this is "nightline" -- >> tonight, a hot night in a city on fire. it is one of the most dangerous jobs in america. >> anybody that says they're not scared when they get tested in a real fire is lying. >> we join seven firefighters in a race against time to save a neighborhood from total destruction. is it a call to duty? or are they addicted to fire? >> the guys are dropping [ bleep ], during the service to save people and all that. from the adrenalin. >> plus we are taking you sailing into the sky for a bird's eye view above the african wilderness. a man on a mission to do something nobody has ever done so fast. will he make it? >> a day to break a record for

sure. >> but first the "nightline" five which starts right now. >> they say mr. clean was born to help people clean better. and that he travels the world inventing amazing new cleaners like his newest invention liquid muscle that lifts and cleans tough grease with less scrubbing. liquid gel, less watery an cleans more and cap stops by itself so all most nothing is wasted. no matter where he went or who he helped people couldn't thank

good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight, we are joining men suiting up doing battle against a resilient and fast-moving

enemy. fire. it is one of the most dangerous jobs and one of the most dangerous cities in the country. my "nightline" co-anchor dan harris met a hearty team of firefighters risking their lives to save a ravaged neighborhood. but you may be surprised by what draws them to the flames. >> tuesday night -- received a call for a vacant structure on fire. >> it is the start of something called devil's week in highland park, michigan, a tiny dot of a city smack in the middle of detroit. devil's week which happens around halloween every year, regularly features widespread

violence and arson which is why the seven firefighters on duty tonight are focused and tense but not surprised when they get a call about an apartment building on fire. >> you have a lot of thoughts. what are we going to? a house, two houses. are there people inside. i was pretty pumped up. always excited to get a fire. >> we pull up to a fully involved house fire. >> when they show up instead of finding an apartment building they find a blazing house fire. >> everybody was a little confused. >> confused but they know they have to put it out and it is a race against time. >> so we jumped off the truck and went to work on this house. >> you get in there, stop the one house. now you have two houses. you couldn't put out one house. now you have to put out two. it is just, run down the street.

>> this is the inside story of one night in what may very well be the busiest firehouse in the country. and of the men who do one of the most dangerous jobs on earth, in one of the most dangerous cities in america. >> to anybody that says they're not scared when they get tested in a real fire is lying. or they just don't go into real fires. this is the whole test of courage, it is not being scared. it is overcoming the fear and doing the job anyway. >> some fires you can't see a single thing so. you are in there, looking for the fire you. are searching for a possible victim. you are trying to keep a sense of direction. so you know, you know the way out. if you need new get out. the combination of adrenaline, the rush that you get from that. combined with a, a certain amount of fear. i don't know how to explain to somebody that when you are frantically searching for somebody but really hoping that

you don't find somebody. >> at this point, though they know the house is unoccupied they refuse to quit. nate, the commander on duty tonight tells his team to temporarily stand down while they plan their next strike. >> you want everybody out. >> when they have the is first initial attack, means they encounter heavy fire loads. so we end up pulling back for a minute trying to size up the scene again. i ended up calling the guys out of the house for a while. they weren't getting to the second floor. i was afraid of the roof collapse. >> that's when they get an unpleasant surprise. >> hey, hey. a second fire. >> there is one block over we had a four-story apartment building too. >> it turns out the guys had

just happened upon this fire on their way to the real crisis. a full-on inferno in this apartment building just a block away. >> extremely common for somebody. they set one. and they're running away they set another one. >> they now have seven men to fight two fires. >> reporter: while this building is also unoccupied, many of the buildings around it like this one have people in them. >> my granddaughter called me. it was on fire when she got home. and my daughter was away. but i am just, tear this building down. >> reporter:en a moment we will show you what happens next here. but first you might reasonably ask yourself, why would anyone

dupe this j do this job? risking life and limb to put out fire in abandoned buildings. we got a surprising answer when over the course of several weeks, "nightline" essentially moved into the firehouse in this city decimated by the collapse of the auto industry, and plagued by arson. >> the guys are dropping [ bleep ] talking about during their service to save people and all that la-la. just admit it is for the adrenaline. >> 60% adrenaline. 20% fear. >> reporter: even their boss, the chief, admits it. >> i love my guys. they do a phenomenal job. but nay are adrenaline junkies to a certain degree. >> the adrenaline junkies of highland park became nationally known and nationally controversial as a result of a viral video posted by one of their own.

