[♪ music ] >> welcome to al jazeera. here are the headlines. u.n. inspectors in syria inspect the site of the recent chemical attack. they're looking at exactly what took place in the attack in damascus. the obama administration in response calling it an u undeniable attack of memory weapons. the nation he is biggest forest fire threatening 4500 structures as well as a portion of the yosemite national park. the flames have destroyed 230

square miles. the a jury will decide if nadal hassan will receive life in prison or the death penalty. he killed 13 people in 2009. some parents are complaining that students are forced to walk through crime-ridden headlinesr. those are the headlines and you can get your news at www.aljazeera.com [♪ music ] >> on america tonight. >> nothing today is more serious, and nothing is receiving more serious scrutiny. >> sharp words from washington leave little doubt what the u.s. thinks happened to these syrian

victims. now focus turns to how and when the world will respond. and the threat to california's most mighty residents. the enormous blazes that have also triggered fears for san francisco's water supply. also tonight we're keeping up the fight for chicago. a community left in a constant state of mourning and wondering how will the violence ever end? >> i'm so tired of doing funerals of young men getting killed through gun violence whether by th the police or anor gang. it just wears you down. [♪ music ]

>> good evening, and welcome to america tonight. i'm ow joie chen. we start with a high stakes for the united states and the international community. it was these picture, gruesome, grizzly images, hundreds of men, women and children fell by something a week ago that has led increased pressure on damascus to explain and the european capitol to respond. secretary of state john kerry lowered the boom all but warning syrian leaders to expect a military response from the white house within days. >> by any standard it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable. the administration is actively consulting with members of congress, and we will continue to have these conversations in

the days ahead. president obama has also been in close touch with leaders of our key allies and the president will be making an informed decision about how to respond to this indiscriminate use of chemical weapons. make no mistake, president obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people. nothing today is more serious, and nothing is receiving serious scrutiny. >> you've been looking into this since the news broke last week. given the limitations of what we can know about what happen, give us a picture, what is a fuller picture of what happened? >> let's given with the fact that u.s. analysts describe syria armed to the teeth with chemical weapons. this is a program that syria began in the 196 1960 1980.

it was their deterrent to israel's nuclear program. they have built this up over the years and they have stock piled lots of this stuff. what we know about what happened last week. 2:00 a.m. wednesday morning, rebel held suburbs. shells were fired into the suburbs, and almost immediately people began reacting with what is described by doctors as neurotoxic reaction. it is very likely that the gas that may have been used in some part maybe mixed with other agents with a nerve gas called sarin. one of the things that the u.s. administration is looking at is not just the symptoms of people who were affected and the hundreds who died, what they're also looking at is the delivery system, how those weapons were put into those locations.

today i spoke to a young journalist living in the rebel-held areas. he worked with the international media over the two years, and within ten hours of the attack he was at the crater site and photographed the remains of the weapon. >> i was working on the internet, and i saw some bursts of activists say there was a chemical attack three kilometers from where i live. i went to the field hospital, which is near my house. i filmed there, and there a lot of casualties. when i went there, i spoke to the people who were trying to bring the dead bodies who could

not reach the field hospital. it was clear that location where i saw one of the rockets was by a lot of houses which contained the dead bodies. there were a lot of dead bodies and animals. >> ten hours you went to that site ten hours after the explosion. and when you were there people--there was not just the rocket, but people were finding bodies of people who had died in the immediate aftermath of the explosion? >> yes. some of them, they were trying, you know, i mean, in that area most of what happened there are not really high buildings. just one and two stories. people who know they had been warned before that in the case of any chemical attack you should go to the highest story.

