guess inter >> ♪ >> from the cbs broadcast center in philadelphia, this is cbs3 "eyewitness news". >> this is a tragic, trap nick day for the city of philadelphia. >> a neighborhood in grief. four young children are killed after a fast moving fire destroys multiple row houses in southwest philadelphia.

good evening everyone, i'm natasha brown. thank you so much for joining us. this fire broke out while many were sleeping and tonight investigators are combing through the rubble trying to find out exactly what happened "eyewitness news" reporter matt rivers is lie at the scene in southwest philadelphia with this developing and very, very sad story. matt. >> reporter: natasha, this is a terrible situation here in southwest philadelphia. let's give you a live look right now at what the scene looks like. you can see crews beginning to clean out some of these affected homes and for the first time this afternoon we are learning the identity of the children that died in this fire. they are two twin sisters maria and mariella a four year old boy patrick and his little brother taj. they died after they could not escape the flames. the grandmother of the two boys overcome with grief this afternoon unable to talk for more than a sentence or two at

a time. >> i want them back. i love my boys. >> reporter: her two grandsons four year old patrick and one month old taj seen here in a picture given to cbs3 by relatives, the other two young victims are seen here twin girls maria and mariella4 years old. the twins' mother was babysitting the two young boys. she was able to get out along with three other children inside the home but could not reach the other children before she was forced to escape through a second floor window. the fire broke out shortly before 3:00 a.m. fueled by couches witnesses say that went up in flames. >> the couches went up. as those couches went up my roof went up and it was just like, you know, really unbelievably hot out there. >> reporter: this afternoon mayor michael nutter joined the fire commissioner and family members expressing their grief. >> we lost four precious lives, four little innocent

children. >> reporter: officials aren't sure what caused the fire but say it likely started on the front porch of the home the children were inside. it quickly engulfed seven other homes on the block displacing over 40 people eventually requiring more than 100 firefighters on the three alarm call to get the fire under control. >> members of that station right now are heartbroken. they're very heartbroken because we lost four children in this community. >> reporter: this morning's scene filled with crying and tears that pain not going away any time soon. and this is a tight knit community out here, many of the people that live in this area are liberian immigrants who know one another. they all say they'll be helping these families get through this difficult time. we know mayor michael nutter also met with some of the family members of those children who were killed offering his and the city's support to help them however they can. fire department officials tell us two working fire alarms were installed in the house where the children were

killed, just under a year ago. it's not known, however, if those fire alarms were working early this morning. we're live in southwest philadelphia, matt rivers, cbs3 "eyewitness news." >> such a tragic loss. thank you so much, matt. our coverage of the deadly fire continues on our web site, cbsphilly.com. well, this holiday weekend, it certainly is in full swing right now and what a difference just a couple of days can make. the weather is perfect down the shore. "eyewitness news" in ocean city here where the boardwalk is packed. folks soaking up the sun and appear to be enjoying every moment of it as they should. meteorologist justin drabick is live on the cbs3 sky deck with the first look at the forecast, he's sucking up some rays himself out there. hey, justin. >> hey, natasha, that's right. another nice weekend across the delaware valley and you wouldn't think july 4th weekend would feel like this. we have absolute no humidity, a very pleasant night shaping up across region and rest of the weekend does look good. we'll be starting to warm

things up a bit. let's take you down to margate on our neighborhood network, we're looking live, some people starting to exit the beach but still nice conditions right there, not even a clow in the sky in south jersey right now. temperature currently, the high temperature, that was 83 degrees, that's it today, that's all we can get in philadelphia, that's below average for this time of year, 84 inland at the atlantic city airport. right now still hanging out in the lower 80's in most spots in the sunshine but temperatures will quickly drop to the 70's later on this evening. already seeing some upper 70's in quakertown and doylestown and willow grove this hour. there's what's left of what's arthur, it's a subtropical system, it lost all its tropical characteristics along nova scotia. for us clear skies, nice finish to the holiday weekend. sunday forecast 80 degrees for the shore and temperatures. warming up inland. back into the upper 80's for philadelphia so that's going to be above average. coming up in the full forecast, we'll be talking about warmer temperatures returning to near 90 degrees and also some shower and storm

