emergency crews -- battle the flames of an early morning christmas fire. authorities say the fire started in the barn -- located in the 2-thousand block of ivanhoe street outside denver. first responders and bremer county sheriff's deputies responded around two o-clock this morning. kwwl's jessica hartman joins us live in the newsroom with a christmas miracle to this story. jessica? that's right - - the hilmer family says the fire damage could have been much worse -- if not for all that remains of an old barn

used for storage -- owners say it isn't a big loss -- but the flames could have easily spread to the family nearby home or the horse barn. but thanks to a man named mike from missouri -- driving by at the time -- he was able to alert the family. after seeing the fire -- mike stopped at their home and woke the family -- who had no idea about the blaze "it could have easily; in the phone and get my shoes on, the whole structure was engulfed in flames. it went so quickly and he really was like a christmas angel that came by and just made sure we were all safe." crews worked for nearly two hours to put out the flames and make sure the property was safe. authorities say the fire took the main electricity poll on the property -- leaving the family with out electricity for the weekend. at last check -- the family was working to find generators for

their horses' water tank from freezing. we've got you covered live in the newsroom...jessica hartman kwwl news. authorities say nobody was hurt during the fire -- and the family believes all the cats living in the barn -- made it out safely. waterloo firefighters douse an apartment fire this morning. authorities responded to ravenwood circle after seven o- clock. experts believe the fire sparked from a bathroom fan. nobody was hurt -- and the fire lasted for nearly five minutes. a homeowner calls police -- after finding man in his garage -- sleeping in his truck. then, police say the man stole a loaded gun from the vehicle -- and ran away... it happened yesterday in swisher. investigators say the man ran to a nearby home on amana road -- and went inside... police say this man -- tommy duffer is responsible. he faces multiple charges. duffer allegedly broke into that second home and stole some

he was arrested. criminal complaints say the gun he took -- has not been found. duffer was booked in the johnson county jail last night on multiple theft and burlary charges. in mississippi -- relief organizations and volunteers are coming together to help victims of a rare round of winter tornados. those storms killed at least 14 people in mississippi, tennessee, and arkansas. clean-up efforts continue today -- however -- anticipated heavy rain could hamper those efforts. despite all that -- communities are still coming together to help. "we've got red cross has been doors and let people stay the night. everybody just pitched in really well and i'm really proud of this community." this is surviellance video from a bank in holly springs where the storm hit. watch as you see the tornado

sped up. president obama and first lady michelle obama want everyone to remember the troops -- while celebrating the holidays with during this season, we also honor all who defend those sing carols and open presents, as we win snowball fights... the president: or lose snowball fights... the first lady: let's also much. if you would like to help the troops, veterans or military families in your area -- you can visit -- joining forecs dot gov. meanwhile -- a solemn christmas for a few troops in afghanistan -- mourning the deaths of six of their own -- who were killed during a suicide bomb attack monday. more than 200- thousand members of the military are spending the holiday far from home -- all over the world.

around the world will get a "we've got about 500 pounds of turkey that's got to be cooked. we've got 5 to 600 pounds of ham." some of the troops are deployed in kuwait -- helping provide support for the campaign against isis... queen elizabeth also delivering a christmas message today -- saying we should reflect on the past year and remember those we lost. many people say the first christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. but had to confront moments of darkness this year. she goes on to say we should think about the year ahead -- and joked she'll probably hear the happy birthday song once again during her special day this april. the

and pope francis prays for world peace in his annual message to the city and world. he asked for an agreement to be reached with the united nations -- that would end the military clashes in syria. he also prayed to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis in that area. while some people pull the wraapping from their presents -- others are tryirng to get home for christmas. kwwl's shirley descorbeth catches up with last-minute travelers at dubuque's regional airport. she joins us live with the details. shirley? that's right...family members were waiting in anticipation for their loved ones. once they arrived...hugs filled the airport. at dubuque's regional airport -- people wait anxiously...looking out the window for their loved ones' planes to arrive. connecting flights to and from chicago but people traveling from all over ...to eastern iowa. people arriving from boston, north carolina...also los angeles. some making a statement with their arrival "i came home to surprise my parents for christmas and what and ridiculous looking...they had no idea i was gonna be wearing a unicorn

once reunited -- the airport was filled with hugs, kisses and tears. some told me they fly on christmas day because it's less expensive and less crowded...compared to earlier in the week. we've got you covered -- shirley desecorbeth -- kwwl news. dubuque's airport now ranks as the second busiest airport in iowa. officials say the airport experienced a nine percent increase in aircraft opereations for fiscal year 20-15. decision 2016 -- you can close out 20-15 with democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders. the vermont senator will be ringing in the new year during an event in des moines. he plans to host a campaign even at the renaissance des moines savery hotel on thursday. for more information about his visit or to attend -- you can feel the bern by visiting our website at kw-wl dot com. coming up -- a fire damages the

of a former president -- believed to be arson. plus -- the unconventional way an eastern iowa family spends their christmas together. that story in a few minutes. but first -- here's a live look at the stormtrack seven live doppler radar. stormtrack seven meteorologist kyle kiel will have your forecast in just a moment. and when you see news - or if you have pictures or video to share... you can do that by going to our page on facebook. you can also "like" our page to "you're watching kwwl. we've got you covered. with ron steele, amanda goodman and chief meteorologist mark schnackenberg. this is the kwwl news at five." the united kingom.. just wanted ---------