i think they couldn't reach the roof. they were dead on their way on the stairs. that's where i found them. >> did anybody talk about how the missile exploded? >> they told me there were around 10 to 12 rockets. i saw three of them, and people around that area, they told me that the explosion sound was not loud, and that's why it struck like normal mortar shell. >> now he also said that in these two years of covering this war, this is the first time that he had season shells of that type. he couldn't identify them himself, but it was the first time that he had seen anything that looked like that. >> incredible reporting here,

but i wonder did he get a feeling from the syrians what they think happened and what they think might happen with the united states at this point? >> two things. one, they would like the conflict to end. he told me that one of the things that people are very well aware that there is a discussion now about going forward and what kind of action will take place. people are afraid. in rebel-held areas people are afraid. they're afraid of being collateral damage, and they are afraid of whatever action is taken will not be enough to topple the regime. this is how he described it. >> what people are worried about is another attack that the regime would do this again. the other thing that they're worried about is any possibility of intervention. they do know if this

intervention is going to be on their side or not. they really want something that is going to--they want that. but at the same time they're not sure how much is this intervention going to be safe on them? will america hit this group? are they going to be safe or not. we've seen in media some civilians were dead after attacks from the west. >> that is the collateral damage aspect that i was talking about. now, one of the things, where are these munitions? where are they being kept? there is a huge stock pile, a very big priority of the regime to safeguard these weapons in part because they're not just

concernedded about them falling in the wrong hands, but they're concerned about israel launching air strikes against these weapon depots and taking them out. they're very well gardened. they're believed to be in three locations in the country all of which are guarded by elite forces. noforceforces. it is now that known that u.s. has spy satellite. key among the places that they watch are those locations where the chemical weapons are believed to be. the u.s. has said that it saw movement at one of those sites about a half hour before the first rockets were fired into those suburbs. that's something else that they will be putting forward in the case against the syrian regime. >> and the ref reference that secretary kerry said today that we have additional information, it comes directly to that point. the united states declared this

is a red line chemical weapon. >> yes. >> moving forward it's not quite so simple as saying we know where the sites are, we could bomb. >> no, these sites are very well defended against possible israeli airstrikes. >> so the consequences would be-- >> the consequences also, the unintended consequence would be that you would blow open a depot and spread the agent further, causing many more casualties. what are you going to look at instead? you may have to look at other regime targets, delivery systems, research sites. you may have to look at targeting elite forces within the regime, targeting symbols of the regime power itself if you can't go after the weapons themselves. >> very complicated for all the parties involved, including the whole international community looking at this. we'll ask you to follow up with

us. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> other big stories of the day. there are 12 wildfires burning in and around the state according to california. the rim fire is now the size of chicago. it has scorched 149,000 acres, 23 structures have been destroyed, and this fire is only 15% contained. governor jerry brown declared a state of emergency for the state of california. two of three hydroelectric plants is shut down, and now the fire is burning in the direction of the reservoir, the main source of drinking war for the entire bay area. we take a look at nasa satellite. smoke from the rim fire visible in incarcerates. air quality alerts all the way to reno, nevada. this is quite incredible.

the ashes are now raining down on the reservoir, and that supplies the water to 3 million people in the bay area. the fight is on to save the largest living thing on the planet, and that is the giant sequoia. and we have john and johnny, who is live just outside of yosemite. mr. miller i would like to ask you to give us an update on where the fire control situation stands? >> yes, right now fire is approximately over 150,000 acres. firefighters have been working day and night for about a week now on this fire, and we're really happy with the 15% containment we've got on such a large incident and a large fire. >> what is the biggest charge that you folks face now trying to get this under control?

>> the challenge has been the steep and rugged terrain that firefighters have had to deal with, and accessibility issues for those ground resources. in some areas we've had to fly crews in to get those spots and work those edges of the fire. some other challenges also have been some of the wind. it's wind to the north-northeast blown a lot of heavy smoke in those directions, but the operation has done an excellent job mitigating those situations, and putting structure protection in areas where homes are for those residents. >> we know that this is a very personal issue for cal fire. you've had losses in the last few years of your own firefighters. i wonder if the situation is such, have you learned enough? are you concerned enough for your firefighters? >> we're always concerned for our firefighters, but what we do on a daily basis is we take

extra measures to make sure that they're safe, and we do that by any means necessary. we train day and night at the fire station so they're prepared for that. they do everything possible to prepare for situations that would put them in danger, and we're happy with the progress they've made, and i'm happy that we've only had two small injuries on this fire. >> thank goodness so far. that's johnny miller. we'll ask to you stand by for a second. we'll bring in the yosemite national park information officer, who is out there with us as well. we appreciate you're with us. for those of us who have not had the privilege of seeing a giant sequoia, tell us about the significance and of risk, and what you're doing to protect these trees. >> the sequoia trees, not just in yosemite but throughout the

