it tells you without saying a word the mood of this neighborhood. the fact that two of their very young neighbors died inside this house. and tonight we are waiting for word on the condition of the sheriff's deputy, their father, who friends and family and neighbors say tried to save them. >> it's the biggest one i have ever seen in person. and just the house seemed like it was engulfed. just, sooas soon as i saw it, i have been praying and hoping the family is all right. >> reporter: but the family was not. bryan lukens, his wife and 9-year-old daughter got out but the two youngest childrens were inside. the deputy's two sons, 6-year-old parker and 11-year-old bryan jr., didn't make it out alive. their dad is a former marine. he was air-lifted to the hospital. his injuries not disclosed by the sheriff. >> our heart pours out to them. we can't imagine what it is like

losing one child, let alone two. >> reporter: a family friend says a text message alerted them to the news. his son played baseball with bryan jr. and they wanted to help. a gofundme page is bringing cash donations to the family so they have less to worry about as they try to recover. >> we hope god is with the family to carry them through this difficult time. >> reporter: after investigators sifted through the ashes in search of a reason why the fire started, those who want to do something are showing up and leaving trinkets as a memorial. they too are asking why and how. >> i just don't know what they're going to do. i don't know what that family is going to do. it's the most horrible thing i have ever heard. >> people are dropping off flowers. one man dropped off a baseball glove and bat. we're also told by the school district that grief counselors were on hand as the elementary school where the children went to help their friends with the

loss. reporting live in schwenksville, montgomery county, deanna durante, nbc10 news. >> unimaginable grief tonight. we'll bring you any updates on air and on the nbc10 app. if you're signed up you'll get breaking news alerts on the app to find out new information first. turning now to your first alert weather. we are tracking snow for most of the area starting in a few hours from now. you can see the snow moving in on the first alert radar. >> expecting a dusting in south jersey, philadelphia. a live at camden and center city. it's dry at this point but that will change pretty soon. the lehigh valley could see a few inches. our live camera showing allentown tonight. the light snow will accumulate in part because of a dangerous cold. >> nbc10 all across our region in north philadelphia, havertown, newark and center city, everyone was bundled up and had to deal with the wind. >> takes your breath away. >> i would much rather be

someplace warm. that's okay. >> sweater, hat. >> probably because she has been listening to first alert meteorologist tammie souza who has been getting us ready, tracking the snow and cold tonight, tammie? >> it will be cold tonight. then the snow comes in and then we deal with tomorrow morning which will be cold, again. some bright spots today. pretty sunshine and a spectacular sunset. captured this photo at sunset in cape may. gorgeous. right now, 31 in cape may. feels like 20. that's the windchill when you factor in the wind and air temperature on bare skin. let's go to mount pocono where they are making snow. 16 degrees. feels like 4 degrees. to wilmington. 27. and it feels like 19. you are getting the idea that the feels-like is really what got you out there today. 28 right now in philadelphia. feels like 17 degrees. we're going to still deal with the bitter cold. we don't have any snow in the area yet. clouds have started to move in. the first batch of snow is

falling apart. it is moving towards harrisburg. it's moved through pittsburgh. the second wave is coming out of indiana and into parts of ohio. when will it start in your neighborhood? just a little taste of what will go on. the earliest may hit south delaware. that could be sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 tonight. i'll time it out in your neighborhood so you'll be ready when i come back with your full forecast. here is another way to get ready. use the free nbc10 app to track tonight's snow. all the winter weather that heads our way this season. you can use our live interactive radar and get personalized forecasts for your own neighborhood. we're following breaking news at 6:00. two people are dead after a shooting on penn state's beaver campus. the campus is west of pittsburgh. and the university posted on its website that the campus is currently closed. what we know is a man shot and killed his wife inside the

cafeteria. he then killed himself in the parking lot. she worked at the school. it happened just before 4:00. no students were hurt. the university says the situation has been contained and there is no active threat to students. right now at 6:00, a deadly hit-and-run caught on camera. the video shows a violent crash. a driver appears to run a stop sign and plow into a passing car. a passenger in the passing car was thrown from the back seat. he later died. two people in the car which caused the collision ran away but not before witnesses got a good look at them. >> the woman from this car, she was dragging herself across the ground. >> her whole left side of her face was just gushing blood all the way down. >> neighbors told nbc10 crashes like this one happen often. they want to see changes made to the intersection to make it safer. tonight on capitol hill, president trump and his party are cautiously celebrating a tax