chances. i'll let you know when those arrive but you can track the comfortable conditions right down to your neighborhood when you download the new cbs3 weather app. check it out, just go to the itunes store and download it and it will be coming soon to android. natasha, we'll send it back to you. >> justin thank you so much. as you just heard justin mention arthur has been down goaded to a post tropical storm but winds are still strong as they lash canada's maritime provinces. new england was largely spared from storm damage although thousands did lose power in maine and vermont. arthur jumped about 8-inches of rain in southeastern massachusetts before finalling moving up the coast. as arthur does pull further and further away from the jersey shore the threat for rip currents stays. the beach and the surf both packed in ocean city today. lifeguards were on high alert over the past few days or so, warning swimmers about dangerous rip currents but now the ocean is calming down, conditions are quickly improving. >> the water temperature has dropped quite a bit, down

about 63 degrees. the surf has dropped a little bit where yesterday it was it was more dangerous but we're seeing pretty good conditions plus the west wind has been coming off the land and that's been kind of settling stuff down a little bit. >> it's always important to swim only when a lifeguard is on duty. now the stormy start to the fourth of july caused many towns in our region to postpone fireworks. some of them will be happening tonight. for an updated list of where and when you can see fireworks this holiday weekend you can just head to our web site cbsphilly.com. developing now a shark attack off the coast of southern california. this is a picture of the victim getting wheeled into an ambulance in manhattan beach. authorities say he was in a group of long distance swimmers when a 7-foot long grate white shark bit him. his injuries are being described as moderate. the beach was closed temporarily while officials checked the waters. also two teenagers are recovering after being shot here in north philadelphia.

it happened overnight on the 2000 block of east atlantic street. you can see shell casings littering the ground. a 14-year-old was slot in the arm, an 18-year-old was hit in the leg. both are listed in stable condition. police are still searching for a gunman in this case. a pickup truck crashed into the side of an apartment building in the northeast. you can see right inside the vehicle on red lion road and widd meyer drive. police are looking for the driver who ran away after the crash. the fire marshal in berks county is investigating the cause of a fire at townhouses in bally borough. it took firefighters an hour to control the blaze at main and south second streets late last night. one unit was deemed uninhabitable and two others sustained smoke and water damage prompting a total of six residents to spend the night elsewhere. a missing k-9 officer is back in the northeast with her

family ton the night. bee bee snuck out of a philadelphia police officer's backyard friday by calling through a hole in the fence. we did get word today that bee bee has been found safe and sound and has been reunited with her owner. stay with us, everyone, still ahead on "eyewitness news," the video is startling. a police officer caught on camera repeatedly punching a woman. and now an investigation into whether this use of force was justified. also, it is not the guest you want attending your backyard barbecue. we're going to tell you where a giant python caused quite a scare for residents and how they were able to get that reptile to leave. justin. >> below average temperatures right now. that's not going to last. we'll show you the rest of the holiday weekend forecast. >> the sixers back in action today in the orlando summer league. the top prospects looking good. a full break down of the game coming up for you. staystay

>> got a story you'd like us to investigate? e-mail your ideas to i-team at cbs3.com. >> well, how much force is too much? video is now circulating of a california highway patrol officer punching a woman while making an arrest. the officer claims that she resisted but many say he went too far. cbs news correspondent bigad shaban shows us the video that's causing quite a bit of controversy. >> reporter: the california highway patrol is now investigating one of its own

after cell phone video captured this officer repeatedly punching a woman on the side of a busy los angeles freeway. what was your reaction when you saw the video? >> i was shocked but also not surprised. >> reporter: jodi armor is a criminal law professor at the university of southern california. >> i would say these are among the worst times in terms of the police image and community relations since the rodney king tape. >> reporter: he says questions surrounding the patrol officer's actions could hurt perception of other law enforcement agencies in the l.a. area including the los angeles lapd. last year the department of justice had special oversite of the lapd because of what it described as a pattern of police misconduct. that decree lasted more than 10 years. as for tuesday's events his report of what happened said the barefoot woman ignored his orders to stay away from the freeway. he tried to take her into custody to protect her. >> they need to find out what happened before this footage

