going to see the storms move across your area heading through the next half hour or so. once again and gusty winds and the heavy downpours are the biggest risk with the storms. head closer to the d.c. area. a cluster over arlington moving east. this will pass across the national mall. a lot of folks are getting out early in presentation to find the best seat in house for the firework display set to start ten minutes after 9:00. this is on the way. gusty winds, brief heavy downpours. it won't last long but more than likely a lot of folks will get wet. we talk about what to expect in the fireworks time. plus looking ahead to the rest of the week and into the upcoming weekend coming up in a few minutes. alison: thank you. thousands of people packing the national mall hoping it will stay dry and they get a better view than last year. last year it was cloudy and drizzly

the star-studded show on the ground will go on. "q" join -- q mccray joins us from the national mall with a preview of the big show. hi, q. q: as it stands now, it's not dry. it is raining a little bit. i'm with this crowd underneath the trees here seeking shelter. but let me tell you, this was not the case earlier this afternoon. mother nature was cooperating 100% for today's parade. what is more patriotic than uncle sam, bald eagle and old glory? the parade celebrated everything american and more. people enjoyed the floats and the dancers but the favorites were -- >> the band. >> i enjoy the bands. q: tens of thousands watched the parade march down constitution avenue. >> i'men joying it. it's my first time here on the fourth of july. i wanted to do something different. >> i like it because it's a holiday and we are n

school. q: no doubt about it. people enjoyed every minute of the day off watching the sights and the sounds. all the while, keeping a true significance of the day close in mind. >> it's freedom. >> happy birthday, america. q: the people you are looking at now were at the parade. they are sticking around for the concert this everything and the fireworks dills play. we talk more about that -- the firstworks display. we will talk more about that coming up. kimberly: all right, q. see you in an hour. amidst celebration there is a heavy police presence. this year we notice a big increase in the number of buses being used as barricades. richard reeve joins us live from northwest d.c. with precautions taken there. rich? richard: one of the buses right here at 23rd and constitution. they are using these things to

weapons. the perimeter fence there. you have to go through that to get in a secure area. you can see it's covered up with canvas right now. we have u.s. park police hear. over here we have more buses. blocking the intersection. even the d.c. national guard to keep the streets safe. >> even with the patriotism and the pageantry -- >> it's about safety. richard: this is the new formal for july 4th. >> walking through the crowds you had the security and also policemen. you had undercover. you felt safe. >> in the district the authorities use buses and heavy vehicles to block entrances and the intersections from a vehicle attack like those in london and nice, france. >> it's unfortunate incidents. we did take it into account as we set up the security footprint this year. richard: this year, access is key. intersections like

independence are sealed off except for pedestrian traffic. transportation points like the 14th street bridge and the 12th street tunnel are closed off. >> we talk about going downtown to d.c. i don't feel, i don't want to just because of the things going on. not saying it could happen. but you never know. >> it's not just the district. along fairfax's parade route there is a high police presence. road closures and barriers like this. >> they made very clear where there was exit points. richard: in the cap tall and suburbs new challenges on understood pen dense day -- challenges on independence day. >> it's nothing out of the ordinary to be safe. richard: major intersections like this are completely sealed off. if you want to get down here, you have to walk or take metro. this is the fence we were talking about. be prepared to wait in long lines at the security access h

kimberly: thank you. let's head to gatlinburg, tennessee, where they hosted the nation's first independence day parade at midnight. the tradition goes back 42 years. but the morning's celebration held special meaning as the community recovers from deadly wildfires last fall. vice president pence marked the fourth marching in a parade outside grand rapids, michigan. the president will watch the fireworks with military families at the white house. a pretty good view from there. he spent the first part of the day golfing at his club in northern virginia. our coverage of the fourth continues on wjla.com. there you will find a breakdown of all the road closures for the parade and the fireworks. you will also find local events and a way to share your videos. it's all at the top of wjla.com. alison: meanwhile, the two capitol police officers credited with stopping that ballpark ambush in alexandria were honored today. the d.c. sons of the american revolution awarded special agents david bailey and crystal griner with the law enforcement

