we keep that in the forecast until wednesday of next week. >> very interesting seven-day. >> for sure. >> thank you for joining us. "nightly news" is next. >> see you at 6:00. on our broadcast tonight, out of control. the fire lines are on the move across southern california. high winds are fueling an early fire season. entire neighborhoods being evacuated as crews are going door to door. caught on tape. an nbc news exclusive as the president opens up a trip to mexico. a stunning look at what our own cameras found happening on the boer. what's happening that's leading to the explosion in the number of children suffering from food allergies? tonight, the mystery for so many parents and doctors. and reunion at sea. an emotional voyage for members of the military and their families. and for many, the mission takes on a whole new meaning. "nightly news" begins now.

and a special good evening to our viewers joining us tonight in the west. we begin with what has become a very urgent situation in southern california and an ominous start to the wildfire season. there are three separate fires being driven by santa ana winds, which, of course, blow down the mountains and out toward the sea. hundreds of homes are threatened. there are evacuation orders in place as people try to get out of the way. the winds and conditions have also grounded some of the larger fixed-wing tankers that usually drop water and fire retardant, so choppers have had to handle that task in a lot of cases. we want to begin with nbc's mike taibbi. he's in camarillo, about 40 miles north of l.a. tonight. mike, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. they name major fires out west the way they name hurricanes in the east. this is called the springs fire.

this happened this morning as schools we kids were getting on their school buses and it spread so fast. only an army of firefighters could slow its march. drivers on the 101 freeway could see flames marching down the hillside driven over the dry tinder by the infamous santa ana winds. an army storage yard was overrun. a cal state university campus was evacuated. shifting 40 and 50-mile wind gusts sent first responders to one fire line after another and to several streets and threatened neighborhoods. the message -- get ready to leave or get out right now. dave and cheryl novak with their dog josie said they would hold out until the last minute before abandoning their longtime home. across the street from the flames and just barely out of the line of fire. >> we've lived in fire areas and seen lots of fires, but this one was the scariest. >> reporter: at one point, with the flames only 10 or 20 yards away from the homes, we saw two homeowners actually fighting

with a hose that belonged to one of them. >> got to put out the fire. >> reporter: patrice powell lost the fight. >> these eucalyptus trees go up, we're in trouble. >> reporter: you're in trouble already. look, the flames are right here, ten yards away. >> well, give me back my hose, i could put it out again. >> reporter: in the summit fire just under 100 miles east of l.a., nbc spoke with joe keener who lost the battle to save his home. >> i left here. no sooner than i backed out of the driveway and got back to sunset, just on the opposite side of my neighbor and i was engulfed in smoke. you know, i pulled this off one of the shelves in the living room, a couple pictures off the living room. it's gone. i can't cry over it. it's replaceable. lives aren't. >> reporter: these fires are especially treacherous when the tree cover is extremely dry. humidity this week has hovered at around 4%. and when the santa ana winds pour out of the east at shifting high speeds. >> this is a dry santa ana,

wind, winds that blow offshore northeast to southwest, they're very dry, very warm and very strong. >> reporter: the result demonstrated over a furious few days in which hundreds of first responders battled for control of two firefighters. it was an unsettling hint of a fire season that could be as deadly as any in memory. >> this is a wake-up call for everybody in california to be prepared. this is a normal weather pattern and fire behavior we would see late in the fall, after a full summer of drying. >> reporter: amazingly, only a few injuries have been reported. among them two firefighters battling the blaze in summit. here in camarillo, more than 6,800 acres have been scorched, more than 1,000 people evacuated, and more bad news, record high temperatures. it hit 97 here in camarillo, and the snow melt is estimated to be 17% less than it was last year, so a hot, dry, dangerous start to the fire season. brian? >> not good news for the weeks and months ahead. mike taibbi north of l.a. tonight. mike, thanks. and while those fires rage