park service the sequoia is emblematic. the fire is still a good distance from the sequoias. we've taken measure to protect them. we've brought sprinkler systems in to moisten the area, and we've brought in preventive fabric to put on the groves as well all preventive in hopes that the fire doesn't reach them, but if it does we'll protect those trees. >> let's go to another avenue that is of great concern, you're very close to this critical water supply for the people of the bay area. explain to us what the risk is here. we talked a little bit about the ash. >> yes, and that's really the primary risk, is the water. but we're also concerned about power interruption. they're working hard to keep the

power were being interrupted. we've done a lot of work in protecting the damascus dam. there is a lot of infrastructure around that, and we've had crews in there for days to preserve the water shed. >> tom medemo, the yosemite public information officer, thank you. we'll ask you to follow up as well. thank you, gentlemen, very much. the rim fire is so massive that it has created it's own weather appearance. meteorologist kevin corveou is joining us from the weather center there. will this help to slow the fire down? >> unfortunately, no it's not. we have very dry conditions across the region. the area of yosemite is in a

very clear location. we do have the smoke from the fire, and that's a big problem by itself, but it is causing it's own weather. think about it like this. cumulus clouds are caused by the heating from the fire. sometimes you see these little green blips popping up. those are being produced by the fires themselves. the air is rising, and it needs to replace air from the west or east. it pulls it in from the valleys, and sometimes the valleys cause it to funnel making it very strong. it could come from the west, it could come from the east. the predominant area is coming in from the south. and the humidity is very low, we're talking 15% in the heat of the day. >> thank you so much. sometimes a journey meets a

tragic end.

♪ >> it is a desperate gamble for millions of immigrants trying to cross the u.s.-mexico border. people will risk their own lives even that of their children for the opportunity. america tonight's rob reynolds traveled to the border areas to hear from the survivors about their challenges. some of the images in the stories they tell may be disturbing. >> reporter: a corner of the cemetery in texas is set aside for th the lost and left behind. these are the graves of unknown migrants from mexico and central america who died lonely deaths

in the bad lands of south texas. >> it's horrible. it's senseless death. i don't really understand it. >> reporter: vinnie martinez is chief deputy sheriff of brooks county last year he reported well over 100 dead migrants. today numbers are on trend to exceed that. >> from year-to-date we're 92% increase from 2012. we had 129 in 2012. we see the influx. we see the volume high on pedestrians markers coming through the brush. >> reporter: an impoverished crumbling town near the mexican border. but the checkpoint just south of town is the last barrier for

migrants to dallas and beyond. human smugglers have found ways to evade the checkpoint. migrants rush out of the smugglers' vehicles and hide in the bush. then he they are led on a long march through miles of rough country. anyone who can't keep up or gets hurt or sick is left behind. and most of those people simply never make it out of the forest alive. these photos are of corpses found on the sprawling ranches, exhaust, heat stroke and thirst can kill a person in hours. >> you find them deteriorated like it's a horror movie. you're missing skin, limbs, or eyeballs, you know, that's a sad situation. >> reporter: recently in an effort to identify some of the bodies the sheriff's department oversaw the exhumation of dozens of unmarked graves.

those remains were taken here to baylor university in waco, where they're being examined by a team of forensic specialists. >> the job is opening them, starting to see what information we can put together, case reports and figure out who this individual would have been during life. >> reporter: dr. baker tries to match remains with descriptions of missing person's provided by family members. sometimes she's able to match dna. sometimes the team relies on dental records or other physical characteristics using high-tech tools like this laser scanner. this skeleton is in the process of being examined. >> do you know anything about who this person was at this point? >> what i can tell from doing a cursory glance is that it's a male individual, and that they did quite a bit of heavy lifting when they were alive.

