in the news this monday morning, investigators begin shipping pieces of the pipeline at the center of the san bruno explosion back to washington for testing. more residents come forward to say they saw and smelled evidence of natural gas in the days leading up to the last. >> dozens of evacuees were returning to their homes some not knowing what they'd find after the explosion. >> investigators ordered pg&e to begin immediate inspections of all their natural gas pipelines in california. >> a live look at the bay bridge this morning. no drizzle, no rain. not too much fog to contend with but we have cooler weather on the way. i'll tell you how far we'll drop. >> a live shot at the bay bridge toll plaza showing no delays but i'll have an update on the streets in san bruno as well as 101 on the peninsula coming up.

>> good monday morning. 4:30 a.m.. thank you so much for joining us. i'm eric thomas. >> i'm kristen sze. let's begin with the latest developments on the san bruno fire at 4:30. the casualty count stands at four confirmed dead and four others still missing. two missing residents were located yesterday safe and sound. ntsb investigators are taking the ruptured section of pipe now to washington d.c. where it will be reconnected on both ends from sections removed from the crater. they have ordered pg&e to immediately step up inspections of its gas pipeline system statewide and this morning at 10:00, the owners of 48 red tagged homes deemed unsafe will get further instructses how to proceed with disaster assistance. >> the investigation so far has not determined just how the fire ignited or what might have caused the pipeline to leak before the blast. allen wang reports on federal investigators who need firsthand accounts details the blast site

both before and immediately after the initial explosion. >> mtsb investigators are turning their attention to the anatomy of the explosion. the 28 foot section of pipe launched 100 feet by the impact was carefully removed today. the answers could lie in the torn metal and the crater at ground zero measuring half the length of a football field. >> we don't know at this point whether there was a weld failure, impact from previous construction. >> investigators are interested in hearing from people who can tell them when and where they smelled gas prior to the explosion. >> had we begun able to confirm the rumors about people claiming they smell gas and called it in? no, we have not been able to do that. >> pg&e says it has no reports of a gas leak since the beginning of the month item when i smelled it, it was once in a while, say three, almost four

weeks ago. >> the ntsb also wants to look at any amateur video and would like to know about the area before it exploded. >> one of the systems of the gas leak is the vegetation dies. we have reports of dead vegetation, that's suspicious. >> you know trees. >> jesse says the american hawthorn tree that once stood across from the pipeline was ailing. >> this time of the year, the tree wilting. it should be changing color. it should really have red berries. >> investigators are looking into the recent repair of a sewage pipe that ran next to line 132. >> that will be one of the things we will look at in terms of the insulation and maintenance and repair of the sewer pipe since it's in the immediate vicinity of this gas pipe. >> each piece of information will piece together a bigger

picture how this became the worst natural gas line disaster in pg&e's 105 year history. allen wang. >> the california public utilities commission is ordering pg&e to inspect all 5,000 miles of its gas pipelines statewide. it's also calling on the utility to explain procedures responding to gas leaks. the bay citizen report that the a 2009 pg&e assessment determined a natural gas line running between livermore and sunol is the highest risk pipeline in the bay area. a four-mile stretch in fremont is the second most at risk. the risk based on the likelihood of a pipe failure. >> dozens of residents have been allowed to return home. many have not. at 10:00 this morning san bruno officials will meet with those

with homes red-tagged because of serious damage. >> good morning, eric. we are at glenview drive just a couple blocks away from the blast area. yesterday people whose homes were green-tagged were allowed back into their homes to stay and those people whose homes were yellow-tagged were able to go back into their homes and collect their belongs and go back to where they were staying waiting for further instructions. but for many people who have been without homes and not able to sleep in their own beds for four days, they're real happy that tonight they're sleeping at home. >> my biggest concern is my six-year-old and making sure that she's okay and comfortable. she hasn't been sleeping very good the last couple nights. and, you know, the -- just small noises and different things. >> other people went to find homes -- their homes with minor damage. those people with homes yellow-tagged were again only allowed to collect their belongs