in the west, a few hundred miles to the east, it is record snowfall on this day. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is with us from rochester, minnesota, where they made history there today. hey, mike, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. good evening. this kind of snowfall would be impressive in midwinter, but here in may, it's historic. here in rochester, 13 1/2 inches of snow fell. five hours this morning, 8 inches piled up. the previous may record was 2 inches. the weight of the heavy snow is suspected in this partial roof collapse. no one was injured. everyone was digging out. school was out. and helped by the potent sun angle, plowed roads are just wet this evening. and more weather extremes. we're getting used to this. three states set records for may snowfall today, including 18 inches in blooming prairie, minnesota. due to the jet stream, spring weather is on either side of the country. in the middle it's cold. k.c. running 35 degrees below average. the royals/rays game was snowed out today. but the one advantage of that big dip in the jet stream in the

plains, tornado alley is quiet. tonight, brian, more than a few told us today on the streets in rochester they wished they had not taken the snow tires off in april. >> unbelievable scene in rochester, minnesota, tonight. our thanks to mike seidel. we want to turn now to some breaking news we're just learning of coming out of boston tonight, information that has just emerged from the bombing investigation specifically. a fascinating detail about this coming fourth of july. we want to go to our justice correspondent pete williams in our d.c. newsroom. pete, good evening. >> brian, good evening. officials say tonight that dzhokhar tsarnaev told his interrogators the weekend after he was arrested that he and his brother originally intended to set off their bombs somewhere on the fourth of july. but he said when they finished them, they decided to ste an attack earlier and eventually decided on the boston marathon on patriots' day. he said the bombs were built in the house of his brother, tamerlan. authorities previously disclosed that explosive residue was found

there. as for other clues, that backpack that the fbi says was thrown away by his friends is providing new details, too. what's turning out to be an important piece of evidence was almost lost forever. federal agents found it in the new bedford city landfill a week after it was thrown away. the backpack investigators say was taken from dzhokhar tsarnaev's dorm room by three of his friends. judging from the fbi photo that was found inside, they shopped at places besides phantom fireworks in seabrook, new hampshire, the store that disclosed a purchase by tamerlan tsarnaev in february. the fireworks the fbi says were found in the backpack are not sold there, though other dealers in the area do sell those items. after recovering the backpack, the fbi was again checking on fireworks sales in the area. the fbi says the backpack also contained a jar of vasoline petroleum jelly like this. >> bombers use vasoline as a binder and thickening agent. they mix it with explosive powder in hopes of making the mixture a little more reliable.

>> reporter: such a technique is not mentioned in the al qaeda online magazine that investigators believe was a guide for the bombing suspects, but it is widely discussed elsewhere on the internet. authorities say the three friends also took dzhokhar tsarnaev's laptop computer from his dorm room but did not throw that away and have since given it to the fbi. in cad ya kazakhstan, administrators at a high school attended by one of the three friends arrested yesterday, azamat tazhayakov say he was a poor student once expelled for low grades. his father said last week his son talked to him after his friend dzhokhar tsarnaev was arrested and identified as a bombing suspect. he says his son said, daddy, we didn't know. he's not the kind of guy who would hurt anyone. he was very kind, very chatty. we were shocked. tonight, massachusetts officials say the body of tamerlan tsarnaev was released to a private funeral home in accordance with arrangements that had been made by the family. brian?

>> pete williams in our d.c. newsroom tonight. thanks. a tense afternoon today at bush intercontinental airport in houston. police say a man started firing into the air with an assault rifle before a federal agent fired at him. he then pulled out a handgun, shot himself. he later died. this all happened outside of the secure area near a ticket counter. authorities say he had a suicide note in his backpack. for a time, the terminal was closed, all flights were grounded. no one else, thankfully, was hurt. tonight, president obama is in mexico city with one of his top priorities on the trip at home on the agenda. today he met with mexico's president, promoting economic growth there, seeking a strong partner to secure the border in order to help him sell immigration reform back here. >> i expressed to the president pena nieto that i'm optimistic about us getting this done because it's the right thing to do.

we've seen leaders from both parties indicate that now is the time to get comprehensive immigration reform done. >> the new mexican president, pena nieto, has recently moved to limit the access that u.s. law enforcement agencies once had inside mexico's borders under his predecessor. that move is raising concerns about what's happening right now along the u.s./mexico border, where the answer to the question of how safe it is depends on where you look, as you're about to see from our nbc news hidden camera investigation. mark potter has covered this story extensively for us for years and has our report tonight. >> reporter: for decades, the rugged mountains of southern arizona and the vast desert there have posed major challenges for those trying to secure the u.s./mexican border.

