they don't believe it has a direct connection to the attacks we just saw in brussels in the previous attacks in paris. so this is perhaps a separate plot. maybe even a separate cell. one frenchman is under arrest. he was in the advanced stages of plotting to attack within france's borders. we will have more throughout the evening. leon: thank you. stay on top. get back to us. maureen: more breaking news from germantown where a brush fire is contained after threatening several homes. news chopper 7 has been over the scene of the fire burning near the corner of brink and blunt roads in germantown. leon: our cheryl conner joins us now live from the scene. she has made her way there. cheryl, give us an jump date on the progress they are making? cheryl: well, the good thing is that the fire is contained. the bad news, though, it got dangerously close to home. some residents have had to step outside to make sure they are safe. you can see the l

here from the montgomery county fire department. they are still working through the woods which again is very close to homes. it was a big fire ball, as one witness described it to me, that happened around 4:00 this afternoon. pete, the spokesman with the montgomery county fire joins us now. thank you so much. tell us what you had out here. pete: this is the second of the significant fires we have had. we did have one structure, at least one structure, a shed that was involved here. but as you mention it got dangerously close to a couple of the homes today is a red flag day. it spread rapidly and quickly. a couple acres. but the firefighters did make good work. they stopped it at the road in one portion and it got close to some of the houses they were able to stop the fire. cheryl: we have been seeing them in montgomery county and surrounding counties as well. what should we do with a red flag warning? >> we hope no one starts any outside fire. any inside or outside fire will spread rapidly

conditions and it's dangerous. no outside fires. cooking on the grill we prefer you didn't do that. if you are a smoker, disguard the smoking materials carefully. it's all dangerous in conditions like this. cheryl: how long are you working out here? >> we'll be here for a while. we have resources in the black hills regional park. dozens of firefighters are here. brink road is closed. they still have work to do, hot spots but want to make sure it's out. the conditions are potentially dangerous for rapid fire spread. alison: that is the case tomorrow as well? >> red flag was going through this evening. they may have extended that. i'm not sure. right now the conditions are dangerous. cheryl: thank you so much. we'll bring you the latest coming up at 11:00. a brush fire. this area of brink road is shut down. as you heard pete say it will be for

as they make sure the fire is out. cheryl conner, abc7 news. leon: thanks. get on the issue of red flag warnings today. check to see how it is shaping up. meteorologist steve rudin has been watching this for us. what is the story with the risk of this? steve: the red flag warning is in effect until 8:00 tonight. it does not mean that the winds are all of a sudden going to die down. take a look for yourself the area in pink. including all of montgomery county. the district and fairfax. all prone to the red flag warning at this time. wind gusts really picking up. anywhere from 20 to 30 miles per hour. 35 miles per hour wind gusts up in hagerstown. we will talk about the red flag warning. what to expect for the upcoming weekend and more coming up in a few minutes. leon? leon: thanks, steve. 25 people are without a home after three-alarm fire rippedded through town homes in brandywine. it happened 4:00 in the morning in 7,000 block of chads ford drive. a witness says a man ran door to door an

around the fire. no one was hurt but damages are estimated at $1 million. the cause is unknown. maureen: demands for accountability from metro after concerns that repair reports have been falsified. it comes after a l'enfant fire that killed a woman and sickened dozens of people. the cable problem that caused it shut down mcpherson square metro station last week and prompted a shut down of the system for a safety inspection. stephen tschida is covering metro. metro's new general manager is raising some curious and startling concerns. stephen: yes, indeed, maureen. keep in mind the fire near mcpherson square last week determined to be caused by a faulty cable. the same cause as that fatal incident near l'enfant station last year. today, metro general manager paul wiedefeld saying he is raising questions about how this could happen. saying he

those inspecting and repairing the cables are saying they are doing work that they are not doing. >> another fire eerily similar to a fire that left a woman dead. this despite the implementation of repair to faulty cables, the culprit in both fires. >> it's shocking, especially being an everyday rider to have the safety issues that keep coming up over and over and over. stephen: in the board meeting paul wiedefeld raised the possibility that those entrusted with repairing problem cables say they are doing work which they are not completing and he questioned how an almost identical problem could develop despite aggressive effort to address the cable issues. >> we had an incident a week ago that basically had a lot of the same characteristics. so for me to say well, the first 14 months, must have been something. something out of the

i don't accept that. stephen: despite assurances from metro the system is moving in a positive direction some passengers continue to worry. >> i guess i wouldn't necessarily believe them if they said it is all fixed. >> positive news from metro passengers today. the board voted to give them a grace period. basically if you enter the station and find out there is single tracking or other major delay you have 15 minutes in which to leave and not be charged. stephen tschida, abc7 news. maureen: thank you. we are at the peak bloom of the washington famed cherry blossoms. that combined with the beautiful weather. is bringing thousands to the tidal basin and the national mall. chief meteorologist doug hill is among them. how are things out there? what about the concerns of the rain? doug: that is tomorrow morning, maureen. gorgeous now. the temperatures still in the

