>> reporter: i'm finding there's still trouble that exists here tonight. i'm live here on fox street in westmoreland. and i just checked with peco, there's 26,000 people still without power tonight. and businesses that had to shut down early. at the height of this fire thick smoke covered much of the nicetown tioga neighborhood. and getting here was a challenge from bala cynwyd. now, we found neighbors living nearby having to also wait it out. fire hoses that line the street kept many of them from driving off as the cars were blocked in. now the concern tonight is getting that power back on. >> it did sound like a boom like something collapsed or exploded. >> as long as i can get the lights on and cook my food, i'll be all right. >> everybody's power is off. >> reporter: about 9,000 people have gotten their power restored since this fire started just

about 2:00 this afternoon. peco is working to reroute electricity, but it's still unclear how long it will take for all the power to the neighborhoods to get restored. denise nakano, nbc 10 news. slow progress. crews had to use chemicals at first to put out this fire because it was electrical. >> mitch blacher has been reporting on the fire fighting efforts all evening long. this is a big challenge. >> yeah, it was. when we first started here we showed you all the flames coming out of the building. now we're giving you the perspective of the fire crews that are still huddled around and getting, you know, their organization together so that they can continue to make sure that the hot spots are out. i want to give you a view from skyforce 10 as well. you can see the building where we originally saw all of that thick black smoke coming out is now really settled down as they've extinguished all of the fire that was emerging from this peco substation. i want to show you what skyforce 10 captured when we

were first on the scene just about 30, 40 minutes ago as thick black smoke and flames were clearly visible from this peco substation. and from the ground we saw very similar pictures as fire crews were using, as you said, chemical powder at first because an electrical fire, just a very challenging situation because you cannot use water initially on a chemical fire simply -- or on an electrical fire simply because it will conduct electricity. so they had to start with those chemicals and now we're told they are adding water, but you can see a lot of progress and a lot of work has been done in the past three hours on this fire at this peco substation. for now we're live in hunting park, i'm mitch blacher, nbc 10 news. we'll keep following the cleanup efforts. you can get updates on the nbc 10 app and tonight at 11:00. a serial kidnapper on the

run in new castle county, delaware. he'd already kidnapped and robbed two women, then last night he targeted a third but she outsnarted him. that woman spoke to nbc 10 today. she had quite the story to tell about how she manageded to scare off the attacker. >> this latest attempted abduction happened at the preserve in deacons walk. it comes after two kidnappings at two other apartment complexes last month. >> tonight nbc 10 delaware reporter tim furlong is joining us live in newark. you also had a chance to speak to the woman's boyfriend and together they really seemed to throw a wrench into this guy's plans. >> yeah, i'll tell you what, the woman was too shaken to talk with us on camera. i spoke with her off camera. we spoke with her boyfriend. after the other apartment complex attacks in recent weeks, they talked about it and came up with a plan. and last night that plan worked. hoer at the preserve at deacons walk apartment complex formerly known as the bluffs, police believe it was the same attacker with the same m.o. and they have no reason to believe he won't strike again.

>> it could very well be one of our family members, your family members, that are the next victim of these attacks. >> reporter: last night around 6:40 the victim came back into her building after walking her dog. the masked attacker was hiding in the stairwell and put a gun to her head and tried to force her into her apartment. the woman dleverly hit the door buzzer with her elbow and that got her boyfriend to come to the door which scared off the attacker. >> she leaned in and whispered to me, this guy is trying to rob me. i flung the door open all the way. he realized someone else was home. >> this guy got in his truck and tried to unsuccessfully track the attacker down. police believe the attacker is the same guy responsible for attacks february 13th at the top of the hill complex and the february 19th attack at the arundel apartments. the thin 5'7" attacker forced the women into their apartments and sexually attacked them, then

