fox 5 it was a domestic violence call. the investigator back on scene believe they know who the suspect is - though they didnt give any more details. the christmas morning fire remains a mystery to neighbors - but theyre grateful firemen stayed all morning - keeping their christmas safe. "crews and battallion chiefs are ensuring that the overhauls done appropriately so the fire wont start up again that the weather that were having right now with the winds that were sustaining right now." so again - fire fighters think they know who started the fire - police also say they may be involved in this investigation which well continue to follow. meanwhile the home - we dont know if the residents have seen it yet - has suffered quite a bit. behind the boards the entire garage including the cars are just black. the investagor considers it a total loss. reporting live

last we heard - the suspect is not in custody. arson charges are expected to be filed. a man is dead and his wife is in custody after a christmas eve shooting inside a room at the plaza hotel in downtown las vegas. metro says 34- year old 'maria escalante' was in an argument with her husband inside a room when she shot him several times. he died at the scene. police were called and took escalante into custody shortly after 10 last night. she's being held on a murder charge. the holidays are a time to spend with loved ones... but sometimes a little help is needed - to make reunions happen. the american medical response team is making sure people with serious medical needs are able to spend the holidays with their families. they take them out of care homes and other facilities - and bring them home at no charge. it offers a little extra familiy time - at christmas. "we actually get to bring these families home and we know with our families that so when we get to bring these families back

brings about twenty critically sick or injured people home every year for christmas and thanksgiving. a special christmas dinner was provided to the less fortunate today. around 15- hundred meals were served by catholic charities. the executive chef - 'juan carlos penate' - planned a menu which included - stuffed pork loin and bread stuffing... a twice baked potato, broccoli and biscuits. more than 125 people volunteered to hand out the meals. everything was free and the doors were open to anyone who wanted to attend. "another we're giving our community thanks volunteers. we'll serve over a today. anyone who's hungry. men, women, children, families a great quality meal. it's an experience of generosity to our community." charities saint vincent lied dining facility has been serving meals to the past fifty years. many woke up to a white christmas this morning. there were

flurries throughout southern nevada... and we have the photos to prove it. take a look at these images - from the sun city community in anthem. some workers even had enough snow... to make a pair of snowmen in indian springs. and - take a look at this beautiful shot from pahrump. all of these photos were sent in to our report-it page... on fox five vegas dot com. nate is in for ted... he joins us now for a quick look at the weekend forecast. officially it was a trace of snow at mccarran airport around the midnight hour. but to listen for clicking on the some briefly the far west and northwest parts of the valley. up in

was maybe a quarter of an inch. as you might guess, the most accumulation was way up top on mt charleston where they had 6 inches as of early this morning. and you know what? we're not done with slight chances for a few more flying flurries in the valley. the bigger story that affects all of us is the wind and the much cooler temps. winds will be coming from the north - cold north wind - and when you combine that with temps down to the upper 20s, you've got wind chills down to the teens. the below normal reading stretch into mid- week. daytime highs will struggle to reach 50 and overnight lows may hover around the freezing mark. looking ahead to new year's eve: expected the mercury to once agian be around 32, so if you have outdoor plans you'll need to bundle up for sure.

overnight flurries - there was still a "white christmas" to be found on mount charleston. plenty of locals made the trek to lee canyon today - where they spent the holiday in the snow fox5's abby theodros was there to tell us all about it. lee canyon got six inches of fresh snow last night which prompted thousands of people to make their way up the 95 and to the canyon. but more than the snow play - the people i spoke with said today is about spending time with your loved ones. for those who live in the dessert but dream of a white christmas -lee canyon was the place to be on christmas. sockha son, visiting lee canyon: the snow. this year we got a little bit thicker snow than we got last year. over at lee meadows - visitors like liane rodriguez say the twenty-fifth is a time for snow activities with family. trekking up to lee canyon during the long weekend is an annual tradition. liane rodriguez: we're usually up here by 8 o'clock trying to beat the rush traffic of all the people coming up after us so we want to get good spots and we come up with the kids and

