT OF IN THE BACK. LET ME TELL YOU, THE ICE MAIDEN, WE CALL IT THE ICE MAIDEN. SUSIE LIKES TO STAY IN THE BACKGROUND. SHE’S NOT IN THE BACKGROUND. FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, MULTIPLE SOURCES TELL NBC NEWS, MR. TRUMP IS LOOKING AT MISSOURI SENATOR ERIC SCHMIDT, AS WELL AS MATT WHITAKER, WHO SERVED AT THE TOP OF THE DOJ IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION. THE PRESIDENT ELECT ALSO EYEING HIS HOME STATE SENATORS, INCLUDING SENATOR MARCO RUBIO, WHOSE NAME HAS BEEN FLOATED FOR SEVERAL TOP CABINET JOBS. DONALD TRUMP MAKES THAT DECISION AND HE MAKES GOOD DECISIONS ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR HIM. I’VE NOT TALKED TO THEM ABOUT IT. ONE CURRENT GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO SAYS HE’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN JEROME POWELL, WHOSE TERM RUNS UNTIL MAY OF 2026. IF HE ASKED YOU TO LEAVE, WOULD YOU GO? NO. THERE YOU HAVE IT. MEANTIME, THE JUDGE OVERSEEING TRUMP’S 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE CANCELING REMAINING COURT DEADLINES AFTER PROSECUTORS SAID THEY NEED TIME TO ASSESS THE APPROPRIATE COURSE GOING FORWARD. AFTER TRUMP’S VICTORY THIS WEEK, SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM HAS BEEN EVALUATING HOW TO WIND DOWN THE TWO FEDERAL CASES BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE IN LIGHT GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Your Email Address