it's thursday, august 20th. coming up on "early today," the western wildfires turn deadly as three firefighters lose their lives battling a blaze. a stunning admission from jared fogle, the former sevenway guy. what prosecutors say he's been hiding for years and the fallout. new details on the ashley madison data dump. and who's been frequenng the cheating website. plus, a last-minute delay in the prison release of blade runner oscar pistorius. a massive sinkhole that swallowed a florida man reopens. and a washington panda may be expecting. "early today" starts right now. tragedy in the west as fire crews battle more than 100 wildfires burning more than 1.1 million acres. three firefighters were killed

and four others injured yesterday in central washington, when winds shifted near the towns of twisp and winthrop. authorities say the firefighters were involved in a vehicle accident when the fire overtook them. governor washington jay incheslee tweeting my heart breaks over the loss of life in the twisp fire. and with more on the dangers fire crews are facing, here's nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer. >> 400,000 acres lost so far. the smoke jumpers are here. this, a rare look at these elite fearless firefighters. dropping into rugged terrain nearly impossible to reach by land. 20,000 pounds of cargo, unloaded. in oregon, at least 36 homes destroyed. hundreds more threatened across the region. >> all we got to do is drop a little match and poof, we're all

living in a tinder box. >> in these conditions, flames can spread at 30 miles per hour. california now reporting two to 300 new fires a week. in washington state, 200 army soldiers got a crash course on fighting fires resources are strained. even after damon porter lost his home to a wildfire, he stayed in the fight. crews showed us just how unforgiving the conditions are. >> that's pretty dangerous work up here. >> yeah, but it's what we train for. >> the training put to the test. both day and night. >> that was nbc's miguel almaguer reporting. reaction continues to pour in following news that ex-subway spokesman jared fogel has agreed to plead guilty to child porn charges. prosecutors say there was a dark side to fogle, the allegations against him include 14 minors. nbc's kevin tibbles has more. >> the man known to millions as the former face of the subway

restaurant chain pleaded to child pornography and sex with minors charges and now awaits sentencing. >> this is about using wealth, status and secrecy to illegally exploit children. >> 37-year-old jared fogle, a father of faces between five and 12 years behind bars. his lawyers spoke on the steps of the courthouse. >> he expects to get well. he expects to continue to make amends to those people whose lives he has affected. >> a month ago, police raided fogle's suburban indianapolis home, seizing phones, laptops and computers the authorities say contain tens of thousands of messages, images and videos of child pornography. some made with hidden cameras. court documents say fogle got some images from the former director of fogle's nonprofit, the jared foundation. established to teach kids about nutrition. and prosecutors say fogle on more than one occasion traveled

to new york, where he had sex with minors. >> fame and fortune will not protect you from attacking those most vulnerable in our communities. >> for 15 years, jared sold sandwiches, saying he had lost more than 200 pounds, eating at subway. the company suspended its relationship with him when the investigation was announced. and tweeted -- jared fogle's actions are inexcusable and do not represent our brand's values. his family also released a statement saying they are shocked and profoundly disappointed. and very concerned for the well-being of those affected by his conduct. >> this is not about them as people. but about others who chose to exploit them. so they're going to have a rough road ahead of them. >> jared fogle's wife has released her own statement saying she's also shocked and disappointed about the recent developments and is in the process of seeking a dissolution of her marriage. we're learning more about the clients who signed up for

marriage infidelity site ashley madison. it's claimed that 15,000 addresses in the hacked material apparently belonged to u.s. military or government employees. including the white house. according to the "daily mail," the accounts were connected to.gov and.u.s. names. some addresses have been dismissed as false. avid like media which operates ashley madison released a statement saying this event is not an act of hackettivism, it's an act of criminality, we will not sit by and allow these thieves to force their morality around the world. donald trump continues to steal the spotlight from his fellow gop presidential candidates. he whipped up an auditorium with a tough talk on immigration and a personally stinging attack on

jib jeb bush. hillary clinton is ahead in the democratic polls, but her healthy lead is dwindling. good morning and hard to say this, it seems that donald trump may be chaining on clinton. >> it's a long way to go, we'll have to see what happens, see if he can be the republican nomination. there's 17 republicans trying to get that spotlight. they're trying to swing new hampshire voters, which is the first state to hold a primary election. donald trump slammed jeb bush in a new hampshire town hall. the two candidates had dueling events within 19 miles of each other. trump had no problem pointing out he's drawing bigger crowds. >> you know what's happening to jeb's crowd, as you know right down the street? they're sleeping. they're sleeping now. >> mr. trump doesn't have a proven conservative record. he was a democrat longer in the last decade than he was a republican. he's given more money to democrats than he's given to republicans. >> still, trump drives the