medal. they were both hurt in the shooting. along, of course, with congressman steve scalise and three other people. special agent bailey offering his thoughts for the honor. >> one of my best friends were playing second base. in the line of fire. thank god you were there. alison: many stopped to show gratitude for the officers' hard work. griner could not attend the ceremony to her supervisor was there to accept the award on her behalf. congressman scalise is the only person still in the hospital. kimberly: the holiday turned scary at the water park in gaithersburg. an ambulance had to be called in after several people got overheated and sick. thankfully, none of the injuries were serious. the heat can really get you when you don't expect it. alison: it has been a terrible 24 hours for parents in charles county where many are now asking if their children could have been

by a trusted educator. yesterday, police arrested former aide and coach carlos bell who is accused of sexually abusing at least ten children. nathan baca talked to parents there in waldorf. this is really consuming that community today. nathan: it certainly is. phrases like "stranger danger" and "good touch/bad touch" are the talk of the town in charles county. for edward freeman, word of carlos bell's arrest broke his trust. >> my daughter was going to be transferring into benjamin stoddert this year. my wife and i decided against that. nathan: parents, including jones are now having the talk with their young children. >> it's scary to be honest with you. to know that things like that are happening in our world. they have evidence that carlos

middle school but he also served as an aide and an indoor track coach for the past two school years. >> in light of the story i have talked to my kids. just about the communication that parents need to have with the kids. >> we talk about teachers and good touch, bad touch, what makes you feel comfortable or not. nathan: charles county school officials will say they got him out of school, bell out of the school immediately in late december when they found out about their suspicions but the police say they still want to hear from parents. they have a hot line set up. we have the hot line number on the website wjla.com. reporting live, nathan baca, abc7 news. kimberly: we are glad you are on that story. thank you. developing story out of prince george's county. a man ki

of kayak avenue in capitol heights. police were called out at 6:50 for a welfare check. when they arrived they discovered a man was dead with trauma to the body. if you know anything you are asked to call police. alison: one person is dead after a c.s.x. train slammed into a utility truck overnight. it happened along baltimore a at naples avenue in beltsville. police are trying to figure out how the truck made it on the tracks without an access road back to route 1. the company that owns the truck is based in georgia. kimberly: north korea claims to have tested a missile that can reach the u.s. u.s. officials are assessing the validity of the claim. if it's true, what happens next? nancy chen is in the satellite center with the developing story. >> the u.s. officials spending july 4th meeting to talk about north korea and the claims that the country launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. video release shows the north koreans clapping and cheering about

it would be their 11th launch this year and the first intercontinental ballistic missile. trump reacting with a tweet north korea just launched another missile. does this guy have anything better to do with his life? hard to believe that south korea and japan will put up with this for much longer. preponderates china will put a heavy move on north korea and end this nonsense once and for all. >> it is in china's interest to keep north korea where it is. if it means weapons test here and there, they will basically allow it to happen. >> experts say president trump could approve a so-called "measured response." that would mean enclosing the u.s. military presence in the region as well as additional sanctions against north korea. the missile defenses could be activated in east asia and alaska. in the satellite center, nancy chen, abc7 news. kimberly: thank you. still to come here -- alison: the caught of a devastating fire found -- the cause of t

the one mistake that cost more than a dozen people their homes. kimberly: celebrating a new birth on the nation's birthday. welcoming new citizens including one who can now vote for his boss. >> why on this day of great patriotism, this building is one of the busiest places in town. that story coming up. alison: and the stalemate broken. the deal that reopened all of new jersey's beaches to everyone. that is next at 5:00.