victory. today republicans reached an agreement on a final version of a major tax overhaul. >> we want to give you, the american people, a giant tax cut for christmas. when i say giant, i mean giant. >> this republican win today comes hours after a democratic upset victory in alabama's special election last night. we sent nbc10's lauren mayk to washington to track both those major stories this evening. lauren. >> reporter: jim, those two stories collided today with democrats wanting their newly elected senator, doug jones, to be seated before a tax vote, a vote that now the republicans have agreed on one bill for the house and senate, could be just days away. on capitol hill, protesters looking to send a message. >> vote no, vote no. >> reporter: on a day republicans say yes, they have a deal. it's one senator pat toomey

calls terrific. >> everyone will see in january when the withholding is down and takehome pay goes up. >> i can't vote for this legislation. the different versions have all come down basically the same way. it's a giveaway to very wealthy americans. >> reporter: they're pushing for newly elected democrat from borough mark alabama, doug jones to be seated before the vote. in the final stretch of his campaign, turning a red state seat blue, jones got help from new jersey senator cory booker. you were on the ground there. did you expect doug jones to win? >> yeah. when i came back i told my colleagues, i am going to be joe namath and predict a victory. >> reporter: senator booker says he saw a movement and he saw african-american women leading the way. >> when you put up somebody who is so -- literally saying things like the greatest period in american history was during slavery, you have people so offended that this was a movement to reject that and embrace somebody who understands

that we have to, as a nation, get to commonalities and not let skin color separate us. >> reporter: he says the new senator may not always be a party-line vote. >> we are bringing somebody to the united states senate who is not always going to vote with democrats. he'll try to do right by alabamians in the same way i hope i am doing right by new jerseyans. >> reporter: we're learning details about what the tax bill, the one both the house and senate will vote on, looks like. we have learned that the medical expense deduction, being able to deduct certain medical expenses from your taxes, will stay in there. they've also made a change to your state and local tax deductions saying you can deduct either your property or your income taxes up to $10,000. jim, back to you. >> appreciate it, lauren, when you sort it out for us. thank you. whenever big stories are happening in washington, count on nbc10 to be there covering it for you live. lauren mayk in d.c. tonight. the tax reform plan could

impact the charitable donations you make as well. tonight on nbc news, tom costello tells us what you should do for your favorite causes before the end of the year. right now at 6:00, injured eagles quarterback carson wentz is recovering after going under the knife today. nbc10 confirmed wentz had surgery in pittsburgh earlier today to repair his torn acl. he suffered the season-ending injury in sunday's win in l.a. nick foltz takes over at qb starting this sunday against the giants. coming up in sports we'll hear from eagles teammates about why they are confident about heading to the playoffs with foltz under center. tonight, another setback for rapper meek mills' legal fight. pennsylvania superior court denied the hip-hop star's latest request tofor bail. last week his lawyers asked for him to be released on bail. he is locked up in chester on

probation violations. philadelphia is suing over a bad smell that neighbors in holmesberg keep complaining about. councilman bobby henin announced a lawsuit. neighbors say a stench comes from the company's plant where they make and supply mulch. one woman told us the smell is so bad sometimes she can't even sit on her own porch. the company declined comment on the lawsuit today. tonight, police are trying to figure out why a dump truck toppled over on a small street in north philadelphia and spilled 60 gallons of fuel. it happened around 10:00 this morning along styles street. firefighters cleaned up the fuel before it could still into drains on the street. in south jersey tonight, video you will see only on nbc10 of masked thieves hitting a camden county pharmacy. they smashed a surveillance camera before breaking the door front with a hammer. once inside they ran-sacked the shelves for pills. police are working to determine if it's connected to a pharmacy robbery in winslow township less