and leave and told to return sometime later. this morning at 10:00 at the san bruno senior center there will be a meeting between authorities and those people whose homes are red-tagged. it's at 1555 crystal springs road. there authorities will tell those people whose he homes were red-tagged exactly what waits in their future. live in san bruno, abc 7 news. >> thomas, thanks a lot. 4:36. san bruno officials say two of six people previously reported missing have been located. that leaves four people still unaccounted for. that includes three members of the bollist family. they fear levon, gregory and william died in the fire. the fourth missing person has not been publicly identified. >> federal regulators were told the financial stability could be damage claims. pg&e says it carriless nearly a billion dollars in fire

insurance but there's concern within the company that may not be enough. past pipeline accidents have resulted in pg&e paying damages of up to $200 million, but those occurred in sparsely populated areas. since this disaster resulted in fatalities in a highly populated area, it could drive the liability many higher. their stock price will be watched closely. it's $44.21 a share after plunging $4 or 8% on friday. >> the san francisco giants will dedicate their next home game tomorrow night to the victims of the san bruno fire and $3 from every ticket sold will be donated to the city of san bruno fund. the giants are in a virtual tie for first place after beating the padres in san diego yesterday. a capacity crowd is expected when the l.a. dodgers visit at&t park tomorrow night. the giants will honor the fire victims in a special pre-game ceremony and also collect donations from fans attending the game.

the red cross says it's not accepting anymore clothing, blankets or similar donations for the fire victims. it recommends items be dropped off at the salvation army or good will. if you wanted to help fire victims through the red cross, the best way is make a cash donation and you can do that online or by phone. >> we have a number of resources regarding the san bruno fire on our website. you'll find the status of homes, youreport videos and a tour of devastation along with ways you can help the victims. all that on abc7news.com. >> 4:38. at least for the investigators and folks heading home for the first time, the weather hasn't played a factor this weekend. >> no. in fact it was cooler this morning as we headed outside. >> especially inland. that cool weather is spreading into our inland neighborhoods. if you're leaving the house now -- good morning by the way -- low to mid-50s in most

other neighborhoods. antioch 57. there you can see the cooler weather in east bay valleys and south bay, 16 degrees cooler than yesterday but around the bay and to the north, actually about 1 to 5 degrees warmer. this after60s, low to mid-60s san francisco and san mateo to santa cruz. low to mid-70s from fremont, palo alto, into the south bay and all through the north bay valleys with mid to upper 70s in the east bay valleys. kind of cloudy and 59 at half moon bay. temperatures rise tuesday, wednesday, probably the warmest day thursday. a little cooling trend with more clouds on the way and we're still watching that system. it's going to be parked off the oregon coast for the weekend. it's going to spit out some rain. it's just will it make it far enough south to get into the north bay. right now there's a chance. let's turn it over to frances, find out about your monday morning commute.

>> starting off much better this morning. there was a fatal accident yesterday that tied up traffic in both directions all day. that was a mess. everything is open now. and also northbound 101 as you make your way from oyster point boulevard up to candlestick you may find lanes blocked for overnight road work. also in san bruno, sneed lane has been reopened near that neighborhood that was devastated by the explosion. and we'll head to eastbound 4 where lanes will be blocked until 11:00 this morning between willow pass road out to bailey. eric, kristen. >> hopefully we'll stay uneventful this morning. thanks. >> a wildfire forces evacuations in the central valley. up next, the battle firefighters are facing today. >> also the vicious dog attack that forced some fairfield neighbors to opopopopopopopopopp

>> good morning. it's 4:42. downtown san francisco you can see we've got some clouds, a little fog to start our morning. we'll check with mike in a little to see how temperatures are going to run and check with frances and get your latest traffic. >> fire crews in hern county are containing a wildfire that's charred 2,000 acres or three square miles. it forced the evacuation of a pair of campground. the u.s. forest service says 350 firefighters are battling the blaze which started in rugged terrain yesterday. it's 7 miles west or 25 miles east of bakersfield. they say highway 178 has been closed. there were no reports of any injuries and the fire was not burning near homes. >> two fairfield women remain hospitalized recovering from vicious attacks by three large dogs that got lose friday morning. jenelle dawson was taking her jog on green valley road when she suddenly came face-to-face with three aggressive dogs