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kimberly: new jersey's beautiful beaches are back open. this time for everyone. governor chris christie signed a new budget reopening state run parks and beaches after a three-day government shutdown. this comes a day after christie and his family were spotted lounging on one of the closed beaches. the crowds are rushing back to the beach. but memes are still piling up. christie maintains the beach house where he stayed was a state-owned property. and he had every right to be there. alison: well, 241 years ago today, the continental congress adopted the "declaration of independence" a document they signed two days earlier. kimberly: there is only one place to see the

powerful documented. northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg takes us to the national archives, one of the hottest tickets in town. jeff: the pop-up gift shop outside the national archives has been up since may. but its last day today is sure to be the biggest. >> the crowd is exciting. jeff: butler has been working here this summer but her primary job is middle school history teacher at city arts and prep in northeast washington. >> if you are a history buff, this is the best place to be. you will find anything you will possibly need. jeff: the big sellers are anything to do with the " -- lar ration of independence," "constitution" and the rosie the riveter and flags. john is originally from hong kong. he lived in houston for 20 years and wanted to spend independence day in d.c. >> i love this country very much. this country give me a lot of freedom. jeff: for the national archives this is the busiest day of the year.

as their super bowl. it's the only day of the year when they open the big doors to the rotunda and only for a few hours in the morning. for many visitors to the archives, the highlight is laying eyes on declaration of independence. >> reading about it in the history books and everything. there it is. it comes to life. jeff: that is like what butler thinks about being at the archives on the mall on the fourth of july. >> it's an amazing feeling to see america come together on one on the special day we became a nation. jeff: a feeling shared in this city and every other across the country. in north west washington, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. kimberly: i don't know about you. went outside this morning and blazing hot then. alison: it was. so humid, too. now people are waiting for the fireworks are getting rained on. steve: we knew it was going to happen. we warned everyone in you get out early to find the perfect location. so many peopl d

g.w. parkway they were out there already. they had tents set up. it was okay. they were prepared for it. now we have a shower out there. mainly a shower at this point over the district it's fizzled out. good news there. growing confident we'll be fine for the fireworks. alison: good! steve: we have a warning. we have to talk about that. temperatures outside, warm and hume. 87 degrees at the reagan national airport. cumberland is 72. we have had severe thunderstorms to washington county and frederick county. we show you feels like temperatures. feels like 91 at reagan national airport. upper 80's at winchester. leesburg may be off but a hot and an early evening around the d.m.v. show you what is going on, the latest for you. stormwatch7 satellite and radar. we have a severe thunderstorm warning canceled out ahead of schedule. no, there it is. it's back. set to expire at 5:3

maryland. it's moving south and east. the tops on the storm are around 30,000 feet. capable of producing gusty winds and not a lot of lightning. the heavy downpour continue for the next half hour. 45 minutes. as this slowly, slowly drifts off to the south and east. i suspect that much of the warning will come down as expected at 5:30. miersville, you will see gusty wind and heavier downpours. head to the beltway. the shower over arlington, ten or 15 minutes ago. now moving to anacostia and southwest d.c. there is not a lot associated with the storm other than garden variety showers. for those at the national mall you saw a few sprinkles here and there. but once again, not looking at lightning with the system. this is moving east. behind it we have quieter conditions. wheaton area, we have a stronger

capable of producing the gusty winds and the heavier downpours. the cloud tops with this at 20,000 feet. this is moving on toward the east. if you are watching now in white oak you will see the heavier rains across your area for the next half hour or so. the temperatures are falling to lower 80's. scattered thunderstorms north and west of d.c. nighttime lows inside the beltway will be in the middle 70's. so it will be warm and humid for this evening. tomorrow we do it all over again with another chance for showers and thunderstorms. waking up tomorrow, temperatures are upper 60's to lower 70's. the future cast for wednesday as we move through the evening. it will dry up for us nicely. then for tomorrow after the noontime hour, grab the umbrella. scattered showers and a few thunderstorms likely develop again. some of the storms may be warned on, especially north and west. around the

frederick. then yet another round of the stronger storms are possible thursday. so unsettled for wednesday, thursday, friday. by the time we get to the weekend, a big, big improvement around the d.m.v. highs form around 85 degrees. talking about the weekend, a few stray storms early on saturday morning. 88 degrees for a high. lower humidity on sunday. in the middle 80's. the next ten days on our extended outlook from the stormwatch7 shows daytime highs, upper 80's to lower 90's with the nighttime lows that will be in the 70's. so we will get through this evening. i'm confident the fireworks at the national mall will go on as schedule and it will be nothing, nothing like last year. you remember that? alison: yes. steve: they shot up in the clouds, clouds went boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, nothing to see. kimberly. can i like to hear that. alison: thank you. see you in a minute. steve: c'ya. alison: still to come. new information on the injured eagle found in the district. kimberly: plus a simple mistake with a grill can sp