are staying intact. however, tomorrow morning with the rain and then strong gusty winds in the afternoon as it clears out that could be a concern to lose a few of them. if you haven't been down here yet, most of the weekend will be fine for plenty of blossoms on the tree. the most important thing now is to get a little rain to get rid of the fire risk. steve rudin will have details of the weekend forecast coming up in a couple of minutes. leon: we will look forward to it. thanks, doug. still ahead at 6:00, fears of the backlash of a belgium terror attack. what happened to a woman last night at a d.c. library? maureen: the final call a famous bar. leon: first, a sad farewell to a police officer killed in the line of duty. the message the jacai colson's father has for the officer that fired the fatal shot.

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maureen: at this moment people are paying respects to the prince george's county police officer killed this month. officer jacai colson was hit by friendly fire while a man was shooting outside of police headquarters. today colson's father james colson joined officer colson's mother and brother and publicly offered their support to the officer who pulled the

trigger. hay take solace that the son was a hero and will be remembered that way. tomorrow they will be a full honor funeral for officer colson and thousands are expected to attend. leon? leon: maureen an attempt to serve a warrant escalated to an accidental double shooting at a car accident involving a police cruiser. police were monitoring a home in springfield to serve a warrant there when they heard gunshots and saw three people run out to two separate cars. while trying to stop the first car a police cruiser was hit by the second car. investigation revealed two people were shot accidently and were rushing to the hospital. word is they are expected to be okay. up next at 6:00 -- instance in a d.c. library giving rise to fears of a backlash against muslims in the area in the wake of belgium terror

maureen: plus, get ready for rain on the beautiful cherry blossoms at the tidal basin. what time it arrives and how long it will stick around. robert: i'm robert burton. coming up in sports scott abraham is down south in louisville with the terps. i'm in the windy city with u.v.a. we got you covered on ncaa basketball at "abc7 n what truck company do you think offers best in class v8 fuel economy? best in class v8 horsepower,

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leon: it has been another day of the terror attacks in brussels, belgium. a second terrorist may be on the run. this time it may be one of the men who carried out the bombing at the metro station. we learned that brussels airport will be closed until at least sunday because of the damage it suffered from the blast. we are also now hearing of the survival stories coming from the 300 people who were injured. >> i remember seeing explosion. the whole time i was just trying to tell myself i'm going to make it, i'm going to make it. leon: brussels has lowered the terror threat level. they are warning another attack is still possible and they are staying ready. in the aftermath of that terror attack we are seeing a problem springing up here in our area. it

terror attack we cover. backlash against the muslim community. in in fact, as jeff goldberg reports one such incident happened last night at a d.c. public library. jeff: after brussels like san bernardino, paris, and others, aziz experienced what she calls "double sadness." first for the victims of the tragedy and then for so many fellow muslims. the you know it is coming again. jeff: she says it's backlash and the stereotyping. people associated islam with violence and extremism. >> sometimes i feel a little scared to go out even to the grocery store. jeff: the council on american-islamic relations or cair usually sees a spike in anti-muslim behavior across the country following an attack carried out in the name of islam. >> i think it pushes us as a muslim community to be more engaged and be more out there to tell our story. jeff: just last night at a

neighborhood of d.c., witnesses report seeing a library police officer threatening a woman wearing a hi jack or head scarf -- hi or head scarf saying he would put her in handcuffs if she did not remove it. >> these things happen with atmosphere of rising islam phobia in the society. jeff: ibrahim of cair says muslims are growing weary of having to respond after each terror attack. but silence is not the solution. >> it's our responsibility to respond with accurate information on how the fate and the community rejects this violence. >> i really do hope that there is somehow we can break the cycle. jeff: for the incident at the library in shaw, a spokesperson for the library system says the officer in question has been put on leave while the investigation continues. the system's executive director has apologized for the incident and is making it clear that people of all states and backgrounds welcome in the

jeff goldberg, abc7 news. maureen: thank you, jeff. exactly two weeks we will be saying goodbye to an adam's morgan staple. millie and al's will close their doors on april 7 after 53 years. the owners plan to open the bar early that day and celebrate until the doors are finally closed. they will sell off the decorations during the final two weeks. but will auction off the prominent and i guess more expensive items. leon: congratulations. i want to worn folks watching the capitol jump behind us. we are not having an earthquake. steve: it's lifer and it is windy. leon: that is blowing the camera around. steve: red flag warning in combination with the dry underbrush causing the fires that have had in montgomery county. look at the wind gusts on the weather bug network in germantown. upward of 35 miles per hour. 30 miles per hour in rockville and bethesda.