running as a pack. neighbors saw the woman be mauled by all three dogs. police say he saved the woman's life by grabbing his handgun and shooting the biggest dog, a full massive, much like the one you see in this photo. >> shot him in the head from about 20 feet away. and apparently just knocked him out. >> the other two dogs ran down the street where they briefly attacked a second woman until another neighbor shot them with his gun. police say they have no problem with the use of guns to save lives. saved two lives here but police are consulting with the solano county district attorney about possible charges against the dog's owner. >> it's 4:44. still ahead, freedom may be near for a u.c. berkeley graduate held captive in iran. next why the news is not so positive for her two companions. >> the announcement expected on the next america's cup. bay area sailing enthusiasts will be listening carefully.

>> h. p.

>> welcome back. 4:47 on this monday. warm in the pacific northwest. seattle 71, portland 78. east coast, atlanta 88, 83 d.c. light humidity. 67 boston. phoenix 103. as far as delays, we have them into dulles this morning and could have possible delays denver, minneapolis, boston and new york this afternoon so check our flight tracker. it's waiting for you at abc7news.com. here's kristen with more news. eric. >> yeah, it's hard to tell us apart, i understand. 4:47 now. berkeley graduate sarah shore, one of the three american hikers held in iran for a year, could be released as early as today despite the fact an apparent struggle in iran's leadership has put her freedom in doubt.

>> the good news came on iranian's television. teheran's chief prosecutor said sarah shore would be free due to her health provided she pay half a million dollars in bail. >> obviously hopeful and encouraged by this news but there have been stops and starts in this before and until that actually happens, you know, we're on a wait and see basis. >> the long ordeal for shore and her two travel campaigns, josh and shane, began july 31st, 2009, when they were arrested for allegedly crossing the border into iran and accused of being spies. in may the iranian government allowed the three a joyful reunion with their mothers. until sunday their lawyer had never met them. he reports they were all in high spirits and he said he's hoping to get all of them released on bail. mahmoud ahmadinejad personally lobbed for shore's fremont only to have the judiciary delay her release, then add the bail demand. u.s. officials insist the bail

money will not come from the american government and it's unclear about shore will be pressured to return to iran for trial. >> i'm sure it will weigh heavily on her if they do ask for her to come back. nobody wants to think that two people's lives depend on them returning to the country. >> shore's expected release is clouded by the continued imprisonment of her two friends who may soon stand trial for illegally entering the country, an offense punishable up to ten years behind bars. dubai. >> it's 4:49. america's cup organizers in spain are scheduled to make several announcement in the next hour regarding the year the regatta will be held. their indications, the 34th america's cup race will be held in 2013 and not 2014 because world cup soccer and the winter olympics that year could affect sponsorship. larry ellison and his bmw oracle

racing team won america's cup last february. the venue of the next race is not expected to be announced until the ends of the year. the leading contenders are, of course, san francisco, valencia and rome. >> time now 4:50. cooler monday morning. check with mike for a look at our forecast. >> that continues from yesterday because saturday was really warm. >> yeah. a drop around the bay and the coast yesterday. pretty warm inland. you'll get your cooling today. free air conditioning moving all throughout our neighborhoods. good morning to you on this monday. it's 4:50. you can see the clouds dancing over downtown san francisco as we look from our roof cam. pretty much almost due south. those clouds not much mist or drizzle has been falling from them. but they are a sign that the marine layer is back and even stronger than yesterday and it's going to bring that cooling to all of our neighborhoods. right now everybody in green so everybody's in the 50s from the low to mid-50s in the north bay valleys to the mid to upper 50s

around bay in our inland valleys in the east bay. monterey bay, temperatures running in the mid-50s. either 53 or 54. 54 monterey, get through that line and you're 53 in gilroy. let's talk highlights. afternoon sunshine in that cooling breeze. if you live near one of the east to west facing -- or west to east -- valleys you're going to have a lot of wind funnel through there during the afternoon hours. cloudy, may be drizzle at the coast. most part dry and warmest afternoons wednesday, thursday and friday as that system draws near for that possible rain this weekend that's going to drop our temperatures a little. cloud cover, you see over the san francisco bay and down around the monterey bay. not quite as thick in the santa clara valley but it is moving into your neighborhoods right now. you see by noon most of us back to the bay. and the coast. our inland valleys clearing out. by 2:00 the bay also clears out