dozens of people from their homes. plus next, america's newest citizens including one who says he can finally vote for his boss. alison: as we head to break, we want the show you live pictures here at the white house as president trump is speaking. they are having festivities today for the fourth of july. honoring military families. let's listen in for just a minute. president trump: and serving us all around the world. you are truly the army of the free. from the marines we have marine sergeant yannick tumokunday. he is with the plane helicoptered squadron one. an outfit i have come to know and admire very much since arriving all the the white house. -- arriving at the white house. he is a senior technician and the sole chief martial arts instructor and trainer for

entire squadron. thank you. thank you for being here. also we lay claim to a very special title. you are united states marine.

foa side effect ofuffer frtheir medication... is something called "akathisia." it's time we took notice. alison: fourth of july fireworks and parades happening all

this is the fourth of july parade that kicked off early. 10:00 a.m. this morning. at the barcroft community house in arlington. after the parade, of course they had a big bark cue. -- bar cue. they had a lot of music and fun. kimberly: tonight thousands of people celebrate the nation's birthday for the first time as american citizens. tom roussey join us for those who joined the nation at the home of a founding father. >> candidates for naturalization raise your right hand. tom: 100 people took the oath. they hail from around 45 countries. >> aall became sits here. >> came to this con innocent to make a it beer life. >> outside george washington's home we noticed a common theme. many here didn't wait to become a citizen to start doing what a good citizen does. it >> was my dream to be a soldier.

>> take colombia native sonya. she has been serving in the army for a year. >> i'm grateful for the opportunity to become a citizen and serve my country. >> gaston serving in a different way. politics. for four years he has been working for virginia senator tim kaine but he hasn't been able to vote for him. he can't wait for fall now. >> november election in virginia i will be voting for the future governor. >> i love my country. >> she came here as a teenager and she didn't wait to become a citizen to ask a higher power to help her country. >> the president, the government, we need to pray for any authority. >> this is one of 65 ceremonies like this scheduled to take place throughout the country today welcoming 15,000 new citizens. some of the others were at the historic places as well but this is the only one that took place outside the home of the man ni

country. very fitting for july 4. at mount vernon, i'm tom roussey. abc7 news. kimberly: very cool. still ahead -- >> run! run! behind you. kimberly: my gosh. monkeys mob a family on a walk through a park. now something must be changed to avoid a catastrophe. alison: plus a record falls in world's most famous hot dog eating competition. kimberly: firefighters today going door to door. what they want everyone to know after this, an intense townhome fire that displaced a dozen. the story coming up next.

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announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. kimberly: the video from skytrak7 showed the extent of the damage. several town homes burned. a dozen people without homes. now we know it was all caused by one simple mistake. brianne carter shows us that cause and how firefighters are trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. brianne: flames shooting in the sky. after an intense fire ripped through the gaithersburg townho.

it was damage a couple of town houses. several families. about a dozen people were displaced. brianne: fire officials believe the cause, misuse of a grill on this back deck. fire officials believe that there was charcoal placed in a gas grill, which they say should never happen. brianne: they urge you to keep the grill clean and away from the house or tents or overhang. if you use charcoal, dispose of it properly. >> put in a metal container with a tight lid. put water on it away from anything that might burn. brianne: monday's fire started on the deck of the home, firefighters today wanted to make sure every home was safer inside and out. >> we just moved in. brianne: so they return to the neighborhood to check for working smoke detectors. >> they found some homes without any protection of smoke detectors. they were able to install and now the families are safer. brianne: in gaither

alison: it was a devastating fire requiring three alarms before firefighters could knock down the flames. now, we are learning nearly two dozen people lost their homes in this fire. it was in south baltimore. the flames jumped from are home to home consuming ten houses in all. two people were hurt. but not seriously. no word on a cause. kimberly: an area recovering from a devastating fire is carrying on with a fourth of july tradition. that is a tradition that doesn't require any sunlight. it is the gat linbug midnight fourth of july -- gatlinburg midnight fourth of july parade carrying on for the 42nd straight year. despite a fire that destroyed hundreds of homes there last fall. residents said it was important to carry on with the tradition that brings valuable tourism dollars in the community. alison: right now in the u.s., 29 wildfires are burning. most of them are