>> reporter: this was someone's son, perhaps son's husband. >> father, when you hold the remains like that, due get a sense of-- >> oh, absolutely. >> reporter: the tragedy involved here? >> we do, we talk about that a lot. and it weighs heavily on you. when i first started doing this after the first i.d. i cried for a week. i knew about the woman, her mother was looking for her. she had two young daughters in mexico that she was raising by herself and she came to america because she could not support them in mexico. she was warned by her family, you'll probably be raped and murdered. this isn't a good idea, she said this is what i have to do for my daughters. she sprained her ankle and the group left her behind. when i worked on her case i was pregnant for the first time. she was my age, and i cried and cried at the idea of telling the

daughters and telling the mom that she wouldn't be back. >> reporter: so far dr. baker has been able to identify 70 people of the remains found in the board. >> do we have any idea how many people have we recovered. >> no, no idea. it could be hundreds, and its happening all along the borders. it's desolate areas. if you talk to an immigrant who has come through these paths they'll tell you that they saw at least one body but usually a number of bodies. >> reporter: that's what people did tell us when we visited the hospital in mexicali. a temporary refuge for undocumented migrants who have been deported from the u.s. most are not willing to talk about their experiences, but one who asked us not to show his face told us what he saw. >> sometimes i see people who

have died in the desert trying to cross because they didn't have the water or the things they needed to survive. they're just dead. just laying there dead. i saw one that was just a skeleton. and another that was a dead body covered with stand. it's frightening. sometimes there is nothing left of them. there was one, a woman, i think, and she had been eaten by wild coyotes. >> reporter: he's fully aware of the dangers involved, but he like every other person who we talked to was determined to cross the border again. his wife and children are in the u.s. >> there is nothing that would keep me from crossing a that border. the love a parent has for his kids and the love that i have gives me the strength to keep trying. >> reporter: the man who crosses his land include dangerous criminals. >> you always have your cell phone with you, and you always have your gun with you.

you want to make sure that that gun has plenty of bullets in it. >> reporter: victors has created a group patrol volunteers. he's staunchly opposed to immigration reform. >> i'm against amnesty or pathway of citizenship. most of these people are not going to simulate. they're going to maintain their own language, their own culture, their own way of doing things. and they're breaking us. they're coming in to capitalize on our social services, some of them to find work. some of them are looking for the lucrative business of crime. >> reporter: at their ranch house they keep guns and several large dogs as protection. >> as time goes on i feel less secure. it's no longer if i'm going to

be assaulted. it's when. >> reporter: the u.s. has tightened border areas. the idea was forcing migrant to hazard the most dangerous routes would discourage them from making the attempt. but the strategy appears to have failed. migrants keep coming. the border patrol declined al jazeera's request for an interview for this story. deputy martinez said he doesn't follow the debate over immigration reform in washington very closely, but he said attention must be paid to what is happening here. >> these persons, they're human beings. they are human beings. the fact they're someone's dad, brother, whatever the case may be, they're humans.

>> reporter: the reform will come too late for the nameless ones resting beneath the sand. >> that report from our friend rob reynolds. when we return a mother's terror when her child does not return home. >> every time one of my kids walk out the house i fear it. just pray that they come in. and one didn't come in. >> another family in mourning. the fight in chicago, we'll take a first-hand look of the human and emotional toll of gun violence next.

>> and now stories making headlines on america tonight. a deadly raid in the west bank delays a round of highly anticipated peace talks. an issuin issue, israel's deciso move forward with development of settlements. in mexico a train rerails known as the beast.

the train was traveling 2 mph when it derailed. the sentencing phase for convicted fort hood shooter nadal hassan, who is representing himself, will either get life in prison or the death penalty for his shooting spree that killed 13 people. after a bloody violent summer chicago is going back to school, but trouble looks like it might never let up on the city streets. to protect the school children mayor rame mal ham emmanuel cred safety routes. in a community that is suffering extreme hopelessness already. [ sirens ]