but the coast just a limited amount of sunshine. 60s throughout the coast and into the bay. 70s pretty much dominate most of our inland valleys. in fact, hardly any found, if at all. we'll be close in brentwood, 79. along the east bay shore, mid-60s to richmond to upper 60s san leandro and low to mid-70s to union city, castro valley. in the south bay milpitas with the cool spot 71. san jose, cupertino to 76 in campbell, saratoga. on the peninsula, mid to upper 60s dominate most neighborhoods. near 70 palo alto. upper 50 to near 60 along the coast today. downtown south san francisco low to mid-60s with pockets of sunshine. as we head through the north bay valleys from novato north, low to mid-70s. monterey bay, mid to upper 60s for the most part. monterey 61. mid-70s gilroy and hollister. the cloud cover again, tonight extensive. upper 40s napa and santa rosa.

the rest of us mid-50s. seven-day forecast, warm two degrees tomorrow, another two wednesday and another one on thursday. temperatures close to average before the clouds get thicker and that cool breeze comes off the ocean for the weekend. here's frances. >> just got word of a major delay on bart. reporting a major delay in millbrae and sfo heading out towards san francisco and the east bay so we'll keep you updated on that. if you're driving, here's a live shot of the san mateo bridge. 101 looking good in san mateo. there was a fatal accident yesterday that tied things up but everything has been reopened there. and also we'll go out to another live shot for you, this time heading through 680 in walnut creek. southbound traffic there on the right-hand side is quiet right now as you make your way southbound whether you're heading through the san ramon valley or you make your way westbound 24 to the caldecott tunnel. so far no major accidents reported around the bay area so

it's looking pretty good but, of course, you can find out if that changes by going to our website, abc7news.com. the place to go. you'll find it under the bay area traffic link. eric, kristen. >> thanks a lot. hewlett-packard may be close to another major acquisition. the "wall street journal" says the computer giant is nearing a deal to by cupertino's art site for $1.5 billion. a week after they successfully outbid dell for a company for about $2 billion. they make security software for business and government network. >> the cream of the crop is in san francisco for a start of a two-day conference for apps on your smart phones. it's called app nation and it's the first of its kind convention devoted solely to those bits of software that launch services on your hand held deviceless without using a web browser. millions of developers are trying to cash in around the world. 800 are in town today for the

convention. experts say apps which are used on i-phones, blackberry's and android phones brought in $4.(100) 000-00$4.1 billion dollars last year. that's expected to triple by 2012. >> an event to reveal new and sometimes revolutionary technology. our richard hart has a sneak peek. >> recognize anyone? the computer does. that's what it's doing with the white squares that frame the faces in the crowd. the crowd is attending the silicon valley equiv lint of a movie premier, intel development forum and the camera is designed to be mounted on a rear view mirror. the face the camera wants to see is the driver, not to recognize who's driving but to tell whether the driver is texting distracted or stressed. recognition plays a role in a

phone powered by intel's newest adam chip. it recognizes landmarks such as bridges and churches and using ups data presents information about your surroundings. this 3-d camera recognizes what it sees on your kitchen counter. it knows this is a steak then projects a menu on to any surface and responds to touch command. does this mean the end of screens? >> really can live in a world where it's not quite like that. but i think the notion that many more surfaces can display the content in ways that engage and compel us, that's clearly on the horizon. >> it's no longer just about the pc. for intel it's cameras and cars and kitchens and -- >> naturally intel has a big stake. >> with the next step in computing, richard hart, abc 7 news. >> it's 4:56 now. >> a san bruno neighbor claims he saw a pg&e crew in the area around a ruptured pipeline just days before the explosion.

just ahead on abc 7 news at 5:00, what he says they were doing. >> yes. i'm -- investigators are asking for three specific things from the public to help them with this investigation. i'll have the latest from san bruno. >> and amid all the heartache and devastation there in san bruno, the bay area's generosity comes through. up next, the shopping spree

live in san bruno, a key piece of evidence in last week's explosion is now being shipped to washington d.c. i'll have the latest coming up in a live