>> now abc 7 news at noon. on your side. >> 30 people without a home just in the for christmas after a fire broke out in an apartment building in prince george's county. ryan hughes is live in hillcrest heights with more on this unbelievable video and what's next for these families. this inferno was just raging. the

seen from miles away. one week before christmas at least 30 people are now without place to stay. their decorations and almost all their belongings completely destroyed. take a look hide me. fire investigators remain outside the building five hours after the fire first started. we are being kept on the property.- off the in this video you can see the flames shooting higher into the air at the carriage hill apartments in hillcrest heights. the fire started just before 7:00 this morning on curtis drive. when firefighters first arrived all three floors of the garden style apartments were on fire. at one point the flames were in theg 20 to 30 feet air through the roof and firefighters were told to get out immediately. all of this happening as families were scrambling to wake up and get out of the building. they were bringing on the doors thing there's a fire it's time for us to getut

and called my sister to let her know the building was on fire. >> there was people screaming and the fire truck started coming. everybody was trying to get out the buildings. down.e debris falling >> five people were treated for smoke inhalation. two were taken to the hospital. one firefighter suffered a minor injury that was able to get back to work. the assistant fire chief telling us this could have been so much worse. 11 units were destroyed. 19 adults and 11 kids are now about a place to stay. the fire marshal is on scene trying to figure out how the fire started. investigators telling me the cause of this fire remains undetermined. that's the very latest. i'm ryan hughes. adriana: federal authorities say the amtrak train that derailed in washington state was doing 80 in a 30 mile per hour

three people were killed and another two dozen were hurt. maggie rulli is near the crash site with the latest. >> acquirer tunable morning commute shattered. >> emergency. is everybody ok? >> i'm still figuring that out. >> there was a lot of metal and a lot of screeching and a lot of being thrown around. 501he debut ride of amtrak tragically cut short. 13 of its train cars derailing. many crashing onto the interstate below. >> people were flying. >> it's almost like being inside a drier machine. shook completely to the other -- the otherne side and then back. >> the train was traveling at speeds of 80 miles or hour in a 30

the speed just moments before everything derailed. >> i could see that someone had been catapulted from the train onto the ground. this eagle scout spring into action. >> there were injured people walking all over the place in shock and i was like dude, somebody needs to like, be a leader. even when people were pinned under the train i grabbed the dude's hand and was rubbing his back and was just talking to him. authorities are questioning why positive train control wasn't activated. it can slow down the train if it is moving too fast. officials say it was installed on these tracks but for some reason it wasn't in use. new developments from washington state. we have the latest on air and on the free abc 7 news app.

fall. feeling more like spring. it is awesome out there right now. brilliant sunshine and the sun is going to stick around for the rest of this afternoon. looking over at national harbor. a beautiful day toward old town alexandria. temperatures are really nice. 55 degrees. a little bit cooler at reagan national. the bit milder at dulles. we will see temperatures continue to increase through the afternoon hours. satellite radar shows clouds to the west of us. moving through the day today highs will approach 60 degrees would not be surprised lower 60's south and west of town. i say get out there and take advantage right now. a cold front is on the way plus we are looking ahead to christmas weekend. more on that in just a few minutes. adriana: a grand jury

indicted james fields. it includes one count of first-degree murder could find -- prosecutors say he drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters. four other people involved in the violence that day were also indicted. republicans are on the brink of sinning president trump their first bona fide legislative accomplishment. both chambers of congress are poised to pass their tax reform plan today. kenneth moton explains what this means for you going forward. on capitolbill day hill. >> we know this is going to help people. we know this is going to grow our economy and help the people struggling in this country. >> and give president trump his first major legislative win. he tweeted this morning, biggest tax reform ever passed. fact checkers reminded is not the biggest tax cut in the nation's history.