commander jeffrey south of u.s. customs and border protection says with new technology and more man power now, security is much tighter. >> we have a much more secure border than we did in years past. you can't argue the fact that the numbers tell the story. >> reporter: those numbers show that apprehensions of immigrants crossing the mexican border illegally have dropped dramatically, from 1.6 million in the year 2000 to about 357,000 last year. >> we've driven numbers of illegal migrants to 40-year lows, seizures of contraband are up. >> reporter: most agree that effective steps have been taken to protect the u.s. cities along the border, with high fences, 24-hour cameras and thousands of agents. but for all the agreement about security in most of the border cities, there is controversy and concern about the vast rural areas along the border where many say it is neither safe nor secure. gary thrasher, an arizona veterinarian, says where he works, the border is wide open.

>> the more they protect one region, the more it funnels people into the more remote areas. >> reporter: to see for ourselves, nbc news hid three motion-sensitive cameras in remote southern arizona. and recently, 11 miles north of the border, we recorded this scene, a group of smugglers on private u.s. ranch land carrying marijuana loads in broad daylight. elsewhere, we found other border crossers making their northbound treks at night. but even worse, border patrol agents say, is the situation in south texas along the rio grande where immigrant apprehensions are rising dramatically, by 65% last year and 55% this year, as more people flee central america. deputies in brooks county, texas, say they seized a smuggler's cell phone loaded with this video, allegedly showing immigrants being brought illegally into the united states. >> we suspected they had at least 25 to 30 people in here. >> reporter: police chief juan gonzales says in san juan, texas, he's seeing a surge in immigrant smugglers setting up stash houses.

>> if the undocumented immigrants have made it here, that meant that they crossed the border. >> sure. >> is that happening regularly in your town? >> yes, every single day. >> reporter: so, just how secure is the u.s. border? many who live there say it varies depending on where you look. mark potter, nbc news, tucson, arizona. and still ahead, along the way for us, what's behind the explosion of food and skin allergies among our kids? as parents and doctors scramble, we'll look at what might be driving it. later, the amazing mission giving a new meaning to take your child to work day, including the young son who got to watch his dad break the sound barrier.

when you think about it, in the space of one american generation, allergies have changed everything, down to the basics like what our kids can bring to school or eat at school. we're talking about food allergies mostly, but also skin allergies. and while the cdc research

confir confirms the spike, the cause is still largely a mystery. our report on this tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: lupe gonzales fears her 5-year-old son, lawrence, may be part of a puzzling trend. she suspects he has a food allergy. >> he was throwing up, he was swelling around the face, swelling around the neck, his lips were swelling, he was having labored breathing. >> it looks great. >> reporter: it's not just food. doctors are hearing more concerns from parents about skin allergies like eczema in children, all part of what the government says is a dramatic rise in allergies in america's kids. in today's report, the centers for disease control finds 1 in 20 american kids have food allergies, a 50% increase from 1997 to 2011. 1 in 12 have skin allergies, nearly 69% more. >> i don't think we completely know the absolute one reason why it's increasing, so, certain -- if you have a genetic family

history, then those patients are at higher risk for developing food allergies or eczema. >> reporter: some doctors suggest kids are growing up in homes so clean from antibacterial cleaners that they may be becoming less sensitive. another possibility, parents are just more vigilant about getting kids tested. the study also confirms what parents already see, that allergies change as children grow up. skin allergies become less common, but older kids develop respiratory allergies. 21% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 reporting problems like hay fever. allergy alert dog c.c. is reilly's best friend. c.c. is trained to sniff out peanuts and eggs. reilly is severely allergic to both. we first met her in 2008. >> if riley ever comes into contact with peanuts, we have probably five to ten minutes to make sure she has medical attention or she will stop breathing and die. >> reporter: today c.c. along with epipens and medicine help

riley live a normal life, and her mom, sherry, can relax a little, trying to make sure allergies are less of an obstacle. anne thompson, nbc news, washington. we're back in a moment with the rising today right there in the sky above new york city.

when the last bolt is in place, it will tower over new york city at 1,776 feet, the tallest point in the western hemisphere. the spire was raised today on the building known as both the freedom tower and the new world trade center. it will top out over 300 feet above the empire state building. it will still be a full 1,000 feet shorter than the tallest building in the world, the burj khalifa in dubai. the president today named his choice for commerce secretary today, penny pritzker.