than a week ago. new at 6:00, an undocumented family is sheltering in a north philadelphia church tonight to save themselves from deportation. >> the mother and her three children came to the u.s. from mexico. they have been issued a family order of deportation after their asylum petition was denied. the mom says the family came to the u.s. to get away from violence. >> to us, it means that the attacks against immigrant communities are continuing. the first one was under obama. this one is under trump. it's a continuation of the injustices that immigrants live with in this country every day. >> the church is keeping them in its sanctuary tonight so they won't be sent back. up next at 6:00, the holiday crime that's costing you. we'll show you a crackdown inside stores you are shopping in this christmas season. plus, a firefight. how crews in california are

getting wildfire help from our area tonight. t comes to cancer treatment centers of america in philadelphia, she's coming for the multimodal therapy where the specialists form a treatment plan together. we were looking for a cancer team that would help us decide the best course of action. we have so many tools at our center. this is what attracted amy all the way from new york. these were people who were experts in their field. and for us that was the best choice. learn more about our breast center at cancercenter.com slash philadelphia.

firefighters in los angeles are getting new weapons to fight wildfires.

the department received two now choppers. firefighters continue to battle several large fires. they can't wait to put the two new helicopters in service. the l.a. county fire department -- >> our strategy is to use tools to suppress fires when they are small. if we can get on them quickly, pound them with water early, we can keep generally 90% of the fires to ten acres or less. >> the l.a. county fire department will now have eight fire hawks in its fleet. one local police department is fighting back against the rise in shoplifting. officers are working directly are retailers to stop the crimes that cost us all money. we aren't just talking about stealing candy bars. >> tim furlong has a look at the fight against organized and growing shoplifting rings.

>> reporter: the camera is in your face because undercover cops say you hid the meat in your pants, caught shoplifting groceries as part of a crackdown by newark police. >> even though it may be viewed by some people as a petty crime, we take it seriously, and we're trying to stop it near in newark. >> reporter: this is not just about people stealing a few little things. shoplifting has become big business. >> the element has gotten very intelligent over the years. >> reporter: many are financing drug habits or drug rings and have targeted certain products. they love tide detergent and dove products. also, red bull. it's expensive to buy and super easy to resell. >> organized retail crime has been so pervasive that it's become a major competitor of all retailers. >> reporter: experts say they often take the stuff they steal and sell it to smaller independent stores or sell it

online. newark police have bulked up the shoplifting unit. the officers are in stores, walking aisles and staring at surveillance monitors. they say this guy has been hitting home depot and grocery stores all over northern delaware. he has even tussled with employees. they can drive businesses and jobs away. that's why newark police and retailers say they've got no choice but to fight back hard. tim furlong, nbc10 news. you hear it. you can feel it. the wind was howling today. nobody wanted to stay outside for too long. this baby was definitely not loving the cold gusts in the northeast today. along with that cold we are tracking snow tonight. >> first alert radar shows it moving into our area right now. you could start seeing snow flakes in a few hours. you could get a dusting or an inch or two in your neighborhood. the snow should be moved out by the time you hit the road for

work tomorrow. >> let's bring in first alert meteorologist tammie souza. >> it looks like it will be a quick snowfall overnight. we're still dealing with the bitter cold. the high today, only 31 in philadelphia. well below the 46 we should be at and certainly not into the freezing mark. high, thin clouds have moved in. we'll be cold through friday. bitter cold is in the morning hours. the windchill we experienced today will not be duplicated tomorrow or friday. nonetheless. we're 10 to 15 degrees below average on each of these days. snow tonight. could see 1 to 2 inches in many of our neighborhoods out there. i have good news. a warmer weekend is on the way. the 40s will return at least by sunday. right now, 25 in lehigh valley. 24 in the pennsylvania suburbs. 27 in delaware. 28 in philadelphia. 27 in south jersey. if we head to the shore, you are at 29 degrees. let's check out some of the numbers. new hope at 26.