road around with them in their cars to get money from atm machines. neighbors here they want this terror to end. >> hopefully they'll catch him soon. yeah, and that boyfriend got choked up talking to us. he knows it was a close call. they want all women to take this story seriously. i also learned the suspect actually took off running from this building, ran about a quarter mile down the road, into another apartment building across the main road out there in one front door, out the back door through a laundry room. police trying to figure out where he went and hopefully track this guy down. you should call new castle county police live in newark tonight fim furlong, nbc 10 news. democrats and republicans speaking out now that they've seen the proposed replacement for obamacare. here are some of the key changes for what is now called the american healthcare act. it eliminates fines for people that don't buy health insurance

and replaces income-based subsidies with age-based tax credits. president trump said the plan will lower costs and make sure all americans have access to care. >> i think really that we're going to have something that's going to be much more understood and much more popular than people can even imagine. >> some parts of obamacare would remain unchanged such as safeguards for people with pre-existing conditions and children can remain on their parents' insurance until age 26 under the new plan. that is a relief to some people insured by the plans, but they still have a lot of questions tonight. lauren mayk talked to businesses and patients today. people say change is good, but not everyone feels that way in this case, right? >> you got different worries depending on who you are. some don't want things to change too much, others they are looking for some change. now, this proposal does give them some direction but it may just be a starting point. in delaware county, this

business has been around for decades. owner michael mackowski says the past few years have been tough for health care costs. >> i've been in business 39 years and up till obamacare started, i paid 100% for my employees. >> mackowski said he had to cut back on crick contributions whes went up. what are your hopes? what do you want? >> well, first and foremost, i'd like it to be affordable. >> reporter: while mackowski is watching from glen mills jessica lennick is watching from philadelphia. her business is music. and for her obamacare has lent some stability. >> i'm a freelance artist, i don't have one single employer. there was no option for me to get health insurance through my employment. >> reporter: under the new plan the subsidies would be tied to

her age and it's unclear how much they'd be. some patients would benefit, others would not. according to an analysis from the kaiser family foundation. on this map, you can see how a 40-year-old consumer fares across the country. the darker blue areas show increases in tax credits under the new plan, the darker orange show decreases. there are, though, a lot of unknowns. what are you hearing from businesses right now? are they nervous about things? are they excited about things? >> i think almost any client that we sit down with is asking what will be the future, what will be the impact. >> reporter: this man's company is an insurance broker for small businesses. he's watching developments carefully, but there's one thing he's not expecting. >> i think it's unrealistic to expect that costs are going to stay flat or go down. i really -- i don't see anything in these provisions that will make that happen. >> reporter: one interesting thing he is watching, whether for businesses buying health insurance, will that remains tax

deductib deductible. that could affect a business's decision to keep offering insurance or let employees buy it on their own. jacqueline? >> all right, lauren. now a follow-up to a story that was breaking news yesterday. the state is now involved in the investigation of 52-year-old sarah gable. police say the pre-k teachier at an upper darby day care pushed a 4-year-old student down the stair. that student is okay. gable was fired. chaka fattah jr. was back in court to appeal his federal court conviction. he represented himself at today's hearing. he claims his reputation was damaged after fbi and irs officials tipped off the media to a february 2012 raid of his apartment, and that damage affected his ability to adequately represent himself during trial. four dozen accused drug dealers are now charged in a trafficking ring in chester county. officials say their operation crushed ice took out 49 dealers who were pushing meth, heroin

and cocaine. the head of the ring was allegedly running it out of chester county prison. a break in a case to tell you about. police in pottstown have found the pickup truck that hit and killed a man on route 100 last friday. a tip from the public led them to the truck. no charges have been filed yet. several new bomb threats were phoned into jewish community centers around the country today. at least nine anonymous threats happened a week after three local jccs were threatened. today the white house press secretary condemned the threats and said the administration is working to stop them. new at 6:00, in the wake of the recent bomb threats, rabbis in cherry hill want to make sure every local jewish home has a mezuzah. according to the torah, it protects a jewish home from harm. in another case of anti-semitism, a library was hit

