tennessee. killer wildfires ravage a popular tourist town. >> and cuba mourns fidel castro. we are the only local news station with a reporter in cuba right now. we will get the latest from havana. i'm jennifer leigh and i keith cate. let's get to those killer wildfires scorching the tennessee while mountains -- the tennessee mountains. homes, hotels all being reduced to ash, flames even beginning to damage the end of the dollywood theme park. half the town has been impacted by the fires and the nearby community of pigeon forge is also threatened. within the past hour, we learned that these wildfires are now blamed for at least three deaths. mark parker has the latest. >> reporter: the scene in and around gatlinburg, tennessee is utter devastation. hundreds of homes and businesses damaged, destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire that erupted overnight into an inferno. >> this is the fire for the

ever seen. >> reporter: several wildfires in east tennessee fueled by high winds and dry brush raged out of control and quickly reached -- got out of control. >> that is hurricane force winds. that is nowhere to be. >> reporter: fire flames came dangerously close to a hilton hotel, temporarily trapping guests. overall, 14,000 people were evacuated >> i am glad they did what they did because them flames were right up on us and we didn't even know it. >> if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have gotten out at all. >> reporter: some evacuees made it out on their own, driving through smoke and flames. others were escorted on foot high state troopers after downed trees blocked roads. homes, businesses lost and lives forever altered.>> to see that disappear in the blink of an eye, it does touch your

overnight with the house to rebuild parking gatlinburg tennessee, mike barker, nbc news. a court hearing ends with a shouting match. today, a judge decided jennifer fichter must serve a 22 year sentence for having sex with three teenage boys. melissa marino was in the courtroom and joins us now. a whole lot of emotions on this day. >> reporter: today really ripped open old wounds for aerospace academy. this is where she was an english teacher and where she lured in her victims. >> you don't know. you don't know. >> reporter: an explosion of emotions. >> stop it. >> reporter: outside the courtroom, a heated exchange between the parents of one of the victims and jennifer fichter's family.

persons life and i did because your daughter put us in that predicament. >> the testimony was that -- broke -- >> reporter: this after the famous teacher put a judge behind bars for having sex with multiple teenage boys, ruled she must continue serving her entire 22 year sentence. >> the sentence will remain as it is. >> reporter: victor -- factor's attorney argued the boys were willing participants. a psychologist took the stand. >> she must have had some need >> reporter: painting the picture of a depressed woman looking for validation. >> so she had three victims. we know that. we know all of these victims were teenage boys and all of these victims were boys that she taught, correct? >> yes. >> how is that not predatory behavior? >> reporter: in the end, this judge didn't budge. >> the sad part is once the judge makes that initial decision, it is part of their nature not to second-guess

polk county, she resigned from a position in orange county under similar situations. if she serves her full-term, she will be in her 50s by the time she gets out of jail. >> melissa, any idea of her attorney plans to appeal?>> reporter: he has 30 days to do so but right now it's unclear if he has plans to do that.>> melissa marino live tonight. right now, investigators are calling a group of thieves highly organized after dozens of guns were stolen in a smash- and-grab. it took less than two minutes this morning to crash a truck into the gun company on tampa boulevard. at least 10 guns are missing but that number could change after a full inventory. >> we are a small store. we do a lot of maintenance and repairs. we don't carry a large amount

is fortunate. >> investigators believe somewhere between eight and 12 people were involved in this heist. a $10,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to an arrest. news channel 8 is in havana cuba as tens of thousands are expected to fill revolution plaza for a ceremony to remember fidel castro. the dictator died friday after holding power in cuba for nearly half a century. his passing prompted some celebrations in cuba and u.s. cuban communities. our reporter jeff patterson is in the middle of it all right what is happening today in the wake of castro's death. he is going to be there all weekend we are your only local news station with a reporter in cuba right now. let's check in at the plaza of the revolution. >> reporter: this is a remarkable display of respect, something like it i have never seen in the united states.

netherlands, the united states, even from all over cuba. they will stand in line for hours to file past the remains of fidel castro that are at the top of this monument. perhaps, they will sign a book. perhaps, they will pause for a moment to take a picture, pay their solomon respects, and move on. this line went well into the night as people filed by. sums do it in line for hours. some of them were crying. some more holding signs. there are leaders from all over the world, china, venezuela, russia, who have flown in for official observance. there is an official observance in the plaza tonight at 7 pm and we will be here to cover it. jeff patterson, news channel 8. >> and jeff will be reporting in cuba all week. his next report is coming up tonight at 6:00. we want to get to some breaking news now. at least one person is dead after a crash involving a semi- truck and a car.