play in the snow all day nats car honkbut rodriguez isn't the only one with that idea. park officials say the extra inches of snow will have thousands visiting the canyon over the weekend which means traffic will be congested and safety will be a top priority. capt: - have a lot of patience, we have a really small parking area that fills up real quickly. be sure to watch out for the kiddos in the congested area that are running back and forth across the road way but once the park gets too full - officials are setting up a check point and you'll only be able to get in when people exit the park. capt: we'll eventually deny access because itll be so populated with people in here that it's just not safe and the ambulances and fire crews and emergency vehicles cant get through it. but if you do make it this holiday weekend - most people at the park say its worth the wait. amanda fuller: it's just a really special time. just because it is our tradition and we get to spend a lot of time together making memories, taking photos and we're always talking

just a lot of fun for us. and lee canyon offers plenty of different ways to have fun in the snow. that includes skiing snow boarding and tubing. coaches are also availble for beginners in any of these activities. live in the studio abby theodros fox5news local las vegas. lee canyon also lee canyon also has a day lodge and more than 400 acres of hiking terrain. the holiday season is a time for peace - love - and taking a break from politics. why the break on the presidential campaign trail - is expected to be a quick one. plus - another name enters the race for the white house. and - fire rips through the home of former president bill clinton. what investigators say

you're watching fox5 news at 5. local. las vegas

if you've had enough of campaign ads and politicians attacking one another leading up to next year's elections...you're in luck - if only for a moment. as 'doug luzader' reports from washington - we may be in the midst of a christmas reprieve - but it probably won't

sure, here in washington, we go through all of the motions... (nats) democrats usher in the holidays... (nats) so do republicans. but can politicians who say things like this really embrace the christmas spirit. trump says: "and it turned out to be a total lie. she's a liar!" clinton says: "it's time we got back to where we were before the republicans came in and messed it up again." christie says: "the same feckless weakling that the president we have in the oval office is right now." but, as the song goes, santa knows if they've been bad or good... so some of that kind of talk is typically muzzled over christmas... just ask someone who's been there. giuliani says: "the advice that i got, i remember even in other campaigns, during christmas season lay low and let people enjoy themselves. all you're doing is intruding on them." and yes, we have seen some acts of... almost... warmth... and camaraderie.... but don't get too giddy about a full-

truce. in this political season, especially with this huge slate of republican candidates... and enormous fundraising machines at work, things may not let up as much as they typically do. stirewalt says: "i don't know how the voters are going to respond to this, but certainly the campaigns and candidates feel like they can't leave anything on the ground. they have to go for every bit they can." every bit they can because on the republican side of things anyway, this is still a very crowded field, and time, believe it or not, is running out. as of christmas, the iowa caucuses are just about five weeks out. in washington, doug luzader, fox news. nevada will holds its presidential caucuses... in less than two months... in february. john mcafee has entered the white house race as a libertarian. the 70-year-old is known for his popular "mcaffe" computer anti- virus software. he originally planned to run for the highest office under his own "cyber party" but mcafee says a representative

contacted him tuesday about representing their party. the convention is in late may in orlando, florida - where a final vote takes place for the nomination. mcafee was also on the run... after being named as a person of interest in a 2012 murder case in belize. he was eventually returned to the united states and never charged. an overnight fire heavily damaged the birthplace of former president bill clinton. "looks like that it was started intentionally so it will be investigated as potential arson fire." the building in hope, arkansas is a designated national historic site - and maintained by the national parks service. when fire crews arrived - the back of the home was on fire and flames were spreading to the second floor. in addition to fire damage outside, there's extensive smoke and water damage inside. police say there were multiple clues that the fire was intentional.

accelerant. there's also some graffiti around the point of the initial setting of the fire. we saw the number 5-5 and there's also another drawing. not really sure what it is. clinton's grandparents owned the home. it's where he spent the first four years of his life. now fox5 weather 24/7 (( weather )) officially it was a trace of snow at mccarran airport around the midnight hour. but for folks staying up to listen for reindeer hooves clicking on the rooftop, they got some briefly measurable snow in the far west and northwest parts of the valley. up in

of an inch. as you might guess, the most accumulation was way up top on mt charleston where they had 6 inches as of early this morning. and you know what? we're not done with slight chances for a few more flying flurries in the valley. the bigger story that affects all of us is the wind and the much cooler temps. winds will be coming from the north - cold north wind - and when you combine that with temps

chills down to the teens. the below normal reading stretch into mid- week. daytime highs will struggle to reach 50 and overnight lows may hover around the freezing mark. looking ahead to new year's eve: expected the mercury to once agian be around 32, so if you have outdoor plans you'll need to bundle up for sure. closed captioning

there's no rest for the surprise squad on christmas. coming up - how fox five helped make sure there were some gifts under the tree - for a family in

plus - our military heroes celebrate christmas... at

the fox5 suprise squad is powered by united nissan..

