it's tuesday, septemberst. this morning, fierce firefight across california. >> this is a very difficult firefight. this is a very angry fire. >> the massive blaze near los angeles, rages out of control, as a new fire brings new evacuations overnight. monster storm. a huge hurricane with sights set on a popular resort area. 20-foot waves are already coming ashore. a quiet debut for rod blagojevich's new book. but it's sending a loud message,

blagojevich's new book. but it's sending a loud message, all the way to the white house. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us. well, it will be another grueling day on the front lines of california's battle with fire. >> there are more than ten wildfires burning up and down the state right now. but none as big as the station fire near los angeles. as one official said, it is burning everywhere. photos show smoke, towering over the city. flames that leap 60 feet over firefighters. left in the fire's path.andscape >> here are some of the latest numbers from overnight. at least 53 homes have been destroyed. 164 square miles burned and growing. and despite the effort by thousands of firefighters, containment isn't expected for at least a week. >> it is burning in the dry, rugged mountains, just north of los angeles. this map shows the huge area in red, where the fire is. and the arrows show where it's going. into the desert to the north. and toward more suburbs to the

west. john hendren has the latest on the fire. >> reporter: near los angeles, 2,500 firefighters battled a blaze the size of san francisco. on the ground and from the air, pounding the hills with water and flame retardants from helicopter tankers, dc-10s, and this tanker. >> it's going to be a fire of epic proportions. a lot of vegetation hasn't burned in well in excess 100 years. it will be a fire like we slnt seen in california. >> reporter: where the mountains descend outside of los angeles, firefighters set a controlled blaze, fighting fire with fire. the station fire has killed two fire foughters, consumed two dozen homes. and now threatens a hub of communication towers, that link to fire, law enforcemen even los angeles airport. three residents ignoring evacuation orders were seriously burned. >> when you hear from law enforcement, anything about

evacuation, follow their orders. >> reporter: still, some remain behind. >> we have an 80-year-old mother that's pretty sick. we don't want to take her. >> reporter: the southern california fire was the largest. but the most destructive was in auburn, near sacramento. 60 homes and buildings gone. >> i was running. shaking to get my daughter. grabbed her from her sleep. >> reporter: amid the destruction, some welcome news. a local deputy, hailed as a hero, saved an elderly woman. >> i kicked the door in. and found her still standing there. and picked her up. carried her out. >> reporter: the southern california blaze, just 5% contained, has more than doubled in size since sunday. firefighters say it could take weeks control. john hendren, abc news. and the massive fires are affecting more than just southern california. take a look at the smoke hangenihang eni ing over downtown las vegas. >> officials have issued an air quality alert through tomorrow. the smoke, with high ozone

levels could make difficult breathing. along mexico's baja peninsula, thousands of fourths are racing from hurricane jimena. >> it's forecast to pass west of cabo sanlu cass today. here's viviana hurtado. >> reporter: in los cab boes, people are filling up gas tanks and stocking up on groceries. they're preparing for hurricane jimena, whose powerful winds and strong swells have expected to decimate this area. owners are rushing to save their vessels. this fisherman says, we're taking the boats out of the water as a preventive measure, in case the murk hits hard. it's the poorly built homes where the hurricane may have the most devastating impact. authorities are trying to evacuate families from flood zones and set up shelters.

"we're trying to think ahead and fill up the tank," this woman says, "because the hurricane that's coming, which has us worried because they're saying it's a category 4." an international finance conference was moved to mexico series. dealing this area an economic blow before the hurricane hits. viviana hurtado, abc news. and abc news has crews in mexico and on the fire lines in southern california. we will have live updates coming up on "good morning america." and still in california, back yard discovery linked to the kidnapping case of jaycee lee dugard. investigators combing the neighboring property to phillip garrido, has found a small bone fragment it will be weeks before they know if it's from a human or an animal. the investigation of that property and the one where dugard was held for 18 years is over. garrido and his wife have pled not guilty to kidnapping charges. we're hearing from one of

garrido's past victims for the first time. katie hall was kidnapped and raped by garrido in 1976. and she testified against him before he was sentenced to 50 years. but garrido was paroled just over a decade later. last night, hall described the storage unit where garrido assaulted her. >> it was like a maze. and in the warehouse where he had me, he had it set up to keep someone for a while. >> reporter: hall said she has a threatening run-in with a man resembling garrido. she left her lake tau hoe home because she knew garrido was hunting her. turning to afghanistan and whether the u.s. is winning. an assessment from the top general there says no. stanley mcchrystal says success is achievable. it will take on a new strategy, one where u.s. troops will be concentrated in cities and wnwn thatat meansns l less f fightin

mcchryrystal hast ruested me troops.. buththat's expxpected . killn afanistan n la month,he higstototalhe nearly 8-yeaear war. th obamama admdmistrion is reportededly c conduing g a majr overul of ththe ficef atrney generalal eric holder i planningo o puueue cas o of scnation i in e rkacace, housing and voting rht fuing r r hi.n will osost but atat cld takee year n notot months. >> spa s shuttlediovovery"y" internnanaspace station.livero ght tononsf senfic h equipment, including the treadmill named after comic stephen colbert. >> the container will be filled with trash for the trip home. you good now? >> not yet. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. a chilly start then a sunny day. scattered showers and thunderstorms stretch from tennessee to the south.