started recording, right, and were there any circumstances there could be used to in any way just if i what we saw. >> reporter: armor says a full investigation could take months. bigad shaban for cbs3 "eyewitness news." >> well, protesters held more angry demonstrations in one california town as more undocumented immigrants arrived to the area for processing for the second time this week a plane carrying migrants from texas touched down in san diego where they were then transported to the town of murrieta. protesters on both sides of the debate have been clashing over what the white house calls a humanitarian crisis. president obama will visit texas next week. so far a trip to the border is not scheduled. also convict id killer joren van der sloot gets married in race prison. van der sloot and his pregnant girlfriend exchanged vows at a maximum security prison in lima, peru. they met when she visited that facility. van der sloot is serving a 28 year sentence for killing a woman in 2010.

he remains the prime suspect in a disappearance of alabama teenager natalee holloway. now the duke and duchess of cambridge william and kate were on hand for the ceremonial start of the tour de france. thousands gathered in the northern england city of leads as the first staged cycling's biggest events got under way. the royal couple later met with local people in the village of west tanfield which is on the route of the tour de france. it was a picture perfect day for a parade. cape may held its annual independence day parade on beach avenue. meteorologist kathy orr was there and center us this video of the festivities. many groups were showcased during the event including the cape may county string band, also the cubs and boy scouts. beautiful day for a parade. beautiful day to be anywhere outside. >> it doesn't feel like fourth of july, though, 'cause we don't have those hot temperatures. >> i know. that's not going to last, is it? >> of course not. it's july.

if you like the break from the heat and humidity, obviously you'll love today, loved yesterday. tomorrow is not bad. we're going to warm up. here's an aerial shot of atlantic city. still a lot of people hanging out on the beach right now. why not. temperatures comfortable at the shore. looking as you your 70's to around 80 degrees with that off shore wind out of the west. temperatures today inland, though, on the cooler side. 83, very pleasant here in philadelphia. average highs 87 so below that. our record high temperature for this date 100 degrees set back in 1999. looks like starting tomorrow we get back to at or even above average for the high temperatures. very nice this hour. check it out. low 80's. 81 in allentown, 80 in reading, how about 73 degrees in the mountains right now reporting at mount pocono. wildwood also 79. dewpoint temperatures this tells the story right here, this gauges how much moisture, humidity is in the atmosphere. mid 40's, you really don't see that in the summertime so that's why the air mass is just so dry right now, so comfortable and pleasant and

when we lose the heating of the sun temperatures will quickly drop back down to the 70's and even 60's again tonight. here's what's left of arthur again, post tropical storm arthur and then we're just left with some cloud free conditions, area of high pressure. the good news with arthur is it's moving up over land over nova scotia. all of the wave energy is focused across the lower atlantic. current bowies off shore two to 3 feet. rip current threat will continue to diminish tomorrow so always remember to swim at a guarded beach. 80 degrees for the high once again tomorrow, maybe some upper 80's in the warm spots inland and then we start to see 90's returning monday into tuesday, tuesday afternoon that humidity builds and an approaching cold front brings a chance for scattered showers and storms. will. we'll keep it dry rest of the weekend even into monday. looks good on sunday, just a few clouds on monday, maybe some more clouds start to increase. most showers and storms stay to our west.

tuesday that's our next good shot for some scattered showers and thunderstorms with all that heat and humidity building. here go the temperatures on the uphill rise there. mid and even some upper 80's for zip afternoon, is it is s some relief again at the shore. talking about low 80's into monday upper 80's and then approaching that 90-degree mark again with that humidity on the rise. so, for tonight, mostly clear, very comfortable, 62 for center city. so, many suburbs will be back down into the 50's again and your sunday forecast warming up, mostly sunny, we're back up to 88 degrees. humidity levels on the rise a little bit but still not bad. still very comfortable sunday afternoon. at the shore upper 70's to around 80 degrees. that ocean water has dropped, though. we're in the low 60's. a lost sunshine tomorrow. make sure you have sunblock on if you are at the beach. here's the extended forecast. 90 degrees return for monday. low 90's tuesday with some scattered showers and storms. looks like the threat for more showers and storms continue on wednesday. then we dry out a little bit for the end of next week.