moving through the overnight. if you have allergies the winds are mixing everything up. high to 77 degrees. that is above average. normally the high is 60 and the record is 85. show you temperatures at almost 20 minutes after 6:00. upper 70's in manassas and leesburg. middle 70's for frederick. winchester at 75. cumberland at 77. we have a cold front on the way and i bet you can figure out where it is located. 55 in detroit compared to 34 in chicago. that means cooler air on the way for us. although not that cold as we move toward the upcoming holiday weekend. here is the cold front. this moves on through early tomorrow morning. likely to bring us showers. some expected anything to become severe. headed closer around

plenty of sunshine for the next hour or so. if you have plans to head to the tidal basin, it's perfect. take advantage of it. changes are on the way. show you the forecast through the overnight hours. temperatures will slowly fall in the upper 50's to lower 60's. clouds are on the increase around midnight and along with the scattered showers that will likely develop. time line is 8:00 tomorrow morning in time for the rush hour commute, montgomery, fairfax, loudoun. look for the wet roadways and you will see a few delays probably because of the wet roads in terms of traffic. all of this is out of here by the midday hours. the outdoor recess for kids and for the day on saturday if you don't have a chance to look at the cherry blossoms tomorrow. we have another chance saturday and sunday. monday, does not look good. the highs will make it to lower 70's. the clouds will clear out by mid-afternoon. here are the next seven days, only 60 on saturday. easter is und

good mix of sun and clouds. middle 60's. monday could look to heavier rain and allow gusty winds. not good news for the cherry blossoms. back in the upperrer 60's by the middle of next week. maureen: sorry to hear it about the cherry blossoms. leon: hopefully we won't have anything to be sorry about tonight after the march madness tournament is back underway. maureen: louisville with the terps and scott abraham is there live. what is going on there, scott? scott: the countdown is on for louisville, maryland set to battle in the sweet 16. and robert griffin iii has a new home. we will tell you where the former redskins

it's about taking a stand. for too long, wall street banks had their way. they crashed our economy. but democrat donna edwards won't take their money because she stands up for us. as a single mom, she knows the challenges our families face.

tightening regulations on the big banks and fighting to keep dark money out of politics. democrat donna edwards, maryland's next senator.

sports desk brought to you by your local toyota dealers. scott: the waiting is over, my friends. robert griffin iii has a new home according to espn. the former redskins quarterback has signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the cleveland browns. listen to this, skins fans. the browns are scheduled next season to play in washington. oh, boy! hello, everybody. i'm scott abraham live in louisville. big stage tonight for the maryland men's basketball team facing kansas in the sweet 16. it might be even bigger

head coach mark turgeon who played for the jayhawks leading them to the 1986 final four. >> i'd rather play them in the national championship game than the sweet 16 game. but here we are. so we'll play it. >> it is what it is. he doesn't get points for going to kansas. >> he hasn't talked much about it. we know it's his alma mater and that is where he played. but he says it is just another game. to advance to the next round. >> opening tip is set for 9:40. let's send it up to chicago where my man robert burton is covering virginia. how is it going up there? robert: it's good. good to be home. only thing is, it's snowing. i don't like when it sno

good to be back in the windy city. the situation the iowa state that u.v.a. is going to play. they are being compared to north carolina, a team that likes to get up and down the floor, play a fast-paced game and get pucketts in transition. u.v.a. likes to come back on the other half and sit down to play defense. it doesn't get better than this. you are playing sweet 16 game. you can go to final four in the house that jordan built. united center. you can look up in rafters to see scottie pippen, michael jordan and jerry sloan. it's awesome. back to you. leon: all right. looking forward to it. maureen: cold in chicago. steve: it is. snow for them. nothing like that for us. warm temperatures for the rest of the evening. daytime highs tomorrow. low of 70's. cold front early in the day to cool it d

maureen: the "world news tonight" with david muir is coming up next with the news of

breaking news tonight. the terror attack s and what u.. authorities have now discovered. they believe they know who that mystery man is. tonight, investigators say two of the suicide bombers, two brothers, had nuclear ambitions. ten hours of their own surveillance, now discovered. what they were recording. and the basketball player from the u.s., the image from the airport sceeen around the world. tonight, our interview right here. the young father talking about his little girls back in michigan. the race for the white house. this donald trump tweet putting an image of ted cruz's wife next to melania trump. late today, ted cruz lashing out. >> donald, you're a sniveling coward and leave heidi the hell alone. severe weather hitting right now. the hail, the dangerous winds. major highways shut down after a blizzard buries much of the