and all along the rockies to the great plains. molyry d in hethe northwest. it will be pleasanthe ichicago, with a high of 74. 72 in boston. and 79 in atlanta. armer in the south, with 88 in new orleans. 92 in miami. and 91 degre in dallas. 108 degrees make phoenix the hot spot. anchorage is playing it cool with the high of 60. coming up, money news. a major bank is ready to start repaying its $45 billion loan. plus, roll up your sleeves. where to get flu shots, starting today. and a medical mystery. docts don't know why a tennessee teen seems to be crying blood instead of tears.

and about lipitor.

to be getting healthier. bank of america is ready to pay back some of its bailout money. "the wall street journal" is reporting the bank wants to start by paying back $20 billion of the45 billion it received. that would ease some of the restrictions on executive pay placed on the company. stocks are rebounding a bit in asia this morning after a down day. tokyo's nikkei average climbed nearly 0.4% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. wall street starts the day with the dow at 9496, after sliding 48 points yesterday. the naaq fell almost 20 points to close at 2009. two of the night's largest tobacco companiehave filed a

lawsuit against the government. they claim a new law violates their right to free speech. they say the fda has been granted powers that severely limit their ability to market their cigarettes. >>cider-pan is joining forces with mickey mouse. disney is buying marvel entertainment for $4 billion. they have a dozen characters. the deal could lead to new rides, movies, action figures and more. walmart is looking to close the gap with amazon and other top online stores. the retail giant is now allowing select companies to sell their products on its website, adding items in categories including home, baby and sporting goods. the new section adds about 1 million new items to the site. some of the nation's biggest drugstore chains are getting a jump-start on flu season. cvs and walgreens are making flu shots available today. both chains plan to give away thousands of shots to unemployed

and uninsured people. the vaccine is not the same one as the one being used for swine flu. and you can read more about these stories on abcnews.com. coming up on this tuesday morning, blagojevich's bombshell. he claims an obama insider is already looking to leave the west wing. and the physical oddity that has a teen and his mom desperate for a cure.

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. the largest of california's dozen or so wildfires continues to burn out of control. moving towards subdivisions and vital communication equipment. the blazes are sending smoke as far east as las vegas. parts of mexico's baj peninsula are being slammed by powerful hurricane jimena. winds are nearly 50 miles per hour and waves are nearly 20

feet high. damage in cabo sanlu cass can be tensive. and investigators have found a bone fragment on the property next to the one where jaycee lee dugard was kept for 18 years. in massachusetts, the process of finding a senate successor for the late ted kennedy is getting a lot of attention. the senator weighed in on the issue before his death. and it seems he may get his way. t.j. winick reports. >> reporter: most democrats and republicans agree that no one can fill ted kennedy's shoes. but someone will have to fill his senate seat that he held for more than 47 years. >> i'm olding the special election. >> reporter: under current state law, a 145-day to 160-day period is required before a special election for the senate seat.

so, a public hearing will be held a week from wednesday, to decide whether to change the suession law. >> i think that having a full complement, two voices in the united states senate, is about the best interest of the commonwealth. >> reporter: before he died, kennedy sent a letter to governor duval patrick and legislative leaders, allowing him to appoint a replacement. >> from the moment he got sick, he was not worried about himself. he was worried about how do i continue to do this job? >> reporter: and some republicans characterize the kennedy letter as a bit disinjen with us. after all, it was kennedy who suggested that the law change to a special election in 2004, when john kerry was runni for president, and then-governor mitt romney, a republican, would be able to name a replacement. although governor patrick says it's too soon to name a replacement, but two names being floated are kennedy's widow, and michael dukakis.

t.j. winick, abc news, washington. he has been indicted. impeached. now, he's on a book tour. former governor rod blagojevich's book, "the governor," claims that president obama's chief of staff, rahm emanuel, was behind many of his problems. no comment from the white house. blagojevich says people urged him to appoint himself to fill barack obama's senate seat. but says it didn't feel right. there's a medical mystery in tennessee this morning, with a mother desperate for answers. without warning, this 15-year-old ces tears of blood. the teenager says it happens at least three times a day. and can last a few minutes to an hour. the first time, his mom called 911. now, despite extensive tests, there's no diagnosis and no treatment. >> i thought that coming up, like a tear. i felt my eyes watering. sometimes it will burn as it comes out. >> the scariest thing in my life, is when he looked at me and said, mom, am i going to die?