she's a veteran of the president's council on jobs and competitiveness. she was also importantly an early supporter of obama's '04 senate campaign, coming through with money when he was struggling. she has a reported net worth of close to $2 billion. her family made their fortune in the hyatt hotel chain. they have given away a fortune as well. their philanthropy includes the pritzker prize for architecture and the pritzker military library in chicago. for the first time in history, tonight there are two popes in the vatican -- pope francis and as of this afternoon pope emeritus benedict, who moved back to a newly renovated apartment just minutes from his old one. since he stepped down in february, the 86-year-old, who's been failing health of late, has been staying at the papal retreat at castle 3 gandalfo. and just about everyone who is anyone in the business came out to honor the late george jones, who died last week at the age of 81. from musicians to politicians to just plain fans, thousands

gathered in nashville to pay tribute. george jones was a towering and unique talent who battled his own demons all his adult life. booze, drugs, cancelled concert dates, about an equal number of divorces and trips to rehab. charlie daniels described george jones's voice today as a rowdy saturday night uproar at a back street beer joint. when we come back this evening, a special mission at sea. a lot of kids finally getting to see what mom and dad do during all that time away from home.

finally tonight, one of the most difficult things about military service is the long separation for families, but today off the west coast, the aircraft carrier "uss john stennis" is headed back from an eight-month tour with an unforgettable family reunion already under way on deck. our miguel almaguer reports from aboard the "stennis." >> reporter: somewhere in the pacific, the "uss john c. stennis" is on the move. but on this final leg home, the mission had taken on new meaning. >> it means a lot because i get to see my dad again. >> reporter: it's called the tiger cruise. for six days and five nights,

more than 1,100 family members and friends join the crew returning from the persian gulf. >> they haven't seen me in eight months and it's just a great experience to have them here. >> reporter: tigers live alongside their loved ones, experiencing life and duties out at sea. >> this is the ultimate take your kid to work day. >> reporter: lieutenant michael levens is the ship's gunner. he invited his cousin, michael -- >> holy cow! >> reporter: -- 9-year-old daughter samantha and 11-year-old son michael jr. it's their first chance to see what dad does. >> it's awesome just staying here. he gets to work here. he gets paid to do this stuff. >> reporter: for lieutenant levens, who is yet to meet his newborn child, it's the quality time with his children he's been missing. >> of course, they took my rack and i took a cot on the ground. put them to bed every night. i haven't gotten to do that in eight months. >> reporter: it costs tigers $150 to cover the basics. there's no spouses, boyfriends

or girlfriends, but grandparents are welcome. >> granddad is actually a world war ii vet, so it's really awesome to have him on board the ship. >> fabulous. it makes me want to re-enlist in the service. >> reporter: there's also entertainment from concerts in the hangar bay to rescue drills off the bow. tigers see what the navy does. >> you're going to break the sound barrier. boom! >> they feel the ship, they feel the life of the ship, they feel the roar of the jets. >> that was awesome! >> the smell of the jet fuel, all of the other things, the sights and sounds that make this carrier work. >> reporter: manning the rails as the "stennis" finally reaches port, homecoming are sweet. families together again after the cruise of a lifetime in the open sea. >> daddy! >> reporter: miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. >> great story to end on this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, and we hope

to see you right back here tomorrow evening. goodnight. teacher who is accused of touching little girls. parents and police officers want u may have been victims. kimberly terry has more on the kimberly? >> reporter: raj, district officials say it was michael

howey's second year in teaching here. although he has been with the district for about four years, be other victims out there.re cd third grade teacher michael at his home in alameda on 17 charges of lewd and lascivious acts and multiple charges. police say the district alerted them tow3 the misconduct on apr 12÷hv. >> what happened that day, another employee walked into the classroom and observed what he or she felt to be inappropriate activity and touching between a teacher andçó an 8 to 9-year-ol student. >> reporter: during the investigation, detect;v%s interviewed the victim and more of howey's students. police say that is when additional allegations of misconduct surfaced. and it disturbs t(t(you. but when is cot comes closer toe it makes it even harder to understand, you know, as