still warm, temperatures pretty much near average, mid to upper 80's. looks like we get another string of 90's coming in early next week with humidity but it's july much it happens. >> i knew they weren't going anywhere. thank you very much, justin. lesley is here with sports for us. >> all right, we'll start with the phillies back in pittsburgh tonight now 12 games under .500 after a tough loss to the pirates last night. david buchanan getting his ninth start on the year. also in the lineup dom brownback from maternity leave and cameron ruff filling in for carlos ruiz behind the plate. pittsburgh is up three to one in the seventh inning. i'll have highlights tonight at 11:00. chooch continues to suffer from concussion symptoms after getting hit by a pitch against miami become on june 26th. team says he'll be undergoing more tests on monday. the long wait is over, the 76ers get back on the court today in summer league play against the orlando magic. nerlens noelle looking good in his debut with the team, he put up 19 points in about 26 minutes of play including a

dunk on his first shot as a sixer. second round pick kj mcdaniels had nine points. the sixers lose 83 to 77. some bad news for another sixer prospect, points guard pierre jackson went down in the second quarter with hanjour his right achilles and trainers think it could be ruptured. that would likely put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. jackson was acquired in a trade with new orleans during the draft. rumors over a possible trade for jeremy lin heating up again. sources closures to the negotiation says sixers are definitely interested in the houston rockets guard depending on what they can get back for him. milwaukee has shown interest. a trade would give houston salary cap space to pursue other players in free agency. [cheers and applause] argentina and belgium up first in the early game. argentina jumped ahead early with one in the back of the

net in the eighth minute of play. belgium can't get the equalizer. argentina wins one-nothing. the netherlands and costa rica in action today. both teams remain scoreless. send it into overtime. we have about 15 minutes left and still tied at zero. clever team wins will play argentina in the semifinals. final the tonight we have the women's final at wimbledon held today in england. petra dominating on the court today. she would go on to win match and the title. it is her second wimbledon championship in her career. >> very nice. thank you very much, lesley. >> still ahead on "eyewitness news," a monster surprise, it turns up in a quiet residential community. we're going to tell you what it took to get rid of this unwanted guest

>> ♪ >> welcome back everyone. many are spending this holiday weekend with familiar perhaps barbecuing in the backyard. wait until you see what one florida family caught under their grille. take look for yourself, a 12-foot python somehow slithered its way into a residential area of florida city. the reptile found a hiding place. >> so there was a guy coming out and i looked at him and i said are you afraid of snakes and he said no. i said come over here. he came over there and it slid and hid under the barbecue grille. >> neighbors managed to get it into the grille and waited for first responders to remove the snake. authorities say the python was not a pet. it came from the wild. maybe just wanted some barbecue. we're back in

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>> let's hope our beautiful weather can last a little longer. >> i'm going to keep it going, yeah. it gets a little warmer though so it will feel a little bit more like summer. humidity not high yet. 88 degrees for the high on sunday, lots of sunshine. monday you'll start to notice a difference in the humidity. then it gets hot and humid for tuesday and wednesday, we'll talk about some afternoon shower and storm chances both days highs in the low 90's.

>> we'll enjoy the moment. >> exactly enjoy the holiday. >> thank you so much. that's "eyewitness news." i'm natasha brown. for lesley, justin all of us here, we appreciate you being with us. we're always on at cbsphilly.com. the evening news such next. we're back on the cw at 10

>> axelrod: tonight, is this one of the world's most wanted men? the militant battling the iraqi government said this is their leader, a man with a $10 million u.s. bounty on his head. charlie d'agata on what could be the first video of abu bakr el-baghdadi. >> angry protests in the california towns become the latest flash point in the fight over illegal immigration. >> >> the california highway patrol promises to investigate one of its own after a patrolman is recorded punch ago woman during an arrest. mark albert has the latest. and the chianti, allen pizzey walks us through the birthplace of one of the world's