from arizona to washington state. they are batting big flames and triple-digit temperatures. as danya bacchus reports fireworks are expected to continue all week. >> what started as fourth of july fireworks in arizona quickly turning dangerous. sparking a wildfire. it starts small but quick rios before firefighters are able to get a handle on it. as the rest of the country prepares for more light shows this evening, some of the west worry the weather will spark for situations like this one. hot and dry conditions are combining to create elevated fire danger. prompting fireworks, cancellations in three colorado communities. >> oh, my gosh. danya: nearly 30 wildfires are burning across the yates -- united states right now. in nevada officials are battling two major fires that in total burned more than 30,000 acres. both shutting down a major interstate due to heavy smoke

resulting in evacuation orders. one fire leaving hundreds without power. heat, dry lightning and the low humidity are part of the reason for the elevated fire dane gel. triple-digit temperatures are forecast from thursday arizona to ide he. danya bacchus, abc news, los angeles. kimberly: here is one that will tug at your heart strings. at ten months old a british baby charlie guard is touching the world. he is terminally ill. there is a debate about caring for him. it is growing after the european court of human rights ruled british hospital can stop life support for him. the vatican owned children's hospital is offering to take charlie in. the pope says the parents should be able to make decisions on his future. the child's parents want the hospital to release him so they can take him to the u.s. for treatment. president trump apparently welcoming the idea of little guard being treated in the u.s. he tweeted that america would

trump did not elook rate on -- elaborate on what kind of help could be offered. alison: still ahead at 5:00, a provocative sign with a serious goal. one woman's mission that has her changing a sign that -- hanging a sign that reads "jesus loves strippers." >> the monkeys are attacking. oh, my god! kimberly: freaking out. mobbed by monkeys. while a family is urging change after a close encounter in a florida park. alison: coming up at 6:00, houston we have a big problem. the naked truth behind this assault of a police officer on a metro

steve: white oak you are looking at heavier rains but the rain just beginning to clear your area. head over to downtown d.c. the big fireworks display. we had a few showers within the past half hour to 45 minutes. did not amount to a lot. we expect to see a few showers an thunderstorms as we move through the early everything hours but by 9:00 tonight when the fireworks are set to begin the skies should begin to clear a little bit with temperatures around 83 degrees. you are watching "abc7

we are back right after t fios is not cable. we are back right after t and we believe everyone deserves faster internet.

you get amazing download speeds up to 940 megs 20 times faster than most people have. and it's just $79.99 a month online for the first year. switch to fios gigabit connection with tv and phone for $79.99 a month. plus hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for two years. all with a 2-year agreement. and switching has never been easier. get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. go to fiosgigabit.com. alison: there is a warning coming out of fairfax county for you tonight. police say there was a bear sighting in the derby and lyndon street area. the bear did not show any aggression toward people. but officials wa

from it. if you see the bear, bring your pets indoors, keep your trash cans tightly closed and never ever feed it. kimberly: now must-see video of a family's trip to a florida park that turned from fun to fear. >> the monkeys are attacking! oh, my gosh! guys, monkeys are attacking us. kimberly: i don't know they are laughing or crying there. the mob of families chased the family for hundreds of feet as the boy recorded it all. the mother believes the only thing that stopped the attack was the adults yelling back and standing their ground. >> it seemed if you were turning and run they would jump on you. i was thinking it's their home or territory but it wasn't. the people in the front said they are normally not there. kimberly: that ised no good. the family said even though they roam the park they are not listed on the website and they urge the park to chain that so visitors know what to ex

