Local briefs

The National Weather Service is predicting elevated wave conditions at Bay Area beaches this weekend.

Storm systems that are expected to generate waves up to 20 feet should arrive at Bay Area coastlines late Saturday going into Sunday.

"These waves do pose a problem to the uninformed,” said Dan Gudgel, of the National Weather Service.

Gudgel said that a weak offshore condition locally is expected to create mild weather conditions that will naturally draw people to enjoy the beaches over the holiday weekend.

Elevated surf often generates sneaker waves that can endanger inattentive beach walkers.

Fire destroys house

A fire destroyed a 2,500-square-foot house in unincorporated San Mateo County’s Pescadero area early this morning and burned a quarter acre of brush, a battalion chief said.

The first responding firefighters, who reached the one-alarm blaze about 20 minutes after the flames were reported at about 3:20 a.m., found the structure at 774 Deerborn Park Road fully involved, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Scott Jalbert said.

"The house was destroyed upon (firefighters’) arrival,” Jalbert said.

Limited access and lack of water also contributed to the fire’s destruction, according to Jalbert.

About 45 firefighters worked to keep the blaze from spreading to other houses and surrounding wildland, and declared the fire controlled at about 5 a.m., Jalbert said.

The fire displaced three residents, but no one was injured, Jalbert said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Murder witness to be examined early

Prosecutors will examine a witness early in case of a teenage murder defendant because the woman may be deported before trial begins in March.

The witness is the girlfriend of Faustino Ayala, the former co-defendant of Jose Raul Orozco who is scheduled for trial March 2. The woman testified in Ayala’s trial but due to immigration problems could be deported before Orozco’s turn before a jury, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

As a precaution, prosecutor Josh Stauffer will examine the woman Jan. 9. Conditional examinations are held when a witness may not be available due to age, illness or — as in this case — possible deportation. The hearing will be videotaped for use if the witness is in fact no longer in the country.

Orozco did not stand trial with Ayala for the July 12, 2005 fatal shooting of Francisco Rodriguez because on Feb. 14 he scaled a wall at the Youth Services Center and escaped. He remained at large until September when arrested on suspicion of home burglaries in San Antonio. While Orozco was gone, his co-defendant Faustino Ayala, now 24, was tried and convicted of second-degree murder in the same shooting. He was sentenced to 40 years in life in prison.

Three juveniles — including Orozco’s younger brother — were also convicted in juvenile court in March 2007 and serving time at the California Youth Authority.

At the time Rodriguez died, Orozco was 14, earning him the distinction of being the youngest person ever charged as an adult for murder in San Mateo County.

Based on Ayala’s trial, the prosecution believes Ayala drove a car carrying Orozco and the others in search of rival gang members to kill. They happened upon Rodriguez, 21, and Orozco allegedly fired the fatal shot into the back of his head as he ran for safety.

Orozco, now an adult, is being housed on no-bail status at the Maguire Correctional Facility.