differently. >> perspective of a new father. william is credited has participated in 150 rescue missions. harsh words for president obama in this highly charged debate over syria. the inferno tearing through the jersey shore. just rebuilt after hurricane sandy, tonight a devastating blow to a famous oceanfront icon. we'll talk live with the governor. no way out. deadly floods overwhelm the state of colorado. it's been a day of dramatic rescues there. tonight the national guard has been called in. and way too close. new concerns about safety after a big rise in reports of planes coming dangerously close in the sky. "nightly news" begins now.

a special good evening to our viewers in the western half of the u.s. tonight. as you may already know in the state of colorado tonight there is an unfolding natural disaster of huge proportions. the death toll stands at three going into the night after widespread flooding knocked out power, closed roads and forced hundreds of people today to move to higher ground. the worst of it is centered in and around boulder, colorado. nbc's miguel almaguer starts us off from there tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. we have had pounding rain here all day long. that's not a river behind me. it is a road. the national guard has been called in after lives were lost. this entire region in a state of emergency. >> flash flooding is imminent. >> reporter: a day of chaos and confusion as torrential rain pounds boulder, washing away homes, cars and causing at least three deaths. >> they may not let you go up that far. >> reporter: with thousands

forced to evacuate, many were trapped by washed-out roads. it started overnight with little warning. gary chambers and his wife were about to abandon their home when they heard a thunderous noise. >> loud crashing sound. boulders coming down the hill. the deck getting tore off the house. i don't know what all it was. it sounded very destructive. >> reporter: dive teams were called to perform rescues. >> do you need a hand? >> reporter: it was neighbors depending on neighbors to reach dry ground. >> something we have never seen here before. >> reporter: this is what paul talbot saw outside his front door. >> we're from new england. we have been through some of the worst blizzards, rainstorms. >> reporter: he's ridden out hurricanes before. this was different. >> i have never seen rain like this come down for so many days just nonstop. >> reporter: with part of the university of colorado campus under water, hundreds of students were ordered to higher ground. >> we are pleading with students

and people on campus to stay indoors. >> reporter: two earth dams were breached sending a wall of water downstream. >> when the water came through, it came through as a torrent. >> reporter: 7.2 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours -- an all-time record. >> this is insane. >> yep. >> reporter: floods devastated this region before. in 1976, the big thompson flood killed 145 and cost $40 million in damages. from behind his camera, paul sterling watched the water rise, then pour into his home. like so many others, helpless against mother nature. >> it's about to come into my downstairs. i'm not even going to go down there. >> reporter: tonight the damage is still being tallied and the danger isn't over yet. the forecast calls for steady rain through tomorrow and on and

off rain through the weekend. making matters worse, brian, the area was hit by a fire just a few years ago. the region is now ripe for mudslides, something we have already begun to see. brian? >> reporter: miguel almaguer reporting for us from boulder, colorado, tonight. miguel, thanks. we turn now to a tragedy unfolding at a place that has already endured and bounced back from so much. a raging fire is tonight marching through seaside park, new jersey. it has already consumed most of the iconic boardwalk there just repaired this past winter. it took a massive public works effort to get it ready for this past summer after so much of it was ripped away by hurricane sandy. the pictures of the jet starle rollercoaster sitting in the water were beamed around the world from here. it was on the funtown pier and we watched part of that structure collapse in flames while cameras and onlookers watched a short time ago. the boardwalk is a string of tightly packed, mostly family-owned businesses, concessions. volunteer fire departments from miles around responded in waves. they have been no match for the

dry timber. block upon block of boardwalk, an almost endless source of fuel for the fire, burning to within 20 feet of the waves on the shore. the smoke plume is following the coast north to new york as new jersey is looking at a colossal loss tonight, financially and otherwise. is short time ago, i spoke with new jersey governor, chris christie who just arrived on the scene. >> brian, i just arrived about 20 minutes ago. the scene is this -- you are familiar with the area. we have cut a 20-foot wide trench in the boardwalk at ocean avenue and lincoln avenue, about a block and a half from the icon nick midway sausage and pepper stand in the center of the boardwalk. that's where we are making our stand. everything south of there is going to be destroyed. north, we are trying to make our stand right here and i just

spoke to fire officials who at least at the moment are optimistic we can make our stand here and keep the fire from spreading north on the board walk. >> we just walked the boards in the off season preparing for the start of the season last memorial day before the summer. we both, of course, point of personal privilege have ties there and continue to go back as adults. how much can one place be expected to take? >> you know, i was already with the police chief, tommy boyd, and the other folks here. it is a desperate situation here, brian. we don't know yet the cause of the fire, but we do know that it started in the vicinity of the coors orangeade stand in seaside park near the funtown pier. we are looking at winds down here from 20 to 30 miles an hour out of the south headed north.