warrington, 25. heading past godwin at 25. unionville at 24 and oxford at 26. let's slide south or east into philadelphia. 28 at graduate hospital. 28 in manayunk, port richmond, 30. fox chase, 28. parkwood at 28. those are the actual air temperatures. the feels-like is a little bit cooler than that. in new jersey, maybe a degree or two warmer. 28 in lumberton. cherry hill, 27. glassboro, 26. pensville, 27. we'll drop a few degrees tonight and hold steady. why? we don't have snow now, but we have high, thin clouds. the snow is falling apart. it went through pittsburgh. it's either side of harrisburg. more is moving out of indiana and into ohio. a thicker band of snow. hour by hour here is what's going to happen. the snow could move into south

delaware by about 7:30 tonight and across the entire area by 9:00. the light flakes, darker shades of purple would be the steadier snow at 11:00 tonight. temperatures holding steady. by 1:30 in the morning we're watching. the snow mixing with a little bit of rain. out it goes. may be some flurries left in the morning commute. temperatures climbing into the low 30s for tomorrow. how much snow? well, the models say not a lot in southern delaware or along the jersey shore. maybe we get a little more than an inch in philadelphia. places like reading could pick up 2 or 4 inches. 37 tomorrow. 32 on friday. 38 saturday, 44 on sunday. we will see showers, perhaps, sunday night into early monday. then we have some 40s through tuesday and wednesday. maybe another shot of rain. winter finally starts next thursday. i am john clark. coming up, we'll hear from the eagles about moving on from carson wentz's injury and

backing nick foltz. we'll hear from zach ertz who was cleared to play. sorry. i can't make it.

it's just my eczema again, but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more.

i am john clark from nbc sports philadelphia. carson wentz had surgery today in pittsburgh on his torn acl. it went well. he wanted to get it done as soon as possible so he could possibly be ready for next season. today, the eagles had their first practice with that guy, nick foltz, the quarterback now. the players said he looked good. he was confident and comfortable. and nick has familiarity with some eagles teammates from when he was in chip kelly's offense.

players are confident with nick. >> i think it's tough as a team but i think, if anything, we are set up better than any team to handle it and having nick foles. >> he has got a set of cleats or something like that in the hall of fame for something like the most touchdowns in a single game. he has pretty good in philadelphia before. >> if we started this year and somebody asked you, all right, you have one game against the giants to clinch a first round bye, you don't care who you got on the field. you'll take those odds. >> good point. good news. tight end zach ertz was cleared. he is out of concussion protocol. he is expected to play sunday. the birds can clinch a first round bye with a win. >> zach practicing today. zach's first touchdown in the nfl was thrown by nick foles. the birds say the offense won't change much at all with foales n

there and the players believe in him. >> he loves slinging the ball. that's what he's done his whole career. he didn't have help in arizona and he was still slinging the ball. he is a great quarterback. we're excited to have him. >> another player was on the practice field for the first time in nine months. a good sight. great to see the eagles' second round draft pick sidney jones, cleared to practice. he tore his achilles before the draft but is getting back into football shape. he is probably not going to play this year, but this was a big first step. good for him. i am john clark. we are right back. for the help and the opportunity that i received. darlene: i'm thankful to be able to help people in crisis. vanessa: i'm thankful that addiction is treatable, and that help is available. christie: new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. but if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, i want you to know: we are here for you. this holiday season, choose help. call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj.gov.

ooh, a live look at the slopes tonight. >> brr! >> look at it blowing around. more snow on the way, right? >> they could get several inches in the poconos and up in berks county, lehigh valley. the rest of us, maybe an inch or so. tomorrow, optimistic. 37. it won't feel as cold as today.

>> that's a little bit of good news. >> that's the news at 6:00. thanks for watching. i am jim rosenfeld. >> i'm jacqueline london. up next, "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. see you back tonight at 11:00. tonight, your taxes on the verge of sweeping changes. republicans reach a deal on pushing through their plan, and we have details on what's in it and tips from tax experts who say the time for you to act is now. shock waves as a democrat scores an upset victory in deep red alabama. we go inside the fallout all the way to th white house. late word of the health of senator john mccain. battling brain cancer, now back in the hospital, as joe biden, who lost his son to the disease, offers powerful words of comfort to mccain's daughter meghan. >> so there is hope. and if anybody can make it, your dad -- her dad is one of my best friends. explosive text messages revealed. what two fbi officls