debate in the republican primary. his focus on illegal immigration continues. as trump vowed to clean up the system. >> the bad ones are getting out fast. day one. if i win, day one of my presidency, they're getting out. we're getting them out. >> governor scott walker tried to change the debate to national security. >> when you have a lead from behind mentality that you have under the obama-clinton doctrine, it affects many places around the world. >> on the democratic side, it shows that hillary clinton's popularity among democrats slipped under 50%. her support dwindled in a match-up with donald trump as well. the road to the nomination may be the longest for the republicans, 16 other candidates are trying to shine with donald trump's huge personality. reporting live, back to you, dara. >> interesting insight there is, edward lawrence in d.c. former olympic athlete oscar pistorius won't be getting out of prison yet. he was set to be released tomorrow, but that's been put on

hold. south africa's department of justice says the decision to free him was made prematurely and without legal basis. pistorius is serving a five-year sentence. he was convicted of manslaughter for the shooting death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, under south african law, prisoners must serve one-sixth of their sentence. for pistorius, that means ten months, he had only been behind bars for six months when a parole board made the call to let him serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. in florida, a massive sinkhole has reopened, the exact place a man was killed in 2013 when the ground swallowed up his home. heavy rains to blame. and near concord, new hampshire, a sinkhole opened in a highway, creating a traffic nightmare. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with a thursday forecast. this is crazy weather, bill. >> you don't see, you know, sinkhole is one thing, to open in the same spot, they usually try to fill them and make it

safe for the next people, quite the scene there. so let's talk about what's happening in the west. because this is where we've had all the active weather, the horrible fire we dealt with and the fatalities, it's not ending. we still have hot, dry weather out there today. some areas are cooler. right along the immediate coast new york city doubt about it, you are cooler. as far as the front goes, this will sag down from canada over the next two days. this is why it's going to get so windy. behind the front, especially the little canyons and the peaks and the valleys near the mountains, that's the problem areas, winds could gust as high as 20-40 miles per hour. isolated storms could even spark some new fires. if we get any thunderstorms along the front. and of course, red flag warnings are up for many areas in this region and fire weather watches because such dangerous conditions exist out there today. the heat will return. today is a little bit cooler, seattle and portland. portland you've broke your record for the most 90-degree days in a calendar year. i got two more for you on saturday and sunday.

92 degrees on both days. portland has had a much hotter summer than even chicago has. and chicago is known for their hot, muggy summers. medford and even boise. so firefighters get a break from the temperatures, but it's gusty winds and over the weekend the heat goes up again. as far as tropical storm danny goes, it's supposed to become a hurricane, possibly heading towards the islands. it's yet to be determined what if any effects will happen in the u.s. for today's forecast, we're dry in many areas of the west. watch out fornevada, down to the central valley of california, coastal areas much cooler. so hopefully not too many new fires will be forming, you get the windy conditions later. they're worried about power lines falling and sparking new fires. >> the hot temperatures and the

winds are not helping them. we're learning new information about a secret agreement related to the iran nuclear deal. plus new video shows the moment an explosion rocked a motel in washington state. you're watching "early today."

new revelations about inspections into iran's nuclear program. there's word a secret agreement between iran and the united nations will allow iranian officials to inspect a suspected nuclear site. normally this would be done by u.n. inspectors. two senior u.s. officials told nbc news the unusual agreement only relates to past military activity, and that u.n. inspectors would be on site to supervise the iranians. this deal raised red flags among republican lawmakers over the iranian nuclear deal signed by the u.s. and five world powers. senator john cornyn of texas

said trusting iran to inspect its own nuclear site and report to the u.n. in an open and transparent way is remarkably naive and incredibly reckless. in st. louis, police arrested nine people and used teargas to clear the street after around 150 people gathered to protest a police shooting that left a fleeing black suspect dead. authorities say two officers shot and killed the 18-year-old man. after he pulled a gun on them. the officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. the body of one of the three men missing from a landslide that hit sitka, alaska tuesday morning has been found. they were inspecting storm drains at a new house when the hillside gave way. unstable debris is hampering the search effort for the other two men. and there's new video this morning showing the moment a motel 6 near seattle, washington, exploded tuesday night. according to official, the blast critically injured one gas company worker and threw several firefighters back 20 feet. in washington, d.c., the

national zoo's giant panda mai t shang is showing signs of being pregnant. she could give birth within the next several weeks. ahead, some promising news for tom brady after the latest deflategate court hearing. plus which athletes are getting paid the most money for their twitter endorsements? sports is up next.