that's our biggest enemy now are these winds. i can tell you that where we have ordered fire equipment here from monmouth, mercer, burlington, atlantic, and cape may counties in addition to obviously ocean county where we are. we are pumping water out of the barnegat bay to help fight the fire. we are running hose from the barnegat bay all the way to the boardwalk and using that as one of the sources of water to try to keep the pressure as high as possible. >> again that was governor chris christie having just arrived talking about the desperate situation in the town where so many of us have spent summer vacations over a lifetime. now we turn to the news from overseas tonight. the latest incredible turn of events in the story we have been following related to syria. as americans woke up today to a guest column in "the new york times" by vladimir putin of russia using at times language that was blunt and stern calling americans out on superiority on claims of american

exceptionalism and the use of military force. this as high level talks in syria got under way in geneva. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, having flown overnight , is there for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. those talks between the united states and russia that began here today on syria's chemical weapons were overshadowed by the man who wasn't here -- vladimir putin. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov were center stage. but putin stole the show with his extraordinary, brazen attack on president obama's syria speech. of all places on the op-ed page of the "new york times." taunting the president for saying america is exceptional, putin wrote it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. he said obama's proposed air strikes against syria will result in more innocent victims and escalation. and it is alarming that military

intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the united states. and putin wrote that while no one doubts that poison gas was used in syria, he claims it was used not by the syrian army, but by opposition forces. in geneva, kerry brought a big team of arms control experts prepared to test the russians' seriousness. >> this is not a game. i said that to my friend sergey when we talked about it initially. it has to be real. it has to be comprehensive. it has to be verifiable. it has to be credible. >> reporter: but the u.s. and russia are far apart. kerry said the assad regime launched the chemical attack on august 21. lavrov implied the rebels were to blame citing putin's "new york times" column. kerry said force should be an option. lavrov said solving the chemical problem makes air strikes unnecessary. in a clearly orchestrated move,

syria's president assad said today on russian tv he's now ready to observe the u.n.'s ban on chemical weapons. not good enough, said kerry. the syrian opposition weighed in, denouncing the russian initiative. [ speaking foreign language ] >> trying to defeat the world and the dictatorial regime in damascus has no credibility at all. >> reporter: the u.s. has its own doubts about trusting russia. >> give me the last part of the translation, please? hello? >> yes, hello. [ laughter ] >> do you want me to take your word for it? it's a little early for that. >> reporter: jay carney at the white house said there is irony to all this. it reflects america's freedom of expression that putin could have an op-ed in the "new york times," a freedom not shared in russia, especially under putin. >> andrea mitchell with the secretary of state tonight. that means in geneva. thank you. about the piece in the "new

york times" it is the latest example of putin's talent for drawing attention to himself and wielding power overtly and behind the scenes. our nbc news national correspondent kate snow has that report tonight. >> reporter: his reputation is legendary. the horseback riding, tiger hunting, hanggliding former kgb spy. >> russian president and shirt allergy sufferer vladimir putin. >> reporter: so keen on being the center of attention he'll sing "blueberry hill" to a room full of celebrities. ♪ >> reporter: it's no secret russia's support of countries like iran and syria strained the relationship between vladimir putin and president obama, causing some awkward moments. >> he's got that kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid in the back of the classroom. the truth is when we are in conversations together often times it's very productive. >> reporter: now the leader who has ruled his own country with

an iron hand for a decade and a half, who has blocked u.n. resolutions on syria, is publically scolding the u.s. and the obama administration. >> this is a very clever p.r. move designed to appeal over the head of the president of the united states to a public that he knows very well is highly skeptical at best of a military attack on syria. >> reporter: putin's words drew bipartisan condemnation. >> it turned my stomach. >> i was insulted. >> he says we are all god's children. i think that's great. i hope it applies to gays and lesbians in russia as well. >> reporter: the russian leader was trending on twitter all day. putin now just basically doing donuts in obama's front yard, said one man. the russian chess champion and putin critic gary kasparov called "the new york times" pathetic for giving putin a platform. if putin gets results on syria's chemical weapons the administration said today russia deserves some credit.

>> if this can be resolved, however ugly, with cooperation, however cynical, with russia then that might be the out that barack obama is looking for. >> reporter: for so many decades u.s. presidents had contentious relationships with their russian and soviet counterparts, but this is one moment when the u.s. may ultimately get a positive result out of a very difficult relationship. brian? >> kate snow on the man -- like it or not -- at the center of the news today. kate, thank you as always. still ahead for us after the break, crowded skies and concerns about safety. there is a surge in airplanes getting dangerously close. we'll look at the reason behind the story. later, paying tribute to a man named fortune, coming together for high honors after more than 200 years. han 200 yea. would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin dedicated to your eyes,

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we mentioned earlier there is news tonight regarding safety in the nation's skies and the difficult job air traffic controllers have to keep 70,000 flights every day properly separated in the sky. the faa reports the number of close calls nearly doubled last year, but that's because they are doing a better job of tracking them. our report on all of it tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: across the country the nation's air traffic controllers handle 133 million takeoffs and landings each year, nearly all going according to plan. the faa reports that in 2012 there were nearly 4400 cases of planes getting too close to each other -- more than double the number from the year before. and 18 near collisions on runways. the reason?

