this one charred a grassy area along the 10200 block of inspiration drive. crews from multiple departments have been working on the ground, no word yet what sparked this fire. this caught the eye of many around lunchtime in the metro area, a yellowish plume of smoke billowing out of the sun corps refinery in commerce city. -- suncor refinery in commerce city. at first firefighters thought no toxic released, but then the colorado department of health now saying it's too soon to tell if anything toxic was released. 9news reporter maya rodriguez here to tell us what happened today. >> reporter: refinery officials and firefighters tell us a power outage led to that release and in the last hour the state department of health put out their statement saying they can't tell at this point whether that release was hazardous or not. this started around noon today.

repairs -- xcel was working on repairs and the power outage happened. that led to the yellowish smoke. a suncor spokesperson told us it was a claylike material they use as a catalyst that was actually released, but again the colorado department of public health and environment says they do not have enough information yet to determine whether it was hazardous, but they add it does not appear to pose an immediate risk to the an automated emergency call to people within 2 miles of the refinery advising them to shelter in place. >> when we get an unusual event, you have your everyday normal operations at refineries, other businesses. when something goes wrong, we never know how far that chain of events will go. so we want to stay ahead of it and we take actions so that we can confine the area until we're absolutely sure what is

>> reporter: now investigators with local, state and federal agencies are on scene as they investigate what happened here. by the way, there were no injuries reported with this release. >> okay. we know you'll stay on top of whatever was in that smoke. thank you. a former police officer in mexico who is wanted for raping women in that country has been arrested and accused of the same crime in aurora. police say 25-year-old man sexually assaulted a woman after forcing his way into her home. anastasiya bolton tells us he was caught after trying to get into another woman's home. >> reporter: ricardo venegas has been accused of raping women in two countries. the 25-year-old former cop from mexico is wanted there where reporters have given him the

apd found the arrest of a suspect at a restaurant nearby, that story reminding the officer of a sexual assault reported the week before in the same apartment complex. that day police say he sexually assaulted a woman and threatened to kill her and her 1-year-old son if she told. she was brave and told. she also picked him out in a lineup after his arrest. the suspect denied the attack when confronted with the possibility of dna evidence. he questioned the apd's evidence analysis. he's in the arapahoe county jail now without bond and faces a number of charges including sexual assault. anastasiya bolton, 9news. >> aurora police say there could be other victims. if you know of one, you're asked to call aurora sex crimes unit, 303-739-6153. we also have this information posted online at 9news.com. a former apprentice contestant is joining others in

unwanted sexual advances. she is represented by attorney gloria allred. during a press conference this afternoon in los angeles she said trump aggressively kissed her and placed his hand on her breast during a 2007 dinner meeting in los angeles. >> after hearing the release of the audiotapes and your denials during the debate i felt i had to speak out about your behavior. you do not have the right to treat women as sexual objects just because you >> she says the incident took place shortly after a meeting in new york where she said trump kissed her on the lips twice. nbc news has not independently confirmed any allegations. meanwhile trump came out swinging against the growing group of women who accused him of sexual misconduct. he spoke extensively about the accusations at a rally in north carolina labeling them fame

and clinton campaign as conspiring against him. he repeatedly denied every claim against him as utterly false. >> the stories are total fiction. they're 100% made up. they never happened. they never would happen. i don't think it happened with very many people, but they certainly aren't going to happen with me. return trip to colorado next week just as voters statewide begin to receive their mail-in ballots. he has a campaign stop tuesday morning and another one in grand junction tuesday afternoon. after the massive samsung galaxy note 7 recall, some u.s. airlines are adding fireproof bags to their fleets. in case a cell phone or laptop battery overheats and catches on fire and can't be extinguished. alaska airlines was the first to add the bags to its entire

the smartphone recall. the bags can withstand temperatures up to 230 degrees fahrenheit. virgin america has the bags on unfortunately after its planes. delta said all of its aircraft will eventally have the bags. -- all of its planes. delta said all of its aircraft will eventually have the bags. the inventory of damage isn't completed just yet, but photos and videos trees, downed power lines and wrecked downtown businesses. authorities say the tornado's path cut right through the center of town. two businesses are confirmed destroyed and one home uninhabitable. no injuries have been reported. it's been a week since hurricane matthew hit the carolinas, but the effects are intensifying in some communities due to the rising floodwaters. 24 people have died from the storm in north carolina alone.