by nazi graffiti but what they found three weeks later has them feeling hopeful. they found vandalism in their parking lot. vandals painted a large swastika on the pavement using a can of shaving cream, then they took off. yesterday three anonymous teenagers confessed to the crime by leaving a letter right here in the book deposit box that said they were sorry and they were asking for forgiveness. they also left $50 for cleanup. up next crackdown on va can't homes tp. also new at 6:00, one last beach day. how a jersey shore police officer made a dying woman's final wish come true. first rain and warmth, then cold and snow. yeah, snow. i'm tracking a weather roller coaster next in my first alert neighborhood forecast.

afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me.

you're watching nbc 10 news at 6:00 with jim rosenfield and jacqueline london. new at 6:00, one jersey shore town is cracking down on vacant property. >> it comes a year after a teenager was killed her body found under a house. >> ted greenberg explains what

the new rules mean for hundreds of foreclosed properties. >> it's a problem. >> reporter: deborah and graham taylor say the empty house across the street from their family's home has been a longtime magnet for trouble. >> it's had a series of people breaking in and living in it. >> reporter: police even came today after a neighbor noticed an open door anchts not just an eyesore. it's a potentially dangerous situation. >> reporter: now the township is taking aim at vacant often neglected properties like this by requiring owners to register them, a just-approved law lace out specific rules for maintaining empty homes and buildings while providing an up-to-date picture of where potential trouble spots are. >> i essenticertainly think it' overdue. >> reporter: they have 200 unoccupied properties nearly all in foreclosure and owned by banks. it comes a year after the body

of murdered nicole onstadt was found. >> you look at something tragic like that happens and what can we do better. >> reporter: the law requires vacant property owners to pay a $500 fee and fi laters could be slapped with fines up to $1,000 per day. >> we believe it's a proactive step. >> reporter: 50 other communities have similar laws. authorities here hoping the registry will pressure owners to find buyers. >> having a house like this has an effect on property values. >> reporter: officers didn't find anyone inside this time. the taylors looking forward to the day when this place is no longer the source of worry. ted greenberg, nbc 10 news. no at 6:00, a burlington county woman with terminal leukemia wanted to visit the

beach one last time. >> she wasn't strong enough to walk down to the waves herself. police in shipsbottom made this for her. she's 78. she was diagnosed back in december. she was given three to six months to live. this weekend her family and friends planned a trip to the beach and shipbottom police officer ronald holloway drove her to the oceanfront so she could walk along the waves one final time and smiling the whole way. the family says she has the spirit of a 25-year-old in a 78-year-old woman's body. i'm so glad she got to take that trip. >> she looks so happy and vibrant. >> yes. >> good news here for the new castle little league after receiving donations from as far away as tennessee, they've reached their fund-raising goal. now they can pay a $4400 electric bill. the league was underbilled for more than a decade. you see the initial bill was 17 grand. the county reduced it and donations will help pay for the rest. the league thanked nbc 10 today

for bringing attention to their story a few weeks ago. warmer weather today in manayunk. we've seen a lot more of this this winter than usual. people wearing shorts and short sleeves. a live look at conditions in center city. some rain in parts of our area tonight. then more overnight. >> we could use the rain. there would be a fire danger if we didn't get any because we have low humidity and a lot of wind coming over the next couple of days. we've got cloudy skies right now and the temperature still way above average. 65 in philadelphia. the high today was 67. the average high now is up to 50. and it's 50 in allentown right now. 52 in reading. those are some of the cool spots. not very cool. the temperatures are going to be warm. well above average all the way through thursday, then the bottom kind of drops out. and winter temperatures return. the rain overnight looks like it's going to be gone for most of us by the morning rush and