this morning on "today," olympic swimming star katie ledecky talks with matt lauer after winning five gold medals at the recent world swimming world championships. now to sports with my friend betty nguyen. good morning. >> good morning, tiger is taking on the cubs, top of the second, daniel norris making his first career at bat, he knocks a two-run home run. top of the third, nick castellanos, the second home run of the game. the tigers had a season high 21 hits, the tigers win on the road, 15-8. card nan nalcardinals/giant. juan perez climbs a wall to shut a homer down. the cardinals pick up the win 4-3. a federal judge made it clear that nfl's four-game

suspension of tom brady over deflategate is in jeopardy. the judge ordered nfl commissioner roger goodell and brady to return to court august 31st. he said a settlement is a logical and rational option. now brady wants his four-game suspension to be thrown out. the judge hopes to make a ruling by september 4th, six days before the patriots' season opener. a south korean athlete is ill after practicing in the polluted waters of rio de janeiro. windsurfer juan lucho said he suffered dehydration, vomiting, a headache and dizniness. he said he's not sure if the water is good enough for racing or not. joel mbeed of the philadelphia 76ers is sidelined with injuries. he'll miss the upcoming season after undergoing a second foot surgery. the recovery is five to eight months. how much would it cost to have some of the world's best athletes tweet out your products? open doors which helps companies

with social media endorsements, said a single tweet from lebron james could run you $140,000. with that you will reach around 23 million people. it will cost you five times more to reach that many people with a tv ad. the top five athletes with twitter power behind lebron james, kevin durant, kobe bryant, floyd mayweather and dwight howard rounds out the top five. i'll send it back to you. betty, thank you so much. just ahead, a startling revelation about former "90210" shannon doherty. and mrs. justin theroux hits the red carpet.

in entertainment, new reports reveal shannon doherty is battling breast cancer. the information came out in a lawsuit doherty brought against her former business managers. according to the "associated press" in the filing the actress claimed the managers allowed her health insurance to lapse, delaying the diagnosis. she may now face chemotherapy and a mastectomy. her former business managers deny the claims. the suburban pittsburgh home owned by fictional serial killer buffalo bill in "silence of the lamps" is on the market. it's selling for $300,000 but it does not include a dungeon. jennifer aniston made her first red carpet appearance since getting married.

showing up there we have it -- >> she's only wearing the band. she's so modest. last night jimmy fallon created math equations to understand the 2016 presidential race. >> you got larry david, plus vermont, equals bernie sanders. when there's abraham lincoln, plus running in short-shorts, equals lincoln chafee. >> grumpy cat, plus grumpy dog, plus donald trump equals grumpy trumpy. >> how do they come up with those things? >> this is a gold mine. snl stars. >> comedian heyday. i'm dara brown, this is "early today," we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news, "u.s.a. today" scientists discover how a key gene makes people fat. experiments reveal that a faulty version of a gene causes energy from food to be stored as fat rather than burned. scientists say the research could lead to an entirely new approach to treating obesity beyond diet and exercise. and on nbc news.com, yuck, vomit machine shows why norovirus spreads so fast. researchers say the machine is helping them figure out why the nasty stomach bug spreads so far and so fast. it sickens as many as 21 million people a year. >> couldn't they just spray it? >> a yuck face goes with it. up next, ub certificate coming under fire.

the district attorneys of los angeles and san francisco found 25 drivers have been convicted of serious crimes, including rape and murder. the company claims to do extensive background checks, but they say no background check is 100% fool-proof. the lawsuit mentions a driver who was convicted of second-degree murder and spent 26 years in prison. the fake name on his application went undetected. the lawsuit claims uber is compromising consumer safety. parts of california are sinking a at alarming rates. more underground water is being pumped from underground wells than in previous years due to the drought. the report says some areas are sinking two inches per month which could severely damage bridges and buildings. idaho is looking to remove all mile markers on state highways that read 420. apparently the signs are being stolen by thieves because the number is associated with marijuana. they would be replacing them with, i love this, 419.9

instead. that's a collectible, right? >> exactly. they'll go, too. this video if an airport in amsterdam shows what happens when you check your luggage. it reveal as never-ending network of conveyors, robots and elevators to move the bags. it looks like a roller coaster. and we're not the only ones enduring the dog days of summer. even this guy can't bear it -- he was found relaxing in someone's pool in canada during a record-breaking heat wave. but you know, i guess the pool cooled the bear off a little too much. because get ready for it -- he makes his way into the hot tub. he muscles got a little tight. >> he broke down a wooden fence surrounding the yard to go swimming. it looks like fun. celebrating birthdays today, demi lovato turns 23, amy adams is 41 and "the today show's" al roker turns 61 today. happy birthday. i'm dara brown, thanks for

watching "early today." have a great thursday. breang ws:houndsf acs srch th me

thousands of acres scorched as a fast moving wildfire continues to spread from the tri-valley towards tracy. we're monitoring the latest from the front lines. and i'm racking the weather conditions for that fire. also, we're enjoying some cooler temperatures, more on that coming up in the microclimate forecast. and flames turn deadly in washington state. what we're learning about the fire that claimed the lives of three firefighters. good thursday morning. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. let's get straight to that breaking news we've been following since overnight. smoke still billowing over part of the tri-valley this morning as crews continue to battle the tesla fire between livermore and tracy as we speak.