matthew's rainfall are cresting today and towns down river in eastern north carolina might not see the worst every it till this weekend. that means the floodwater won't recede until next week. north carolina also remains crippled by power outages crippling roads and tens of thousands of people forced from their home. the governor fes the number of dead will actually increase in the next few days. weav of princeville where nearly 800 homes have been destroyed. >> reporter: in princeville, north carolina, the damage is catastrophic. over the last several days we have toured several communities, but here the water level has risen up to 12 feet in some spots. it's unclear if in this historic town people will return. the storm has long left, but the damage will be felt for many, many weeks if not years in communities like that one.

tonight on nightly news. >> princeville was settled by free slaves after the krill war and incorporated in 18 -- civil war and incorporated in 1885. it flooded after hurricane floyd in 1989. it's stinted 80% of the town -- estimated 80% of the town is under water. still to come a former classmate returns home after a severe injury overseas. >> a weekend that will have denver streets blocked off to protect

a star athlete just graduated east high school when an accident in mexico changed his life for ever. a spinal injury occurred. he told 9news reporter jessica oh he is determined to get better after a welcome home he'll never forget. >> reporter: it wasn't a game that brought all of these tied to the baseball field friday. the posters and signs are for one of the school's best athletes. >> he had the ever, like gorgeous girl friend, star of the lacrosse team, amazing student going to cal polly. >> reporter: but -- poly. >> reporter: but instead andrew willett spent his summer in the hospital. >> it's a whole new world and just in the blink of an eye it was crazy. >> reporter: everything changed when andrew was in cabo with friends in july. they went swimming, but the waves were too rough. >> i remember diving and then the waves started to crash

feeling the force of the wave like push me down and like next minute there i am lying face down in the water and i couldn't move anything. >> reporter: he was paralyzed after hurting his spinal, unable to do the things he loved so much like playing guitar or swimming. >> i come out here to the pool and i want to get in it. i want to do all this stuff. >> reporter: he's optimistic. >> even if i don't get anything back, i'll still home for it. >> reporter: his friends and family to see. >> a lot of people that go visit him, that's what they say, too. they're like how is he so positive through all this? >> reporter: andrew says his hope comes through support. so on his first day out of the hospital -- >> welcome home, andrew! woo-hoo! >> seeing that, that's even better than anything. that's amazing that they could do that.

friends that come out for him. >> reporter: a field full of fans making a difference in the life of a teen who can now look forward grateful for what he still has. >> i'm alive, so like if this is all i'm going to get, it's better than never waking up on that beach. >> reporter: in denver jessica oh, 9news. >> andrew willett does plan to continue to go to ll cal poly and now that he's out of the hospital he met two other students going to cal poly while at the hospital and both suffered the same injuries

american made goods online. you cannot, however, order cuban cigars online and have them shipped to your home here in the united states. just a reminder, the rock and roll denver race series is this weekend. there will be road closures in and around the downtown area. the main race is sunday morning's half marathon. organizers have added a brand- new 5k race tomorrow morning, a 10k sunday morning and the next two days 14,000 runners are races. all the events start and end at civic center park, a big good luck to them all out there. >> and hydrate. it's going to be warm. instead of cold and snow heat and fire dangers could be the concerns for the weekend. >> just how hot we'll get and how long coming up next in danielle grant's forecast. >> for us tonight an nbc news exclusive, will the u.s.

>> a former apprentice contestant joins the list of accusers of donald trump.

hi there, meteorologist danielle grant in the 9news backyard. if you have weekend plans, do. so not only have the

warm, but the colors have been fantastic in the area, here in denver, at the parks. don lewis catching all these orange red hues in centennial, stunning stuff. today we had a sliver of blue skies, but the mountain wave cloud sat over the city most of the day and that kept us in the low 80s. no, we didn't shatter the record, hit 83 at the airport this afternoon, 80s and 90s across the far eastern plains and springfield, i'll have to chec there. 60s and 70s in leadville, salida, gunnison and low 80s in grand junction yet again feeling more like we're in the beginning of july rather than the middle of october. still holding onto low 80s at the airport under mostly cloudy skies. we anticipated the winds kicking up a bit more out there to help warm up our temperatures and they have been relatively quiet and calm. here in the 9news backyard all is good on friday night. temps are in the low 80s. light jacket should do you just

we have dry conditions across the heartland of the country, all eyes out to the pacific northwest where we're watching one storm system pushing in today, a stronger more intense storm system aiming at their direction by tomorrow. high wind warnings already in place continuing through the weekend for the coastline, some areas like seattle potentially seeing wind gusts between 40 and 50 miles per hour as the storm system pushes in and it will be affecting parts of the inner mountain west, montana, there's a warm front pushing through. we're getting ready for round two, the second system and it's all about the track. we'll see if it grazes up through the portland area. if it does move onshore in seattle, it could be a night march for a lot of folks out -- nightmare for a lot of folks out there, power outages and drowned trees. what's interesting about the storm system coming in tomorrow