especially if it's after, let's say, 6:00 a.m. and snow, yeah, we're still expecting wet snow on friday. we told you about this yesterday. two systems that we're watching. the second one for sunday looks like it's going to track far enough to the south that's just about our entire area misses it although things could change there, too, and of course we'll keep our eye on that. the winter radar showing patchy sprinkles around parts of the area. reading getting a little more rain and a little more coming into chester county now. heavier stuff west of harrisburg. and there's that line in ohio that's the back end of this precipitation. here we go as we go through the evening. you see areas of some rain again. we need it. there's the remnants of that line at 5:00 in the morning. so after 5:00, it's pretty much over with in philly. then we get rapid clearing during the day. watch this as we go through the evening, we're still dry in

atlantic city by 8:00, but eventually the rain comes in and it's raining everywhere by 10:00 tonight. by 7:00 a.m. it's not raining anywhere but cloudy. look how quickly the sun comes out. going to be a pretty nice looking day. a windy day, though. winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour. and then as we go into the weekend the cold air comes in. it is going to feel like winter. there's the first system coming in on friday with a mix of rain and snow. could be rain changing to snow and some accumulation. best chance for accumulation to the north and a little bit more rain mixed into the south and then there's that sunday system going to the south as well. i'm john clark. coming up the eagles are linked to free agent receivers. we'll tell but the start of free agency in the nfl and why one flyer says this is the biggest week of their season. that's next. ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪

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♪ find out how much your car is worth at webuyanycar.com ♪ this is sports desk brought to you by xfinity. x-1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. i'm john clark from csn. nfl free agency has started. it's actually called the legal tampering period. teams cannot announce signings until thursday at 4:00. the leagues are looking at aging receivers, kenny brit, terrell provide your and kenny smith was cut today. brian westbrook and the eagles and toyota had a surprise for fans today. they got a brand-new toyota for winning the player of the year sweepstakes. the flyers with three big road games this week starting tonight in buffalo all against possible playoff teams. travis konecny says this is the big es week for the flyers so far. goalie steve mason is hot right

now. he's given up just three goals over the last three games and last march he was hot as well. led the flyers on a run into the playoffs. >> feeling great. been unbelievable for us. and i think for us just helps to put a couple of pucks into the back of the net and playing strong defensive hockey and find that way to win the games. >> he's very confident. when he's confident, he's the best in the business. >> villanova, the regular season is over. they're the number one seed in the big east tournament and they're the overwhelming favorite to win it. they got in one last practice at nova today before heading to new york. they'll play thursday at noon. coach jay wright says the defending national champs have gotten used to having the bull's-eye on them. >> this is more of a similar situation to us knowing that we got the target on our back after the regular season. i don't think anybody in our conference cares about the national championship. >> phillies did beat the tigers

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how about safer streets? philadelphia's now working on a new blueprint to make its streets safer. today the city unveiled a draft of a three-year plan to include more bike lanes, more red light cameras and speed limit changes. these recommended changes come from the mayor's vision zero task force. the goal is zero traffic deaths by 2030. final look at weather here. a live look outside. this flag really blowing in center city tonight. and glenn, windy day again tomorrow but the temperatures are really mild. >> yeah, because that flag is blowing in the direction showing warmer air coming in. up to 67 today. it will be pretty close to that tomorrow and not far from it on thursday. windy both of those days, but then the bottom drops out, an instant winter friday into saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday. snow, wet snow friday and then

again on tuesday, the sunday storm we're keeping an eye on. >> more than just a day or two of ta. >> we'll see you back here at 11:00. breaking news tonight. horror on the tracks. a train slams into a bus packed with passengers. several are dead. a frantic rush to pull dozens injured from the wreckage. raging battle over health care. as demonstrates and republicans slug it out. high anxiety across america. what about all those left hanging in the balance? the cia's hacking secrets. wikileaks blows the lid and what it says of the spy agency's tool to crack into iphones, android and messaging apps. new wave of bomb threats. all 100 senators urging the trump administration to take action. diet warning. news about what's associated with half of all fatal heart ta