--------- --------- 7 weather team. see the screen yellow tonight for the potential tonight. we all get in on a chance for at least scattered rain throughout the day on

mostly cloudy as we track another storm system that could bring significant impacts into early next week. here's the winter weather advisory. it's in effect that's right there is a winter weather advisory for the far northwest part of the kwwl viewing area. this is in effect after midnight for hawk and

of rain and freezing rain, and potentially snow. however, accumulations will be fairly light. expecting a tenth of an inch or less in these areas, the better chance will stay to the north and west. here's the storm track 7 live doppler radar. mainly dry conditions across eastern iowa. here's a wider view of the satellite and radar. area of low pressure in colorado is what we will be

next weather maker. it will open up as an open wave to our south, and that's where most of the precipitation will stay. there's snow to our northwest, causing some issues in the dakotas and nebraska, as well as northwest iowa. here's the current temperatures across the area. right now we are all sitting below freezing. temperatures will hold steady and slowly rise

overnight. here's the storm track 7 live weather network. a bit in our western counties, future track. we will have areas of we go through the overnight, we that slight chance for a wintry possible with temperatures middle 30s to lower 40s. it looks right now. still too coming up -- a white christmas in parts of iowa -- but on the nation's east coast -- it's t-shirt time... plus the childhood home of a former president burns -- due to arson. you're watching kwwl. we've got you covered in waverly, sumner, oelwein and all of eastern iowa

suspected. the home in hope arkansas is an historic site -- maintained by the national parks service. crews arrived last night to find flames spreading to the second floor. there is extensive damage to the home owned by clinton's grandparents. the former president spent the first four years of his life in that home. a six point two magnitude earthquake hits the middle east today. the quake hit northern afghanistan and pakistan. a 6 point two earthquake is considered strong and can cause serious damage.

immediate reports of casualties or damage -- but communication in that area can be slow. this quake hits two months after more than 300 people were killed during an earthquake in the same region. many people in eastern iowa are seeing a white christmas -- but the east coast is experiencing warmer weather. several cities in the east will likely see their warmest christmas on record. on christmas eve -- several high temperature records were set -- including a record in new york city. temperatures were as high as 70 degrees -- well above the old daily record high of 63 degrees. meanwhile in california -- there's snow. the christmas eve snow blanketed much of the sierras -- causing quite a few travel headaches for those heading home for the holidays. despite snow fall yesterday -- some iowans are going outside to enjoy the weather. this is the jensen family. they're water skiing as a family. one of them even went barefoot skiing. we'll hear from the jensen family coming up tonight at six. and -- a record breaking number of

the "surfing santas" is an annual event in florida that helps raise money for charity... this year had the highest number of saint nicks surfing yet -- at more than 650 surfers. they helped raise more than 30- thousand dollars. still to come on the k-w-w-l news at five... did you get a gift card you don't want for christmas? we explain how you can cash it in... plus -- how many calories does the average american eat today? the number might surprise you. ---------

paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it for you. you have to get out there and do it yourself. bernie sanders is a well-known friend of family farms. bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our next president to get in there, roll up his sleeves, take off the gloves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock.

black friday... a survey done by american express finds more people will look for christmas deals tomorrow -- compared to both black friday and cyber monday. shoppers are going for big post- holiday discounts -- and some plan to buy presents for next year -- and use gift cards they got for christmas. speaking of gift cards -- if you get one you don't think you'll use -- you can trade it in. websites like card-pool and card-cash will buy your gift cards at a reduced rate. you can also scan the card at a coinstar kiosk and it will give you cash on the spot. the national retail federation says gift card spending will hit nearly 25 point nine billion

some people aren't able to give gifts today -- because their deliveries didn't arrive on time. fedex customers are taking to social media to complain about late deliveries -- and the company says they're doing everything they can to get deliveries out on time -- but they are experiencing some "slight delays." they credit more last-minute shipping than anticipated -- and some severe weather throughout the u-s as reasons for delay. feel like you're eating too much today? you're not alone. the u-s tops the list of countries with the most calories in their christmas dinners. the average american christmas meal comes in at more than 32- hundred calories per person. we're not the most by much though. the united kingdom and france come in close behind. christmas is traditionally the biggest eating day of the year in the united states -- taking second to thanksgiving. if you ate walnuts today -- you may have eaten fewer calories than you thought... a new study, done by the u-s department of agriculture, finds

nearly 20 percent fewer calories than what is listed on food labels. the new calorie counting technique accounts for how your body digests the nuts. so a one ounce serving would actually contain 146 calories instead of 185. coming up -- storm track seven meteorologist kyle kiel will have your city... we'll be right back. --------- ---------

a look at the best of the best in the top 12 sporting moments in iowa this year. that's coming up tonight at six. storm track seven meteorologist kyle kiel has a final look at your forecast. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. after tomorrow's wintry mix and rain we are dry on sunday, then we are tracking the potential

winter storm on monday with sleet and snow as it looks right now. still too early to pin down amounts, but that will likely impact travel. thanks for joining us for the kwwl news at five. tonight, the rising toll from those violent storms. tornados tearing

a growing tragedy