the hotel. well, oregon-based group is under attack. this is for this sign. they placed it near the highway. it reads "jesus loves strippers. honk if you agree." the group behind the sign pole gems is a faith-based group that helps strippers. they say jesus loves strippers because jesus loves everyone. well, the people fighting the sign don't disagree with the message but they have a problem with the size of the sign. >> it's way bigger than the usual political sign. it's smack dab in the right of way. i like the idea of jesus loves strippers. alison: it turns out he was right. the sign is too big. pole gems was forced to replace the sign post with sign holders after a code enforcement officer had to get involved with this. kim? kimberly: all right. coming up, chowing down on a new record. an up close look at the americ

spectacle, part revolting. alison: mostly revolting. and that injured eagle found in d.c. remember this picture? he has a name. the familiar place we have actually all watched him. just ahead. kimberly: the awesome fireworks from last night on the severn river come courtesy of the maryland bureau chief brad bell. but if you don't have to work here to share your video, go to burst.com/wjla to upload them right to us. we'll be right back

alison: we have an update on the bald eagle on the mend at city wildlife. the bird was found lethargic, unable to fly in the rains we had on saturday. it appears that this particular eagle is one we have known for years. the "washington post" is reporting the eagle is likely justice. one of two eagles that nest near the d.c. police academy. that camera now moved to watch tonight's fireworks but it appears that justice is okay. he is expected to

kimberly: good to hear. coming up tonight at 6:00, this fourth of july many of you are consuming a lot of beef. but this guy won't end up on your plate anytime soon. how this cow ended up in cattle class in a chopper overseas. that is a tease right there. many continue to pour to the national mall ahead of the fireworks display. we have a live report with all you need to know ahead of the beautiful big show all coming up tonight at 6 of:00. i will stick around for that. alison: nothing is more american than apple pie, baseball and, of course, hot dogs. lindsey mastis has the allure of the nathan's hot dog eating contest. lindsey: it's a sport. but for those of us who love to eat food the amount they can down in a short amount of time is

>> this is the part of the contest we usually see. >> he jumps out in front. >> there is more sportsmanship that goes into it. like boxing. >> the number one ranked female in the world. >> the trophy is a belt. each competitive eater is talked up before hand. >> 40 hot dogs and buns. 8.5 pounds. 104 hard boiled eggs. >> she has done it before. she is the returning champion. the crowd is hyped up. there are female and male competitors and they do play-by-play. or bun-by-bun. >> looking for a record. 20 seconds to go. chestnut has it handily. >> the competitive eaters get sweaty and messy. this year -- >> a new world record. >> that took 72

title is champion of the world but it sounds more impressive when the announcer says it. >> champion of the world! [cheers & applause] >> with 41 hot dogs and buns -- >> the amount of calories in 72 hot dogs and buns is 20,160 calories. that might be the excuse if someone says go ahead to do a contest. i am not doing that many calories. kimberly: i looked it up. $10,000 payout for first place. lindsey: maybe that is worth it. pay for a personal trainer later. kimberly: thank you. a lot of people are knocking one back for the holiday today but it probably didn't run them $30,000. alison: we heard of the luxury boats but

there is a super premium tequila that comes in a hand sculpting, hand painted decanter. some of them are even more fancy with amber or the 24-carat studding. it's made for savoring, not mixing. this is not something to put in a margarita. tequila is trendy now. kimberly: i can't do it. too much damage earlier in life. steve rudin in the weather center. has the rain moves out? >> it's an expended warning for frederick county. across the river. it's quiet and dry. for the time being. a few showers may pop up between now and 8:00. talk about the wider picture. d.c. over here. showers and thunderstorms that are just to the north. we have a stronger sell over the frederick county maryland moving off toward the south and the east at

miles per hour. there is 25 minutes left for this cell but it appears to weaken in the intensity. cloud tops at 30,000 feet. hefty storm. cape obviously producing the winds and the downpours. not a tremendous amount of lightning. this is going to move to closer hill. head north of d.c. where we have another thunderstorm. not amounting to a lot but it is moving east. south laurel is wet for a half hour or so. once out of here it should improve. the national mall is dry right now. the ellipse over the washington monument. it will be packed in an hour or so. temperatures this evening fall from 90 to the lower 80's by the