scott zichltegler started weari camera on his helmet to show friend and family what his job is really like. the result was this extraordinary glimpse inside the world of a fire fighter. >> everybody knows what firefighters do. but no one ever really gets to see what we do other than maybe, news clip here and there. no one ever really gets to see the inside. >> in 2012, a clip he posted got more than 1 million hits. it also provoked criticism from other firefighters around america who take issue with the fact that here in highland park they have hey highly unusual and highly risky policy of putting their lives on the line to extinguish fires in vacant buildings. buildings most other departments would simply let burn to the ground. the men here point out that many abandoned homes in highland park are used by squatters including sometimes entire families. >> anybody claims they know a house is vacant or not is an idiot. you can't tell me if some one is

in there or not until you go in there. who ever set the fire can still be in there. and still it is our job. we took the oath. we swore that we would protect and serve. >> that's it. >> part time is $10 an hour. risking your life. >> yes. >> reporter: on top all off the risk the men face and on top of the controversy, kid this. they do this work for not only low pay, but also in many cases no health benefits. you've don't have health benefits here? >> some of us do. some of us do not. a lot of us have been hurt before. when it comes to the wives, you know, pretty sure dech doep dow inside they sleep restless at night wondering if we'll be all right or anything. >> everyone has been hurt here. >> yeah, yeah. everyone has been hurt. >> yeah, but you thing, most risky jobs, almost all risky jobs i am aware of if you get hurt on. you know the employ year has your back in the u.s. military for example. if you get hurt do you get

health coverage then? >> no. off awe wa >> i get health coverage from my wife. >> are you part time? >> work a full time schedule. >> reporter: not trying to pass judgment. i am passing judgment. that's crazy. in the end for these men it all comes back to the fact that they love this work. awe off the it -- >> it is remarkable. >> reporter: being a fire fighter today in highland park is like being a painter in renaissance italy they have fans, fire buffs who come out and document their work. which brings us back to the fires during devil's week. with two blazes and only seven men, they decide to call in help from neighboring detroit. >> some times you have just got to say you need help.

♪ ♪ >> reporter: but even with the reinforcements this fight its about to get harder. >> because here in highland park, firefighters cannot always count on the most basic and critical weapon. >> the line i had in my hand had no water coming out of it. i was very frustrated as anybody would be. you had people, citizens watching. as i am standing there with the hose line. and they don't understand why am not putting water on that woman any house. it wasn't an occupied house. >> water pressure finally gets restored. and after several hours of sweat and smoke, they manage to stop both fires. >> we were there until, 2:00 in the morning. that is a typical day in the hp. a lot of it.

don't burn out there. but we burn. a walk in the park. >> reporter: they may have bun of the most dangerous jobs in one of the most dangerous cities, but these men who are addicted to fire love every minute of it. >> the house fire. had a great stop. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: for "nightline," this is dan harris in highland park, michigan. up next, can this extreme paraglider shatter a world record or will his dreams come crashing down? and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes.

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not many of us get to gaze at the african wilderness. even fewer get an unfettered bird eye view, no wings, no motorsch tonight taking you on a soaring journey across one of the most pristine places on the planet as one man attempts to sail into the skies on an extreme challenge. >> just about anyone who inflates a parachute does it for one reason, to slow down. but not greg, the only thing he wants from his sweeping state of the art para glider its to cut through the air like a blade. sailing through the sky in an attempt to break one of the

toughest aerial speed records. >> it is supposedly the highest concentration of crocodiles in kenya. >> "nightline" followed the 52-year-old father of two young boys as he takes on the extreme challenge of a lifetime, flying without touching the ground for 5 1/2 hours straight. using nothing but his paraglider like flying a giant high tech kite over a 125-mile racecourse in record time. much of it over african wilderness. >> really get some saddle time. >> bye-bye. >> i will miss you too. >> just trying to decompress a bit. get to know the brand new glider i received. >> the valley, is a remote fault line in western kenya, several hours outside nairobi, beautiful and often treacherous it can offer near perfect flying conditions. >> of it is rock 'n' roll. you have to know what you are doing. >> it is essentially 80 miles of