on christmas eve - we showed you when the surprise squad caught shoppers off guard at a local k-mart - by buying their layaway items. but there was one family that we wanted to wait to show you today - because what followed the surprise was nothing short of a christmas miracle. vicki: so the next customer that we have uh, is living in a weekley, she just had a stroke. she wants to get some things for her grandkids, so maybe we can help her do that. cassandra: hi, i'm cassandra jones with the fox5 surprise squad. i hear you're here to pay off some layaway today. yeah? what all do you have laid away? sherry: some dallas cowboy nfl clothes, a karaoke machine for the kids. cassandra: mmhhmm and i hear you also need to go shopping

children. sherry: yeah. cassandra: yeah. would it be okay if we took you shopping for your grand children today, and we took care of the bill, and we'll take care of your layaway as well. would that help you out? sherry: you're kidding. i don't believe it. cassandra: believe it, we're here to help you. sherry: i'm sorry. we're just having it very bad right now. you don't know what this means to me. my heart is happy today. cassandra: you've been through a lot lately. can you tell me what you've been going through? sherry: we're homeless. vets are putting us up. we've got three grandchildren. they need warm clothes. we wouldn't have no christmas. i was coming to cancel the layaway. cassandra: we don't want you to cancel that layaway. and we're gonna help you okay. crying ben: as grandparents we do

wife said, my daughters husband passed last year, and so she's with us. cassandra: hi, hi selena, i'm cassandra jones with the fox5 surprise squad. we actually just surprised your mom, and we been taking her on a shopping spree for your kids. but we need your help to finish that shopping spree, will you help us> selena: yea. cassandra: how long have you guys been married? ben: go ahead, tell em. sherry: 41 years. cassandra: 41 years? sherry: he's my high school sweetheart. cassandra: oooh sherry: now he's my babysitter. ben: we're firm believers in marriage. it's til the end, so that's what it is. we don't take it lightly. sherry: that's why i picked you. cassandra: here's what we got your 8 year old. would she be into that? selena: you guys are

ben: if you could take a picture of her now, you'll see that she has stopped completely shaking, she's just so at ease, i know she worries so much, and she keeps it inside her, and i know it affects her, um, but at this moment i know she could not be happier. you already gave me a present, by having her, having her like this. she just, she's just ecstatic. sherry: thank you. cassandra: you're welcome. vickie: it's just been amazing today. just seeing her laughing and crying, from where she was when she first walked in, uh it's just been a turn around, it's been great. cassandra: that's for you. sherry: laughing whoo baby. somebody gonna be a warm santa clause. $990.15 for my family. thank you fox5, thank you nissan, thank you k-mart. you just made our christmas. i'm so happy. these are happy tears, they're not sad tear. thank you thank you. cassandra: you're welcome.- that's a

sherry and her husband are hoping the u-s veterans office will help them get out of the weekly motel they're currently at.... and into a permanent home in the new year. there are thousands of people across the valley who don't have enough to eat fox5's "take 5 to care" holiday food drive continues through the end of the year. you can drop off your non- perishable food items at any valley albertons and vons. you can also donate cash right at the register. all of the proceeds benefit three square food bank. and - don't forget - the las vegas motor speedway is decked out with the largest drive-thru light display in the valley. "glittering lights" features more than three million holiday lights shining bright along the two- point-five mile course. the event raises money for the speedway children's charity among other local organizations. its open nightly starting at 5:30 p- m. there's much more coming up in the second half of fox5 news at 5. firefighters return to the

overnight house fire - due to high winds. the effort to keep it from smoldering... and the cause given

live from las vegas. your only choice for live local news right now. with

maddela. and weather 24/7 with chief meteoroligist ted pretty. this is fox5 news at 5:30. local las vegas. thanks for joining us for your only local news at 5:30. let's get you up to date with the latest local headlines. christmas morning started with a house fire in the northern end of the valley... and police say someone started it on purpose. fox 5's ophelia young is live - near centennial parkway and lamb - where the home is considered a total loss. ophelia? neighbors say it took over an hour to put out - and the flames were huge. now everything in the home is burnt or synged. the damages 3 hundred thousand dollars - considered a total loss. fire investigators believe someone deliberately set the home on fire around 2 this morning. at one point they believed it started

something theyre still looking into.