decade 70% the middle class will see a tax hike. 76% of the wealthiest lake trump and his family a tax cut. >> ivanka for the president -- it's a hook up for the president. >> the corporate tax rate will be permanently slashed from 35% to 21%. for the rich the rate lowered for more than 39% to 37%. this will set america on a trajectory towards more opportunity and greater prosperity. >> protesters on capitol hill urged congress not to pass the bill. isn't tax reform. this is and help for the middle class. it's a scam. it's fraud. and it will have dangerous long-lasting consequences for the american people. it appears the republicans have the votes. the tax set to pass bill this afternoon. the bill could be on the president de b

arrested a man for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy. investigators say this man, a registered sex offender, contacted the boy on social media and then picked him up from frederick. they drove to silver spring where he sexually assaulted the boy. he was arrested a short time later. a mother demanding answers after an elementary school let her three-year-old daughter leave with a stranger. suzanne kennedy has more on the major mixup. >> as students and faculty get closer to the christmas break the talk is what happened last week at this northwest washington school involving a three-year-old girl. last friday authorities say the child was allowed to leave after school care with a total stranger. authorities thought the man who took the girl was the student's uncle. the 3-year-old's mother called police when she realized what happened. the child was returned safe and unharmed. this has parents concerned.

>> that is your worst nightmare. you never want to go somewhere where you believe your child is supposed to be and they aren't there. that is definitely a nightmare. >> it was bad judgment. it was just really bad. someone who was here should have known that wasn't the parent. >> the school system says they are committed to making sure that students are safe and secure but some parents we talked to say this incident clearly underscores the fact that the standard isn't being upheld. coming up on abc 7 news , a holiday shopping nightmare. fists flying everywhere and a child in the middle of this melee at the mall. plus the grinch thrown in jail by a five-year-old. more on his 911 call that saved christmas. first here's a check of traffic. eri

c: it's a mostly quiet ride today. roadwork on southbound colesville road into downtown silver spring past dale drive. the right lane is blocked. that turns into two right lane speed definitely a very slow spot here with traffic slowing down in the intersection. down by spring street it shifts to the left side right in the center of the roadway. northbound is also affected. midday is always a hassle down here as a result. things are looking pretty good at connecticut avenue. to 270. shady grove road. butooks pretty good southbound just beyond this point in the local lanes between falls road and montrose road down to one lane per roadwork and that will really slow things down as you try to head towards rockville. that is going to be a tough stretch as well. we are still in

good shape at 7 locks rd toward the american legion bridge. shape asd be in good you head down this way. that's all from

adrianna: a chaotic scene out of mall in fort myers, florida. several women involved in a massive melee as people are shopping for the holidays. you can see a woman kick another woman in the face. then the two of them get into it. she runs off and leaves her kid. luckily that child was not hurt. no word on what started that. a new warning about battery dangers.

and apartment building caught fire after a lithium battery inside a toy caught fire in indiana. tips >> tos has avoid holiday nightmare. >> we have seen it before. lithium-ion batteries bursting into flames. say avestigators lithium-ion battery inside a children's toy is to blame for the fire in this indianapolis apartment building sunday. no one was hurt but officials say the fire that displaced four families and caused $100,000 in damage was sparked when the battery overheated. igniting this pile of toys being stored in the building's furnace room. >> we think it got inadvertently turned on and just overheated her

. say that's what ignited flames at this pennsylvania home leaving a three-year-old girl dead. and the lithium ion battery inside a camera overheated. smoke coming from this backpack causing panic at the orlando airport. >> the battery can hold so much electrical energy it gets hot and catches fire on its own or flammablet and a object within the toy maker the plastic or something else will catch on fire. >> when storing toys or electronics make sure to keep them away from heat source or combustibles like clothing or paper and make sure the room is well ventilated. >> one of the things people don't like to do is read instructions. it's very important products like these that the parent read instructionsd the and any tips included about where to store them and how to store them safely. adrianna:

now to the mysterious death of a billionaire couple found hanging inside their mansion. ofice are calling the death barry sherman and his wife suspicious saying they were both strangled. they were one of the world's wealthiest couples thanks to their pharmaceutical empire. now their community is in shock after a real estate agent found them hanging from the railing inside their $7 million toronto home. police are going to draw a circle around both of them. they're going to look at their personal and professional and social lives. there is no sign of forced entry. the shermans were well-connected in canadian politics. justin trudeau tweeted his condolences after their death. for all those who leave reviews after staying at hotels you will want to pay attention to the next story. a woman's is a hotel in indiana charged her card $350 for writing a bad review.