this is early on. i'm confident to get the fireworks display in as scheduled in downtown d.c. the daytime highs are cooler tomorrow but still on the humid side. daytime highs around 85 degrees. we will track thunderstorms in frederick county coming up. kimberly: we will see you then. alison: a big game for the nats today. erin: so much fun. bryce harper selected to the fifth all-star game but he won't participate in the home run derby in miami. harper confirmed today that it will be, he will be in the contest and that is when the all-star game is at nationals park. it will be even more special. he is holding out for that. look at the rockettes. they performed before the game and in between the innings. we see them there. there were plenty of fireworks on the field as well. bryce harper smacks it

right. depot scores. harper hustled to third. that gave the nats the lead for good. washington wins big 11-4. look at that. scott abraham has more from nationals park. scott: the fireworks started early at nationals park. another big win for the nationals topping the n.l. east division foe, the new york mets 11-4. starter joe ross, spectacular. the seven strong innings striking out six. the fourth straight start that joe ross has gone at least six innings. >> trying to get ahead. >> he made the pitches when he had to make them. he got strikeouts when he had to strike them out. the guys played good defense behind him. >> playing the role of captain america on america'

going 4 for 5 at the plate with five r.b.i.'s. >> it seemed like we were able to keep sustained pressure. each inning to get the traffic out there you get an opportunity to get a big hit. >> this marked win number 1,000 for national since moving to d.c. only fitting it happened on july fourth. the nats back in action tomorrow night closing out the series with the mets. the first pitch set for 7:08. reporting from nationals park, scott abraham, abc7 sports. erin: it's nice to have them home on independent day. -- independence day. alison: and to win. kimberly: life-savers on two wheels. alison: coming up next, ditching the ambulance to get to those in need z2e2bz z1a2z

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asier. get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. go to fiosgigabit.com. kimberly: take a look at the photo blast from the past. the montgomery county police

department five strong in 1922. five. they are celebrating the 95th birthday today. this is taken in independence day celebrations in front of the old reed brothers dodge. today the department is more than 1200 strong. michelle: wow! alison: very cool. in takoma park first responders are opting for two wheels instead of the traditional four or six an ambulance would bring. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis explains why the fourth of july helped usher in a change. >> when madging bands, -- marching bands and bagpipers clog city streets -- responding to a call can be labor. >> we have lights and response times. >> it prompted them to create e.m.t. bicycle unit this debuted in today's fou

july parade. >> the burgundy backs have the jump backs that are stacked with oxygen tanks and an a.e.d. >> we are not expecting to drive down the road. this is more about helping pedestrians to be aware we are coming up behind them to a medical emergency. >> nancy lives across the street from the firehouse. >> we have in the past had an emergency. we realized it meant it didn't make sense to call 911. >> the fire department spent a touch over $4,000 creating a bicycle unit it will be used in if parades, festivals and street races. in takoma park, i'm kevin lewis, abc7

jonathan: now at 6:00, we are three hours until the fireworks at the national mall. will the skies open up or rain hold off for the big show? michelle: it's president trump's first independence day in office. he spoke moments ago from the white house. find out what he had to say. jonathan: a jaw-dropping assault. how they responded to a naked guy going wild on a metro train in houston. announcer: now "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. michelle: tonight millions across the country are celebrating the birth of our nation. jonathan: as we speak, thousands right now are heading to the national mall looking for the spot all over the area to catch firework. q mccray has been in the middle of the celebrations all day long. we'll catch up him in a second. michelle: but first check on the forecast. we have been seeing a lot of drizzling out there. a lot of showers. we had them move through. are we in the clear for the rest of the evening? check i

steve rudin with details on that. steve: showers and the thunderstorms are out there at this hour looking now at the hyatt regency tysons corner camera in mclean. the skies are beginning to darken a little bit. showers will remain with us for the next couple of hours but i'm confident we'll get fireworks in as planned at the national mall. show you what is going on across the frederick county area. severe thunderstorm warning posted a half hour ago that extends until 6:15. this cell moving to the south/southeast at around 25 to 30 miles per hour. the cloud tops on this around 30,000 feet. so pretty strong capable of downpours but not a lot of lightning. if you are in the path of the storm, head indoors until it passes. once it moves by we look for conditions to improve.