you can see the car off the road into a ditch. a serious accident. one person has been killed that we know of. we will bring you updates as soon as we get them. president-elect trump is kicking off what he calls a thank you to her earlier this week in ohio. trump announced the plans on tuesday on his website. he and his vice president elect mike pence will appear on saturday. additions to his cabinet. elaine chao will be secretary of transportation. she served as secretary of labor from 2001 to 2009 and deputy secretary of transportation from 1989 to 1991. she is also the wife of senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. for health and human services, trump told obamacare critic tom price of georgia. price is a surgeon matures the budget house committee. donald trump also causing

with a remark on flag burning. the president-elect tweeted that nobody should be allowed to burn the american flag and that anybody who does should lose citizens up or go to jail. the united states supreme court has upheld that burning the flag is an accepted form of free speech. it also says american citizenship can only be given up voluntarily. a constitutional amendment banning flagburning failed the u.s. senate in 2006. new information about the ohio state university attacker. investigators tell us he and his family moved to the u.s. from pakistan it has refugees in 2014. they also say he was inspired by isis propaganda. the new york times also reporting isis has claimed responsibility for the attack.

driving his car into a group of people and then getting out and stabbing some of them. 11 people were hurt. abdul razak ali artan was a student. on his facebook page, he railed against the united states for interference in foreign countries. coming up next, one family has until tomorrow to leave a house they already moved into. shannon behnken shows us how to rent smart and safe. also ahead, workers walk off the job nationwide. the message they want to send to the incoming administration about minimum wage. certainly some very warm teat combined with that, the humidity is a bit high. a cold front is headed our way. we will talk about it's a fax

make your holidays more delicious. right now, when you buy $20 in gift cards... ...you get a $5.00 gift certificate for yourself.

get the news you need at a convenient time. >> whether you want today's news or tomorrow's weather, you will hear it here first.>> eagle 8 hd is brought to you by your local suncoast hyundai dealers. visit your local hyundai dealer today or visit www.buyahyundai.com.

including most members of a popular soccer team. that plane was on its way to columbia when it slammed into a hillside. aviation authorities declared an emergency and then the plane lost emergency contact due to electrical failure. the colombia team that was supposed to play the brazilian club says the championship title should go to their opponents in honor of those who died. across america, workers walked off the job is part of five for $15, a push for $15 an hour minimum wage. check out the scene in hillsboro today. in chicago, employees at o'hare airport joined fast food workers walking off the job. the national fight for $15 campaign is sponsored by the service employees union. the group says it wants to send a message to donald trump that it won't back down on raising wages. the current u.s. minimum wage

>> camp nou max defender 8, the world's most powerful rater -- now, max defender 8, the world's most powerful radar and your storm team 8 forecast with chief meteorologist steve jerve. >> rain chances are increasing but coming from nothing it's not much as the cold front approaches the area. as we talk about that were meant for a trend, that will carry on certainly for the next several weeks. things are pretty quiet right now have been very, very quiet. we do not expect much in the way of precipitation but the forecast does increase of little bit. 78 degrees at lakewood ranch. they southwesterly wind and a nice mild day. mild is a good way to describe it because the humidity is definitely noticeable today. here is crystal river. a bit cloudy for sure. 79 degrees there. temps are above normal keeping in mind the average temp is

southwesterly wind. a little bit hazy on the horizon. st. pete beach with that south wind. that south wind is quiet. saint freedom plaza looks overcast. we had showers in this area yesterday. kindness day is coming up december 9 at the news center from 6 am to 7 pm. you can drop off food for feeding tampa bay, toys for tots, and the bear drive from rough riders. donate blood as well. that is december 9. flyover the international space station tonight. that is visible for about six minutes at 5:55 pm in the northeast sky. the maximum height about 48 degrees. this is actually sunrise this morning from charles. you also notice a few clouds earlier on today. forecast thank him 73 degrees, 83 degrees at 4 pm and a 10% chance of a shower. 79 degrees and temple terrace,

center 77 degrees, 82 degrees brooksville, same and bartel and crystal river 75 degrees and 76 degrees in venice. across the southeast, the focus has been on the eastern sections of tennessee gatlinburg. they did have a few showers last night but not enough to help with the fire situation. a cold front back to the west will move through the bay area on thursday. clouds continue to stream through the west. hien as we look at the forecast, the front to the north has kind of stalled out another front is moving rapidly in from the west for wednesday morning. a bit on the muggy side, clouds like today mixed with sunshine in the afternoon hours. wednesday afternoon, about a 10% shower chance. here comes the cold front settling in for thursday. that is our best chance of