needed a getaway so they booked a trip to stay at an abby brown inn. ae says her room smelled like sewer, the air conditioner didn't work and she found hair in her bed. after writing a negative review she got a $350 charge from the hotel and a letter from an attorney threatening legal action. the indiana attorney general's office filed back -- fired back with a lawsuit against management. time is running out to get the special package delivered by christmas. today is the deadline for fedex express saver and u.s. postal first class. tomorrow is the deadline for and u.s.ay delivery postal priority mail. you can drop your package at the post office friday, pay a $12 surcharge and still get your by christmas.red are you worried that the grinch would steal christmas? a mississippi boy

he called 911. >> what are you going to do if he calls -- if he tries to steal your christmas? police in the small town let 5-year-old arrest the grinch, put him in jail and save christmas. >> put your hands behind your back. adrianna: after deciding the grinch had served his time, they let him go. no doubt his heart grew three sizes that day. steve: today's the day that if you are contemplating going out to lunch or shopping outdoors today is the day to do it.

we've got sunshine, mild temperatures. a little bit breezy. temperatures right now 57 degrees at dulles. we should top off around the 60 degree mark out there. reagan national maybe just a little bit cooler. already at the 60 degree mark in fredericksburg. let's widen the view. the pool of cooler air off to the north and west. this is on the other side of the cold front later on tonight. very little fanfare. it's going to stay dry out there. the wind will change direction and allow the cooler air to arrive by this time tomorrow. clouds well to the north and south of us. not much around the immediate metro area. are going to need the sunglasses with 100% certainty. to around 60 degrees. a few added clouds by the middle afternoon. it will stay dry for the metro area

and tonight. daytime highs around 60. winds are going to increase as the cold front moves closer. wind gusts upwards of 25 miles per hour. tonight a cold front moves through. to 45 for your overnight lows. waking up tomorrow morning for your wednesday hitting closer and closer to the holiday weekend upper 30's to lower 40's. jacket absolutely. hat and scarves probably not so much for tomorrow morning. colder air is on the way. futurecast looks like this tomorrow morning. sunshine toward the afternoon. upper 40's for a daytime high and your weekend outlook 60 degrees right now. that's what we are forecasting on saturday. colder for the day on sunday and closer to christmas day even colder yet. upper 40's. can't rule out a chance for a few showers. we will be in the 30's by the end of next week. hard to believe we are going to ring in the new year

we're back

adrianna: meryl streep is responding to criticism of her response to the harvey weinstein scandal. specifically being called a hypocrite. this morning actress meryl streep is defending herself after being slammed by rose mcgowan on twitter. the actress who accused harvey weinstein of raping her wrote in a now deleted tweet over the weekend that streep had happily worked for the pagan monster. she also virtual turf plan to join an army of actresses wearing black this award season as silent protest. mcgowan

i despise your hypocrisy. responded saying, i wasn't liberally silent. i didn't know. i don't tacitly approve of rape. i didn't know this was happening. to let herid, i want know i did not know about his crimes. not in the 90's when he attacked her or through subsequent decades when he proceeded to attack others. she worked on several films distributed by weinstein. globe foron a golden iron lady and praised weinstein. >> i just want to thank my agent and god, harvey weinstein. the punisher. old testament i guess. >> she later spoke out against him in october, calling his behavior inexcusable and the women who spoke up

she didn't know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues or his inappropriate colder said acts. in her new statement she adds i don't know where harvey lives nor has he ever been to my house. i have only been to his office once. not a filmmaker. he was primarily a marketer of films made by other people. not every actor who made films that he distributed new he abused women. she also says she is sorry miguel and caesar as an adversary, writing we are both standing in defiance of the same implacable foe. adrianna: stick with us. it's a gorgeous day outside. steve is back with another check of the forecast.