>> the police. >> reporter: in response to a record-breaking gun violence i in 2012, rahm emmanuel assign police to the violent areas of the city. >> we developed our strategies and we ployments based on where crime is ha happening. >> reporter: the man in charge of the implementing is the chief of police. >> are you worried that when weather gets warmer that violence will go up, and how will the department prepare for that. >> the answer to that question is no, we don't have a different strategy for the summer, but we'll be doing more of the same

things we've been doing. operation impact, our gang violence reduction strategy. >> reporter: as this press conference, mccarthy irritated him when he boasted of operation impact and brought down the murders. >> we're down 80-something murdermurders as we stan stand s where we're having success. >> reporter: the police say the crime is going down. >> it's notber. if it's better in one night 31 people aren't wounded. that's not better. it's real messed up. >> reporter: this past july the month we're filming in chicago turned out to be the deadliest month in over a year. >> we're in inglewood, the south side of chicago, which has the large number of shooters and killers in chicago. >> reporter: right here. >> right here.

>> reporter: reverend hood is a minister on the west side of chicago who is often called upon the community to conduct the funerals for the victims of gun violence. >> we're turning in the street that people call beirut. we're not just talking about the war on gun violence. we're talking about the lack of resources. there is nothing but hopeles hopelessness in communities like this. look at all this. >> it just seems like people don't have much of a chance here. like houses are boarded up. jobs violence everywhere, crime. >> well, when you create this hostile living, this is what you get, violence. >> hey, they clap, they gave high five to each other. good job. they did a good job. >> reporter: police say

15-year-old michael wesley of inglewood pointed a .40 caliber pistol at them before he was fatally shot. when we arrived at his candlelight vigil tensions were high as family members argued whether the police or michael's lifestyle was to blame for his death. >> you live the life. >> that was my nephew. >> we need to be mindful that the police has a job to do. the police is scared, too. we need to know that we can't run from them. i don't care if you're selling drugs, don't run. they will shoot and kill you. >> how can i advocate for peace and try to work with chicago police department to stop violence and now they're part of the violence. >> they fight the police. they shoot at the police. they don't hesitate. if they're going to get handcuffs on them, they're going to fight the chicago police.

>> reporter: mike shields is head of the union that represents chicago police officers. >> one thing that chicago gang bangers need to realize is that if they point a gun at a chicago police officer, they're either going to end up in county jail, the county hospital or the county morgue. >> reporter: in less than 24 hours reverend hood found himself at another prayer vigil for a victim of a police shooting. this time for antoine johnson who family members say he was shot in the back. he was in possession of a .9mm pistol. >> you need to spread around in a circle. >> the simple fact that the police did this to my nephew is crazy. they're supposed to be protecting us, not shooting at us. if he had a gun or not, you

still don't shoot nobody in the back. where's the peace? >> he laying right there on the ground handcuffed. what the [bleep] you handcuff him for? he done. >> you went over there. >> i was right there, man. my little homey lying there. i wanted to lay right there with him, man. >> can i ask you all a question, and i just want you to raise your hand. how many of you all had somebody in your family killed through gun violence, just raise your hand. look at all this. is it normal? no, it's not normal, is it. it's unacceptable. it's unacceptable, but we got used to it in our community. >> i wish i could tell you something to make you feel

better, but that's your brother. that's your brother. >> i'm seeing a lot of hopelessness now in 10- and 11- and 12-year-olds. >> reporter: in 10-, and 11- and 12-year-olds. >> yes, they're dying. the elementary kids think they're not going to make it to high school. they feel they're going to be the perpetrator of the shooting or the victim because it's either kill or be killed. >> reporter: we were invited to the church where the body of antoine johnson, the young man shot by the police, was to be viewed by his mother stacey for the first time since his death. she stood in the back for nearly an hour before finally making her way to the casket.

>> reporter: did you ever hering it like this could happen? >> i fear that every day of my life. every day. every time one of my kids walk out the house i fear it. just pray that they come in. and one didn't come in. one didn't come back. that's it. oh, right. he didn't have anything. >> reporter: they said he wasn't carrying. >> he didn't have anything. he didn't have anything. >> reporter: and the police claimed that they found a .9mm. >> that's what they said.