we do have some moisture but the instability is way to the north. there is a temperature difference along the boundary but it's not a great one to create a decent chance of showers and thunderstorms. forecast lows tonight are pretty warm, mostly in the 60s and well above normal anywhere from five degrees to 10 degrees above normal average. 68 degrees for a low wednesday, 84 a high on thursday. behind that front, cooler, closer to average friday at 76 degrees. the weekend looks pretty good but we will quickly returned mo if you've been cheated, when you need help, she is on your side. better call behnken. >> it is a scam that hurts the most vulnerable. crooks are renting outhouses they don't own. this sort of things happening all over the tampa bay area and tomorrow, a pasco county family will be forced to move a home they were tricked into renting. shannon behnken joins me now

the information you need to know -- family's story and the information you need to know. >> reporter: sadly, this is one of the most common complaints we get to 8 on your side. scammers have found out sophisticated ways to make these rent deals look legitimate. they have keys and say all the right things. unless something happens quickly, dana molina is just one day from being homeless. >> here it is christmas and i have my kids and i have to be out on the street. do >> reporter: all because she and her husband fell victim to a rental scam. the real owner of the house once them out. there's is a story playing out all over tampa bay. she saw a sign advertising this home on bluebird in holiday. the rent was $800 a month and the house was a dream. >> when i opens the door and walked in, i saw my children growing up there. it reminded me of my grandmother's house.

news. this woman, trisha lamb, their supposedly in lord, didn't own the home. she was arrested and has done this before in hillsboro and pasco county's. marina applied to rent a house from the real owner but didn't qualify. >> it's scary that after wednesday i want have a place to live. >> reporter: rental scams are so prevalent that there are ways to protect yourself. make sure the person you rent from owns a home. this is easy. just look up the house on your county appraiser website, talk to neighbors and make sure they know your new landlord, and don't pay in cash. search for the home address online. if it is a scam, you might find multiple ads and red flags. as for melina, she hopes her story will help others and she hopes someone will offer her

live, that's all. that's all i want. just a roof over our heads. >> reporter: this scam is so common that on my way back from reporting on this story, another woman called me crying because she also fell victim to the same type of scam and this time it was in pinellis county. >> what are the rights of people like this? what do you do? >> sadly you don't have a lot of rights. yo elect you if you have a written lease. law enforcement have told me that squatter situations, they won't kick someone out without going to the court process but if they go through the court process, that is one -- on your record and it will only hurt you. at&t is trying to keep customers from cutting the cord but are there deals good enough? decide for yourself coming up. plus, dangerous dehumidifiers. the reason you need to get these products out of your home

paid for it.

news channel 8 is gearing up for kindness day on december 9. it's an annual tradition here at our studio. we will collect donations for toys for tots, teddy bears for rough riders, food donations for feeding tampa bay and donations for oneblood. we certainly hope to see you

zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. this black friday at the volkswagen sign then drive event. now to a 8 on your side consumer alert. millions of humidifiers are being recalled because they could catch fire. the manufacture agrees that 13

could catch fire. people are still using the units so the company is re- announcing the recall. at&t is going after cord cutters. it will launch three new string services tomorrow. directv, free view and full screen. customers will be able to get more channels for less. the service is available on internet connected devices. at&t but directv last year and is counting on mobile video to cyber monday was the biggest online sales day in history. consumers spent $3.45 billion online yesterday according to adobe digital inside. that's about 12% more than cyber monday last year. demand for l.l. bean's duck boat continues to surge. the company is kicking it up a notch to meet demand. l.l. bean least a larger building and plans to build another

annual duck boat sales have grown -- grown from fewer than 100,000 a decade ago when i bought mine, all away to more than 600,000 this year. that is a huge jump. today is giving tuesday. after a holiday shopping weekend, americans are being encouraged to volunteer or make donations to charity. the one day ch most charities generate a vast majority of contributions at the end of the year. feeding tampa bay his always a good one. >> feeding tampa bay is one of your favorites. >> the drive-through. >> kindness day is going to be easy. >> and you can give blood. at 5:30 pm, childcare costs are skyrocketing so a bay area daycare is working to make it more affordable. plus, how they are doing it. a new look for downtown

the study butte changes coming to the waterfront.

right now on news channel 8 at 5:30 pm: >> confusing crime numbers. while the crime rate is falling, some of the most dangerous crimes are on the rise in florida. i am jennifer leigh like florida's crime rate his going down but violent crime appears to be on the rise. we are the only tv station with a reporter at the capital. mac" joins us live. how do these numbers -- matt thielke joins us live thickheaded these numbers add up? >> reporter: when you look at the numbers, you see that some violent crimes are spiking and