supertie -- super typhoon songda, the surf unreal and possible landslide an issue, too. around here it's quiet, 52, a few high clouds. the winds are picking up and the sunrise is 7:09 tomorrow, 40s and 50s for the far eastern plains, extremely comfortable and not too shabby in the mountains tonight, too. we'll hang with that little mountain wave clouds that sits over the i-25 corridor through tonight and tomorrow morning breaking apart about 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. over the eastern plains, but we'll have a nice dose of sunshine in town. that's the way the rest of your saturday ends up. this evening we'll monitor the gusty southwesterly winds in the high country. by 5 a.m. 40 to 50 mile-per-hour gusts possible estes park, allen's park and through nederland. we top morning some of those might -- by tomorrow morning

high temperatures returning to the 80s tomorrow, possibly 90 in lamar, 60s and 70s in the foothills. it should be a warm afternoon for a lot of folks with a good dose of sunshine. 80s on sunday and finally could potentially see a little rain by next wednesday. we'll be right back. solid earnings reports from several banks have helped

9news sports reporter aaron matas. >> it's sick to my stomach. it's sickening. i hate to lose, man. >> interim head coach joe

he had the tough task filling in on a short week and it did not go well. chargers scored on the opening drive and won 21-13. gary kubiak is expected to return monday and decamillis just wished he could have turned over a victory. >> i was almost like a substitute teacher, trying to help a friend and help a coach and help win the game. i have a new respect for what he goes through and what he has to go through through the preparation, through this, through a lot of things. so i have a new respect for that. after i got done with the game i feel pretty good. i think i can do it. >> after a terrific preseason things get real now for the colorado avalanche and new head coach. the home opener today saturday night against dallas. avs went 6-0 in their exhibition games and before you completely dismiss, that remember they won two preseason

years. >> the preseason doesn't matter much. we all know that and we're excited for the season to start and everything really ramps up going into the season. everything gets nor physical. everything -- more physical. everything gets faster. obviously the regular guys and veteran guys get back in the lineup, more skill, speed and experience. everything will be a little harder. tonight in high school football a top 2 ranked mullen will host no. 3 columbine. 9news prep reporter taylor temby is on the sidelines. >> reporter: these two teams know each other very well. tonight will be more about who makes the least mistakes. we know they won't come from mullen's quarterback. he's the smartest guy on the field. there's book smart and then there's football smart. >> i always wanted to be the guy on the field friday night.

>> when i go into ap calculus, it's game day friday. i got a test in calculus and a game friday night. it's game day all around. >> reporter: with a gpa well above 4.0, he's in the running for this year's class valedictorian and already has huge aspirations. >> thought about going into engineering and i thought that might be too specialized for somehow manages to crack open his playbook as often as his textbooks. >> politics, calculus, spanish, english, lit and comp, physics, calculus, b.c. i think that's about it. >> reporter: he continues to balance out his coursework while also serving as starter the past three years. tonight will mark his second game this season after a knee injury last october left him on

ways to contribute to a program like ours in a school like ours in a community like ours that just doesn't involve friday night. >> reporter: rather than have more time to focus on studies he said the injury had the opposite effect. >> i really had to focus on my knee. i'm finally back. it's good to be back. >> reporter: it will be hard to stump this every time they score a touchdown the bell is rang. they hope to hear it all night long. back to you. >> thank you. denver born ben bishop learned a cruel lesson in his season opener last night. the nhl boards can be unkind. you never want to give up a goal from center ice, but this isn't really bishop asaphia.

right off the boards off his leg into the back of the net, very unusual. the lightning did win the game 6-4, so it doesn't matter. he was played in st. louis, but he was born here, so we like to claim him. >> if you like him, claim him. if you don't, not ours. >> nbc nightly news is next.

breaking news tonight, it's an nbc news exclusive. russian revenge. nbc news has learned the cia is poised for a major unprecedented operation, targeting putin. tonight inside the covert plan to embarrass the russian. also breaking, more accusers say they were sexually assaulted by donald trump, inclu contestant from "the apprentice." >> he then grabbed my shoulder and began kissing me very aggressively. >> trump calling his accusers liars looking for fame. also a doctor's outrage. why an african american physician says a delta attendant barred her from helping a sick passenger. and manhunt for a possible ceserial