>> reporter: you don't believe it? >> no. from this point it's in my lawyer's hands. >> the guy pointing the pistol at the chicago police, if he gets shot, well shame on him. >> reporter: what if they weren't pointing a gun and they get shot. >> that's the family members "story," okay, and that's what they're going to stick with with their plaintiff's attorney, and they'll try to manipulate the facts, but i believe the shooting that you're referring to happened at 3:00 in the morning at 18th and springfield, which is one of the worst cities in chicago, and i challenge you to go out there at 3:00 in the morning without chicago police officers and let me know what happens. it's a bad area. people get killed there all the time. drugs are sold there. there are certain parts of the community where you get shot by the police, and for the family it's like winning a lottery. there is always going to be a lawsuit. i can guarantee that. >> i'm not going to stop.

nno, no matter much money in the world, can't bring him back. >> reporter: are you going to seek justice. >> oh, i am. i am. the day it started i started. i'm not stopping it. i don't want that man on the streets. he can't walk the streets any more. he's going to be in jail. it's still not going to bring my son back, but he's not going to have anything. he's going to suffer just as much as i'm suffering today seeing my child lying in that casket. you're going to feel as much pain that i feel tha every day t i wake up. [♪ singing ]

>> i'm so tired of doing funerals of young men getting killed through gun violence whether by the police or another gang. it just wears you down. it seems like after a week or two someone else got shot. >> reporter: how many funerals have you been to of shooting victims. >> close to 114 to 115, i tried to stop keeping up with it like that because i don't want it to be something that i get used to. >> reporter: is it something that you've gotten used to? >> no, i'm still grieving with my sister being shot in the 80s. my brother being shot in 2002. my uncle being shot in 2004. it never goes away. same thing, same people, same neighborhoods.

[♪ singing ] >> truly as much a mother coo bear. i have here christof and shotgun brown joining us to talk about chicago's future. please stay with us.

>> coming up on "consider this," sniper fire on u.n. inspectors in syria. will the obama administration intervene and will the american people support military action. the increpthe encrypted e-me that edward snowden used. and why h he says you should thk twice before sending e-mail.

>> welcome back. now america tonight's christof putzel and derek brown who you met in the series fight for chicago is on the set with us. i wanted to talk more about this because this is a series that has engagedded a lot of reaction across the country with a lot of folks, and derek i want to talk to you about what you heard. has there been an emotional reaction? do people get it? do they understand why you participated and why this series is important? >> yes, i think a lot of people in the community understand why. >> it might be tough for folks to hear that much bad news about their community. >> right, right, but it's also a

harsh reality that we live through every day. >> you were moved by seeing that woman and her baby, and burying her own son. >> it's hard. words can't describe, it can't describe what she's going through. >> it is any mother in the world could understand, i think. >> you've been seeing this for quite a long time at this point. >> yes, yes. so much that it's almost that we're accustomed to it. it became a norm for us, which i know for a fact that it is not nothing this normal. >> but it would be hard to see it as anything but normal if this is day after day, this is around you, and a pastor said he did 115 funerals. that's crazy, frankly. that's crazy. now for you, yourself, you have been in some trouble in your own youth, what was the moment where you said, okay, i can go do this path or this path, what made a difference for you?

>> well, actually it was a time where some guys came, and they tried to force me into a car. i had my daughter with me. >> your daughter was how old? >> she was four years old. i witnessed some things in my community, and it was like i just had a revelation with god, and it was like i could leave--i once led people since the age of 13 i led guys and some of the guys i led are in jail. some are not here any more. some are alcoholics sprung out on drugs. that was a child, the blind leading the blind. a child leading a multitude of people, and once i discovered who i was, do i want to leave people in the path of righteousness or should i keep going in destruction. that has a lot to do with my

soul. >> so your daughter is a part of what made the difference, to be able to look at a four-year-old in her eyes, she's either going to have a furor not or a daddy or not. >> also to be a man, as a father an also in the community as a leader, a father, counselor, teacher, i'm everything to a lot of people in my community. >> it's really amazing walking down the streets in derek. anywhere you go at any time of night everyone knows who he is, and there is a tremendous amount of respect that carries over from the gang life from back in the day, but also just for being able to turn himself around and doing what he's doing now. there isn't anywhere you walk in the streets where people don't know who he is and respect his authority in the area. >> when you look at the young people who are coming up behind you, and you look at what the police are doing to try to stop violence in the community as well, why doesn't that work, and why do you think what you do