that broke my heart. >> tammy says he's running out of hope and will take her son anywhere for treatment. to make matters worse, he gets teased at school by kids who say he's possessed. shock versus sweetness, could be the theme of a new ad campaign here in new york. health officials are worried that new yorkers are consuming too many sugary drinks. with graphic depictions of what sugar can do to you. the ads will appear in subway stations in the next few weeks. officials are urging people to replace sugary sodas with water, seltzer ouren sweetened tea. coming up, how to save time instead of sitting intraffic. and in sports, brett favre is used to taking hits. but last nig, he gave one. in ancient china, soy was such an important food... that the emperor declared it sacred. in japan, buddhist monks believed eating soy... was healthier for the body and spirit.

for thousands of years, cultures around the world... have eaten soy for its health benefits. which is why today, we take whole soybeans, in their natural state, and bake them with fruit into soyjoy. but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day. and a fewimepplste s can make a real difference in your xt qt.ui.. int.th gs like starting with a plan to quit smoking... getting support... d anin lktag to your doctor haboutoow prescription treatments can help you.

t prescription treationtab. onspt an ak isdthe im t me, your time. ♪ fresh and tasty naturally ♪ so, do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy ♪ ♪ do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy ♪ ♪ do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy ♪ which beneful prepared meals. tonight? roasted chicken recipe? - savory rice and lamb stew. - [ barks ] you're right. tonight is a beef stew kind of night. [ announcer ] beneful prepared meals. construction on a memorial for those on board united airlines flight 93 could be coming in november. the government hass announced the purchase of the crash site

in rural western pennsylvania. and about 1,400 acres around it. the plane was hijacked on 9/11, after leaving newark, new jersey. it crashed when passengers fought with the hijackers. all 40 onboard died. a major push is under way nationwide, calling for a ban on texting while driving. recent study showing texting behind the wheel increases the risk of a crash 23-fold. it says if every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this is dangerous. and it is a practice that should be unacceptable. another potential distraction in the car are gps devices. but if used the right way, they can cut down your time on the road. drivers using a gps with real-time traffic information take about 18% less time to get to places. and that can add up to about four days over the course of a year. some sports this morning. in tennis, both defending singles champions, roger federer and serena williams were winners

on the first day of the u.s. open. the other highlights now from jonathan coachman at espn news. >> good morning, the story of the night, brett favre. vikings and texans. number 4, getting his second start for minnesota. scheduled to play into the second half. pretty easy when you got this guy. adrian peterson. first play from scrimmage. he's gone. 75 yards to the house. 11 rushes. 117 and the touchdown for peterson. vikings, up 7-0. second half, favre still in the game. questionable play here. watch at the bottom of your screen. he's goi to hit eugene wilson low. he's going to be flagged for an illegal block. eugene wilson said afterwards, i was wondering what the heck he was doing. favre said, didn't mean to hurt anybody. vikings win 17-10. blue jays/rangers. what a shootout.

top four. adam lind, the grand slam. and the jays go up 10-0. game over? not so fast. bottom five. nelson cruz, with two men on. the 29th of the year for cruz. rangers continue to cut into the lead. how about chris delgos. look at the catch by vernon wells. the sac fly run comes in. 11-10. top nine, same score. lind again. the blue jays win a shootout, 18-10. that will do it for now. i'm the coach. jeremy and vinita, back in the studio. >> our thanks to jonathan. now, a sad story for all of our dug lovers out there. a record-setting canine has passed away. this is chanel dixon. she had been the world's oldest

dog. she wore goggles. >> but she had a hearty appetite p and recently appeared as a guest on tv shows. she was 21 years old. that's 147 in dog years. so, what's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

so i couldn't alalways do what i wanted to do. but 5 minutetes ago i ok symbicort and sysymbicorort is already helpining signifificantly improve my lung functition. so today, i've noticed a signgnificant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing momore of what i wanant to do. so we're clear, it doesn't reple a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said syicort is for copd, including chroninic bronchitis andmpmpsema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart contion or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort and it significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing... now more of my want to's are can do's. ask your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication,

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we briefly mentioned tennis' u.s. open earlier. and all of the players in the tournament are using one racket each. >> of course, they are. but there's a new new york city trainer in seeing no double-fault in using two rackets. linsey davis took to the court to try it out. >> reporter: by most accounts, tennis was first played in the 11th and 12th century. the first rackets were bare hands. the rules of the game also evolved. but now, the sport is governed by the united states tennis association, or usta. they have rules, regulations. and what don mueller would call, rigidity. >> usta would go against everything i do. >> reporter: if he had it his way, he would bring one, final change to the rule books. >> i've been playing one racket and switching hand to hand for many years. i said, you know? why am i doing this? what's wrong with this?

>> reporter: his idea is two-racket tennis. the first thing i noticed, picking up the ball is a lot more efficient. so, this is easy. as far as hitting the ball -- almost. it's hard because when my nondominant hand is not as strong. but with a little practice -- i'm killing it now. but no matter how valid his points are, the professor can't seem to win over the usta. >> you know what the game of tennis is? and it doesn't need to be changed. >> reporter: and the pros have some -- well, i guess you'd say back-handed compliments. >> i don't think there would be advantage of that because you'd be carrying the extra weight. >> i like my chances. >> reporter: when i challenged him one on two -- oh. he wins it all. linsey davis, abc news.