the faa says a new computer system automatically records every time two planes violate the faa's flight separation rule which requires 3.5 miles or 1,000 feet of vertical separation near airports. >> some of them are a breach of air space where there was never really a collision imminent. it's that the reporting criteria says if you lose separation the faa needs to know. >> reporter: on july 31, 2012, a very close call at washington's reagan national airport when three regional jets got far too close to each other as controllers tried to vector them around thunderstorms. >> we were cleared at the river back there. what happened? >> stand by. we are trying to figure this out, too. stand by. >> we really don't -- >> we have to get on the ground here pretty quick. >> reporter: the faa's new reporting system will no longer rely solely on pilots and controllers to self-report those mistakes. they are seeing a drop in the percentage of serious close calls.

in a statement, the air traffic controllers union says maintaining the safety of the world's largest, most efficient national air space requires constant vigilance and focus. >> we need to take a look at the fact that the number did rise. and by doing that now we are going to be able to actually pinpoint more of the areas we need to work on. >> reporter: intense focus on ensuring the nation's air travellers fly safely. tom costello, nbc news, washington. back in a moment with the news today that the expression to infinity and beyond is no longer just an expression anymore. ssion anymore. with my moderate it to severe plaque psoriasis... the frustration... covering up. so i talked with my doctor. he prescribed enbrel. enbrel is clinically proven to provide clearer skin. many people saw 75% clearance in 3 months. and enbrel helped keep skin clearer at 6 months. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers,

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fish before it's all over. officials say it could be weeks before it has all washed out into the seawater. tonight nasa confirmed that after 36 years in space "voyager i" has left the solar system as we know it. that's farther than any manmade object has gone before, into interstellar space about 11 and a half billion miles away. nasa says just in case it runs into intelligent life it is carrying a gold-plated record with photos and songs from back on planet earth. the kennedy center in washington has announced its annual list of honorees. carlos santana, martina arroyo. they lead the list for 2013. other honorees include billy joel, herbie hancock, shirley maclaine. the kennedy center awards take place december 8th. a first in the miss america pageant and for that matter any major beauty competition. miss kansas is getting some ink because she's got some ink.

she will be the first entrant with a tattoo. it is a serenity prayer emblazoned on her side. pageant organizers have no problem with it. in fact, they say they are all about celebrating individuality. the new bay bridge between san francisco and oakland didn't last long, at least by that name. it will be named after willy brown, longest serving assembly speaker in california history, first african-american to serve in that post. brown is also former mayor of san francisco. big news from our friends at the "today" show announcing a new addition to the "today" show family. carson daly, host of "last call" and "the voice" will start a new shift. his role will include manning a digital studio they are calling the orange room to keep the conversation going on more than just television. it is shrouded in secrecy. we find out monday morning. when we come back a fascinating piece of history, dignity at last for a man long forgotten.

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♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪ finally tonight it took over two centuries but the final chapter was written today for a man long forgotten. he was a slave who worked and died in connecticut. today he was finally shown the

dignity he never experienced in life. his story tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: lying in state at the capitol rotunda in hartford, connecticut, one of the state's highest honors offered to few but today granted to a slave named fortune whose story is part of america's painful past. >> he is finally getting the respect that he so well deserved. >> reporter: in the 1700s fortune was a slave and along with his wife and four children the legal property of dr. preserved porter. he worked on the porters' waterbury farm until his death in 1798. an inventory of dr. porter's estate in the early 1800s lists items including a sleigh, ladder, skeleton -- presumed to be fortune's -- valued at $15 and his living widow -- not even listed by name -- valued at $10. dr. porter was a physician. many descendants followed in his footsteps. with other local doctors according to the local museum

actually used fortune's bones to study human anatomy. in death as in life, without his consent. in the 1900s they donated fortune's remains to the museum. >> he's left a legacy that slaves were as human as anyone else. >> reporter: anthropologists and artists created images of what he may have looked like in life. today his funeral at st. john's episcopal church which is where according to records, fortune was baptized more than two centuries ago. hundreds gathered to pay their respects. >> the way you celebrate a life. fortune was sent out with honor, dignity and respect. >> it's an amazing thing to me. i'm so happy to be a part of it. >> reporter: more than 200 years after his death and a life of servitude and hardship, a slave named fortune was finally buried with dignity. rehema ellis, nbc news, waterbury, connecticut. >> that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with

us. i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. good thursday evening, everyone, thanks for swrojoinin. >> this evening we have an answer. a target shooter in mt. diablo sparked the biggest fire there in 35 years. who was it? is it legal? the fire which started sunday scorched more than 3,000 acres and is still not yet fully conta contained. caused air quality issues in the tri valley and santa clara county. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in longer in front of the flames but a charred hillside.

jodi? >> reporter: and it's tough to see mt. diablo looking like this, raj. as you mentioned, it is charred and blackened. as you said, calfire tonight has announced that the cause of this devastation was a target shooter. and we have confirmed that the fire started not far from where we're standing along morgan territory road. tonight, for residents who live along this area around this area, it is just sinking in that the impact will be felt for months, and years to come. fire crews are finished fighting the morgan fire, but now they're busy repairing the charred and bulldozed hillside. >> the rains are going to come down and wash down all of the ash, all of the dirt that has nothing to keep it in its place right now. >> reporter: calfire is installing water bars to stabilize the mountain. they say they won't leave until the work is done. but residents like danal