makes a difference? >> what i do makes a difference because i'm somebody from the community. i was born and raised. i'm also a product of my environment. i'm also the past and also the future. so people in the community understand me like--unlike the police. they come to the community, they come to do their job, and they go home. we're not saying they're all, but but as far as taking it to their heart. with me it's a 24 hour job. >> are there particular words that you could use as an example you could give a young man who has lived a life, that you lived growing up. are there words you could say to them and say, this is going to stop you from going down this path you before you even get there? >> just taking my past, looking at myself. i can go back to a timeline and show them their future of where they can go.

the things that i've been there, i'd have been through jail. i would have been shot. my best friend was killed. showing these people my past and showing what i do now is the future, and invest my future into the community along with just other organizations, not me alone. there are other organizations. mothers opposed to violence everywhere, and this is a group who wants--they were like the first group that came and gave someone like myself a chance. with groups like that invested in guys like myself. >> it made all the difference. >> yes, ma'am, all the difference in the world. >> we really appreciate you being with us here, and we know that you're going to be on the go. we'll hang out later. i appreciate hearing from you, and we appreciate all the work you're doing to make a difference in your community. we'll take a break and be right back on america tonight.

>> finally tonight we return to the place struggling with the challenges we saw earlier in this program. one community in california has already endured two severe fires in the last seven years and those blazes put pressure on two

families. one that fled and lost everything, and the other chose to stay. let's go to california's twin pines. >> i looked out the window, and the tree in the front yard was laying over, and it was getting really smokey. i looked out the side window here from the living room, and it was a friggin' wall of fire right at the creek there. i mean a wall of fire. that's when i knew the fire was here. >> reporter: james goebels house was less than on from the fire. >> i knew we couldn't get back up and i didn't want to drive around. >> reporter: martha and her family had to make a decision, what to save. >> we had to take all our medication. i'm diabetic, and we had to get

the cats, weird things that i did, trying to be optimistic, which i should not have been. >> evacuating is stressful. if you leave for an evacuation, you're just sitting there doing nothing worrying about what's happening to your house. >> reporter: goebels chose to stay to protect his home. >> i went out when i smell the smoke and found people to see what was happening, and from what they knew it didn't look like it was going to be a problem unless the win really picked up. >> reporter: but the wind did pick up, and the fire made goebels' choice a necessity. >> i had to stay. the fire was surrounding us, and we were forced to wait for the fuel to burn up enough to allow us to get out. >> reporter: the fire was within

a few feet of geobels's house. >> i didn't sleep for 46 hours. >> i always felt that i would be okay because the firefighters, maybe i'm like a 12-year-old, but they're heroes. this time i'm like, i felt i was left to die. >> the house sustained no damage, none. not so much as a scorched piece of wood. >> reporter: you're told just leave stuff because everything is replaceable, but i regret that. that's not true. it will never be replaced. >> oh my gosh. >> good score. >> which is weird all you know is to come home and be home and do stuff. but you come home and-- >> there is no home. >> i don't know what to do with myself. >> it's hard to picture living any other place.

it's quiet, serene, like it is now. but at night the stars, they're just thick and heavy, and the silence, it's deafening. >> i want to go home. >> we are home. >> we are home, thank you very much. >> voices and choices in the face of a fierce california fire. that's it for us here on america tonight. if you would like to comment on anything that you've seen tonight, log on to www.aljazeera.com/america tonight. tell us what you would like to see on our nightly current affairs program. joinjoin the conversation with n facebook page and we'll be back with more tomorrow. [♪ music ]

>> welcome to al jazeera. i'm john siegenthaler. here are the headlines. un inspectors have reached the site of the suspected chemical attack there after their vehicle was hit by sniper fire. the obama administration considering how to respond to what it is calling undeniable use of chemical weapons in syria. the secretary of state said the attack was a moral obscenity, and said all signs point to the assad regime. the nation's biggest forest fire is now threating more than 4500 structures in california. the