adrianna: winter is officially around the corner but not today. very springlike out there. nice sunshine. mild temperatures around 60 for a high. 10 degrees cooler tomorrow. we welcome winter on thursday and it's going to feel more like it. cooler christmas day and the end of next week. adrianna: cu on the other s

>> you're watching abc seven news at noon. on your side. dozenna: more than two people left homeless right before the holidays. this after a fire

apartment complex in hillcrest heights. the images are just breathtaking. ryan hughes has more on the search for what started the fire. this inferno was raging. the smoke could be seen from miles away. one week before christmas at least 30 people are without a home to go back to. their decorations and belongings almost completely destroyed. this is still an active scene five hours after the fire first started. investigators remain on scene. i want to take you to some cell phone video. you can see the flames shooting high into the air. this happened at the carriage hill apartments in hillcrest heights. it started just before 7:00 this morning on curtis drive. all three floors of the apartments were on fire. the flames were shooting 20 to 30 feet into the air. firefighters were

out of the building immediately. all of this happening as families scramble to get out safely. on the door banging saying at the fire. it's time for his to get out. i called my sister to let her know the building was on fire. she came and got us. >> there was people screaming. everybody was trying to get out the buildings. you could see debris falling down. >> five people were treated for smoke inhalation and two were taken to the hospital. one firefighter suffered a minor injury but was able to get back to work. the assistant fire chief telling us this could have been so much worse. 11 units were damaged in this fire. 19 adults and 11 kids are now displaced. the fire marshal currently trying to figure out how the fire started. investigators telling us the fire is undetermined. new information about the massive house fire in burke.

fire was likely started by an electrical problem with an overhead light. luckily no one was hurt in that house fire. the deadly train do real men in washington state. we now know the train was traveling much faster than it should have been in the area where it derailed. clayton sandell has details. >> it was supposed to be a triumphant day but in an instant 501 on an inaugural route turned into a nightmare. investigators are on the scene trying to determine what caused the passenger train to hurdle off an overpass. >> it was going about 80 miles per hour. >> in a 30 mile per hour zone. >> rail cars crashing into vehicles on the interstate below. so far three people from the train were killed and over 100

was wet, it was cold. we had downed power lines and trees. it was very slippery and there's no access to the scene except for my five. i-5.xcept from all a locomotive and 12 cars careening off both sides of the overpass. the impact of the crash caused passengers to fly out of their seats. >> people were flying. you are like, is this real? is this ever going to stop? >> it was like being inside a drier machine. shook completely to the other side of the train and then back. >>

spring into action. >> there was injured people walking all over the place in shock. i was like, dude, somebody needs to be a leader. one of the trains had tipped upside down and spilled the passengers out and the train came down on top of them. i was like, this is an gnarly. i grabbed a dude's hand and was rubbing his back. adrianna: just talking to him. aheadna: we are looking to what comes next and what could have been done to prevent the crash like this in the first place. safety advocates have pointed to a key piece of technology called positive train control. it is the same thing the ntsb made a huge push for after the deadly derailment outside philadelphia in 2015. the problem is it'

and congress has provided only a fraction of the funding needed. only 41% of all passenger locomotives and 20% of tracks are equipped with ptc. new developments from washington state. we've got the latest on air and on the free abc 7 news app. hundreds of airport workers at dulles say they plan to strike during one of the biggest travel weeks of the year. employees at dulles are demanding higher wages and benefits. they also want the right to unionize. many of the workers received tips but say they must work two to three jobs just to survive. now to the weather just days away from the official start of winter. steve is here with a check of the forecast. steve:

right now. temperatures are well above average for this time of year. even a few golfers playing out there at belle haven country club in alexandria. toat reagan national airport 60 in fredericksburg. upper 50's annapolis and in woodbridge. uneventfulnd radar at least for this afternoon. we have a dry cold front that will give us a change in wind direction. high temperatures for today not so typical for less than a week away from christmas. highs will be around 60 degrees. talking about the cold front and we are looking ahead to the weekend and next week and a major cool down. all that coming up in just a few minutes. adrianna: redskins defensive says he wasavens racially profiled during a traffic stop in ashburn. john gonzalez explains. >>

camera with a sheriff deputy who was on the call when su'a cravens was pulled over. he says one concern is that there was a strong odor of marijuana. the sports car was searched. nothing was found. the sheriff deputy says that passenger admits that he smoked pot before getting pulled over. this is farmwell station middle school in ashburn. this is where police say cravens was speeding through a school zone. during school hours the speed limit drops from 35 to 25. the 22-year-old redskins player says he was the victim of racial profiling. he was handcuffed, accused of smelling like marijuana and thrown up against his own car. he recorded this video after the traffic stop on november 29. he tweeted it yesterday and now he is threatening to sue. >>

police. look at these -- let me show you. they got squad cars out here. they want to pull somebody over because i'm black, i got tattoos on my neck. i'm out here in a nice car. i'm going 39 in a 35. says heheriff deputy didn't realize the speed limit drops during school hours. he was issued a speeding ticket, cited for illegal tint. the second round pick actually chose to sit out this year with the redskins claiming that he's going to retire. his agent says he will be back next year. a mother's demanding answers after her three-year-old was mistakenly released from school to a stranger. after calling police to report her daughter was missing the woman later learned her child was picked

elementary in northwest by another students relative. the school staff thought the person was the child's uncle. into how thed look child was let go with a stranger and the policy shouldn't allow that. that's crazy. returned toe child the school unharmed. the stranger was interviewed and no charges were filed. coming up on abc 7 news at noon, the black mamba immortalized. two of kobe bryant's jersey numbers will hang

>> you're watching abc 7 news at

adrianna: an important sit down with teenage boys in the wake of the me too movement. asked a group of young men a variety of questions. >> they are six boys from the denver area. 12 through 16 years old. all at a critical age experts say when relationships come to the forefront so we asked them what it's like to be a teenage boy. >> how many of you have crushes? >> their parents watching and listening in. the boys don't know that. >> do your parents know that you have crushes and/or boyfriends -- girlfriends? >> yes. >> try to keep it on the down low. >> dr. stephanie dowd, a child psychologist who is also watching her interview says parents need to make it their business and convey what a healthy relationship

>> having healthy romantic relationship really requires both partners to have empathy. to be able to see it from the other person's perspective. >> as the newness of dating sets in for these boys. together.places >> hold hands in the hallway. >> our school is really close to an era so on fridays we walk to panera. >> that's where the magic happens. >> they've got good soup and salad. >> experts say parents should expand the sex talk with boys and create a dialogue about romantic feelings, emotions and consent. is specifically how you ask for consent. are you ok with this? does this feel comfortable to you? it's as simple as that. >> what does it mean to have consent? >> both people that are doing something want to be doing it. >> let's say you are in class and you notice that one of your classmates puts his hand on one of your female classmate's

and doesn't have permission. is that ok? >> no. that sexual harassment. you can't do that. >> when someone tells you to be a man what does that mean? >> you have to be mature. cap show emotions. >> do you feel that in order to be a man you have to hide your emotions? >> that's part of it. definitely. >> you should be able to show your emotions no matter what. >> these messages are very rigid for boys and men and they are dangerous. parents have to expand the definition of what it means to be a man. >> your parents weren't in the room but they heard everything you said. >> no they didn't. >> the parents taking to heart the importance of their own behavior. >> when they touched on what it ,eant if someone said be a man i think sometimes we can send the wrong message. >> i love how much they wanted to respect everybody else. adrianna:

today is a solid day. five-star day. steve: perfect 10. goldstar. any way you look at it. we have a cold front that's on the way later on tonight. it's not going to be one of these cold fronts that comes roaring in. just a gentle cold front. colder air behind it. folks are enjoying themselves walking the boardwalk at rehobeth beach, delaware. a gorgeous time to take a little road trip off to the east. by next week it's going to be cold. 50 five degrees at reagan national airport. tobably an increase of three five degrees across much of the area as we move into the later afternoon hours with bright sunshine. airll show you the colder to