cliffs which create a steady updraft. if you were a surfer it would be like riding an endless wave. >> all i have been doing, hitting the gym, dieting, meditating. my poor wife. my poor anybody around me. >> greg says he benefits from his day job where he flies the pair glider's heavyweight cousin. a 900,000 pound cargo jet. >> the 747, though it weighs this tremendous amount is a glider. the paragliding i do is not so dissimilar. >> of on the morning of his first record attempt, greg wakes before sunrise. my first thought is the wind is not very strong. >> every detail of greg's equipment is engineered for speed. but to day, even this racing pod designed to torpedo through the

air is no match for the stifling head wind. >> the day isn't ideal. you are thinking it is not going off to hament pppen to day. greg is almost 50 minutes behind record setting pace. >> you really don't know what will happen to the day until you are in the air. then you don't know how it will progress. sure enough, the conditions changed. i'm seeing bird climbing like crazy. then i started seeing ground speed of 50, 60, 65. it is a day to break a record for sure. >> almost three hours into the race, greg made up much of the lost time and realizes he has a shot at the record. at speed of up to 50 miles an hour, hitting any turbulence can be catastrophic. if his sail collapses he could lose control, close off to the ground. which is why he pumps out his wing tip thousands at the fs at

trouble. fighting to maintain control in increasingly rowdy conditions, greg doesn't reach for a snack or drinking tube even once during the marathon flight. >> a tail wind, and the cloud that i was following were lining of beautifully. it is incredible. especially when you are going for something like a world record. i pushed it to its absolute maximum. >> after more than five hours airborne, he finally lands. unsure if heave h has broken th record. >> soap we are here. beautiful village. >> seven agonizing hours later, the results are still up in the air. to claim the record, his documentation has to be flawless. but a malfunctioning gps is slow to confirm greg's place in aviation history. finally, the results are clear. greg has shattered the speed record by a full 16 minutes. >> look at that. >> ah! >> 125 miles, in just five hours

and 31 minutes. but he won't let a world record go to his head. >> man, just don't give up. it's important. >> dreams that one man turned into reality. if you are going to dream, dream big. we'll be right back. we've never done that. that's why there's never been a better time to buy a passat tdi clean diesel. husband: so it's like two deals in one? salesperson #2: exactly. avo: during the first ever volkswagen tdi clean diesel event, get a great deal on a passat tdi, that gets up to 795 highway miles per tank. and get a $1,000 fuel reward card. it's like two deals in one. hurry in and get a $1,000 fuel reward card and 0.9% apr for 60 months on tdi models. my guests are "nathan, which dish is better?". now i say you can have it all with our new seafood trios! red lobster's new seafood trios is three times delicious! choose one option from the wood-fire grill, one signature shrimp dish, and a pasta like new lobster mac and cheese. three choices all on one plate. just $15.99.

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the good news, you find final leap whly is your dream h. bad news, tons of other folks think the same thing. actually getting it end up being a nightmare. welcome to the housing wars. >> it is a modern day american ground war with the thrill of victory. >> we were thrilled. thrilled. >> and the agony of defeat. >> unfortunately, we have not selected your offer. >> it is absolutely crazy. it is a war. >> no one expected home prices to go up this fast so quickly. but we're back. there is so much demand. not enough inventory. we don't have enough houses to go around. >> these are the new bidding wars and "nightline" is along

for the wild ride. >> other offers. >> if you've don't want to be left in the dust, you better step up your game. >> we are just going to have to get really aggressive. >> ah, the anxiety. be sure to watch "bidding wars" at 10:00 p.m. eastern on "nightline prime." thank you for joining us. tune in to "good morning america" tomorrow. we are online at abcnews.com. good night, america. for what reality teaches you firsthand.. in the face of danger, and under the most demanding circumstances. experience builds character. experience builds confidence. and experience... has built this. the 2014 glk. the engineering, and

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