it will eventually funnel across the mid-atlantic later on tonight into early tomorrow morning. by the time you wake up tomorrow , a chill to the air and you will probably need a next her layer. be 10atures are going to to 12 degrees colder than today. lots of sunshine for the remainder of the afternoon. if you have errands to run you are looking great. in terms of the weather conditions. lower 60's. most of the afternoon. added clouds later this afternoon. once again we do stay dry. all you need is the sunglasses and may be a light fleece. 60 degrees. mostly sunny skies. tonight clouds will be on the increase. 37 to 45 degrees. tomorrow we start off on the cool side. lower 40's and fairfax and the best and college park. downtown d.c. 43 to 45 degrees. cl

north and east of town toward baltimore and philadelphia. we clear things out later tomorrow afternoon as sunshine full force returns and a mainly clear night tomorrow night. temperatures tomorrow a lot cooler. only in the upper 40's for daytime highs. always a good time to download the stormwatch 7 weather app. you can use it anywhere in the united states. 60 degrees on saturday. christmas eve may be dodging a few raindrops. around 50.s here's your 10 day outlook. will welcome winter on thursday. sunday mild and cooler christmas day. and then the really cold air arrives tuesday wednesday and thursday of next week with highs only in the lower to middle 30's. adrianna: thank you. getss legend kobe bryant both of the numbers he wore during his 20 year career retire

eight for the first half of his career and then switched to number 24. he retired as the nba's third all-time leading scorer. he left it all out on the floor and he says the grind is what made him great. >> those times when you get up early and you work hard, the times when you stay up late and work hard, when you don't feel like working, you are too tired but you do it anyway. that is actually the dream. hisanna: he has taken competitive fire to the business world with his own media company and he has invested millions in the sports drink body armor. next up for him, the hall of fame. coming up, we will take a look

adrianna: can you believe that 2017 is almost over? the year was full of crazy trends from food, fashion and entertainment. here's lara spencer with a preview of the year the 2017 airing here on abc seven. >> 2017. starbucks introduced the unicorn frappuccino. there was also unicorn makeup and unicorn food. for unicorn car. >> the unicorn phenomenon is here because we don't want to be here. we want to live in a fantasy world where it >> it was a year of wonder. wonder woman. wonder struck.

these women work letter and not glitter and wore not much else. espacito became the most watched youtube video in history. >> it kept on growing. >> fidget spinners. >> sometimes you just play with this thing. >> it is relaxing. >> it's intoxicating. >> i think i am a good investor. i like the fact that people are intrigued with the small devices .

can i keep it? adrianna: if you haven't been outside today you want to step outside to enjoy this nice weather before it's gone.

adrianna: every day and employee at a dallas donation center sorts through clothing checking for stains and holes. she rece

the woman who donated it had no idea about the money. withewarded the employee $1000 for her honesty. $17,000 stuffed in four envelopes. steve: in the coat pocket. sort of an interesting job. good story. good weather day in terms of temperatures. breezy tomorrow. 60 degrees. 50 for a hot. friday and saturday we bounce back. christmas eve and christmas day we are watching the cold front and depending how quickly the cold air gets into place will determine if we see a few snowflakes around here christmas day and much colder for next week. adrianna: thank you for watching us.

>> announcer: time is ticking. ♪ but don't panic, because "the chew" is getting you ready for the big day with a last-minute holiday extravaganza. michael's in the kitchen with country music star sara evans, and they've got a dish that'll be music to your mouth. >> mmm. that's amazing. >> announcer: then, clinton's saving the day for desperate "chew" fans with his sweet solutions. plus, carla's hitting the stage and joining the cast of "the lion king" on broadway. we're taking you to your holiday happy place, right now, on "the chew." [ cheers and applause ] ♪