we have learned that two firefighters have been injured, fighting this massive blaze. we are told they are minor injuries. firefighters were dispatched to a vacant warehouse in the 500 block of broadway in fells point. firefighters said they could see plumes of smoke over the city even before they arrived. they found heavy fire in the upper floors of the building. we're told that their roof collapsed when they got there. firefighters were pulled out of the building at that point. they have been fighting it from the exterior. just a few minutes ago, we spoke with chief kevin cartwright. >> due to the intensity and the proximity of businesses near this building, we ordered an evacuation of those businesses out of harm's way. and at this point, we only have a report of two firefighters suffering minor, nonlife- threatening injuries. fire investigators and police arson detectives to go inside, make some assess. s into what -- assessments into what might have caused this fire.

>> reporter: and again, there's more than 130 firefighters on this scene right now. we are told they are making some head way, fighting that fire. but there is still some black smoke, coming out of that building. i gotta tell you, hundreds of people were lining the street, watching this fire. and if you were on the opposite side of where the wind was blowing that smoke, you couldn't even see right in front of your face. that's how much smoke was down here in fells point. we'll continue following this developing story. for now, live in fells point. i'm meghan mccorkell, wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you, meghan. complete coverage continues now with sky eye chopper 13. captain jeff long has been over the scene all afternoon. captain jeff, how are things changing right now? >> well, we have been here for quite a while. we've seen a huge change, specifically from the volume of the smoke. used to be thick, black smoke. it's not as thick as it used to be. and now each a white -- even a whiter color. we're hoping that good news for the firefighters as they continuing to pour water into

what used to be the roof of this building. the roof collapsed, we actually watched it collapse earlier today. and they're continuing to pour huge volumes of water in there. and we counted about 20 different firefighters. reporting live from sky eye chopper 13. i'm captain jeff long. back to you in the studio. >> this is also causing big traffic delays. continuing coverage continues. with kristy breslin. >> hi, denise, hi, everyone. as you can imagine, it is gridlocked. there is no access to broadway. going in and out of fells point. traffic is being detoured off. the best way to get around it would be to take alisanta, baltimore or pratt street. but even at this point, those alternates are getting very congested. so if you can, your best bet ising is going to be to avoid the area at all costs. probably going to remain that way for the rest of rush hour.

we'll continue to keep you up on date. back to you. >> complete coverage continues with bob turk in the first warning weather center. bob? >> just imagine how hot those firefighters are with all of that equipment on. >> we have a breeze that has been with us. right now, down around 8, 10 miles an hour. that is not helping the fire to extinguish quickly. that certainly spreads the smoke and the flames. but things will calm down. there's a lot of rain on tap for our region tomorrow. we'll talk about that with our full forecast. denise? >> all right. thank you very much, bob. we are closely following another developing story. the navy is investigating a drone crash on maryland's eastern shore. adam is in the newsroom with more on what brought the aircraft down. adam? >> yeah, denise. the navy says an unmanned aircraft slammed about 20 miles southwest of salisbury. you can see flames and debris here at the crash site. the aircraft went down near

bloodsworth island during a routine maintenance flight. the coast guard is right now setting up a safety zone around the crash area. the navy says there are no reports of any injuries and investigators are still working to try to figure out the cause. denise? >> thank you, adam. the drone was based out of the naval air station patuxent river. it supports surveillance systems. >> former penn state football coach jerry sandusky listens as one of his accusers testifies against him. it is the first day of his sexual abuse trial in pennsylvania. manuel gallegus reports from the courthouse. >> reporter: accused child predator jerry sandusky sat quietly as one of the 10 men he's accused of molesting took the stand. the man described how sandusky friended him through his second mile charity. he testified how he started showering with sandusky on the penn state campus when he was 13 or 14. those showers he they took after exercising soon became more physical. he said, quote, eventually the horsing around would lead to

him splashing soap on me, bear hugging me, hugging me, carussing me, take my hand to his body. >> the man testified sandusky tried to rape him in the shower and would masturbate. and one time, sandusky's wife, dottie entered the hotel room as jerry was trying to get him to perform oral sex. she said, what are you dog in -- doing in there? sandusky abruptly stopped. >> investigators asked, why didn't you tell anyone about the abuse? he said he was terrified to. >> and he didn't want to lose all of the other great gifts and opportunities sandusky offered him like being part of the penn state family. >> reporter: they said the accuser's testimony would be awful, but not necessarily true. he suggests money is motivating the men. >> reporter: the trial is expected to last three weeks,

with officials and family members of sandusky and the late coach joe paterno on the witness list. >> sandusky's lawyer told the jury it's not odd is that his client showered with children because that was part of sandusky's culture and how his generation grew up. in a significant move tonight, baltimore's bottle tax is no longer stopped up in a city council committee. it's now going to the full council. wjz is live at city hall. mike hellgren has the new developments and how much they could cost you. mike? >> reporter: we're talking ban awful -- an awful lot of nickels, denise. now that it's out of committee, it's probably not going to fizzle. >> reporter: the battle is heating up at baltimore city hall, over whether to cork or more than double the tax grocers must charge on most bottled drinks. under the plan, the mayor backs that plan from 2 cents to 5 cents by july of next year. but the beverage committee

claims it would destroy jobs. >> we realize that we have sales loss, jobs loss. &the growth. >> reporter: the tax would raise $10 million to fix schools, repairing crumbling, out-of-date buildings city wide. >> anybody who has been in any of our schools would know that this is very needed. >> reporter: the tax finally passed out of the committee, where it had been bottled up for months. the full council is expected to vote on raising it next week. the mayor says she has the votes on the council to pass it, even for many on tough times in baltimore. >> it seems like a small amount. and for the amount thaty i buy -- that i buy beverages, seems like a good idea. >> if it's actually going to what it's supposed to be going to, then i think it would be a good idea. >> reporter: but it's not a done deal yet. with the opposition proposing alternatives, ahead of the vote next monday. >> same great taste. different ingredient. it's just how we're going to get there. >> reporter: and mr. santony

would not provide details on his alternative plan. this excludes dairy products, those beverages, larger than two liters in size and with more than 10% fruit juice. live from city hall, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> another move to extend the current 2-cent tax rate failed in committee today. a key member of president obama's economic team under investigation for two possible hit-and-run crashes. california police say u.s. commerce secretary john bryson rear-ended a stopped vehicle. minutes later, he had another collision and was found unconscious behind the wheel. the commerce department says bryson suffered a seizure. we'll have more on the ongoing investigation, coming up new at 5:30. maryland takes center stage in the presidential campaign tomorrow. president obama will swing through on a fundraising mission. and the wife of republican candidate mitt romney greets voters here.

pat warren has more on where the president will spend part of the afternoon. >> reporter: maryland is important to both parties for a couple of reasons. one of them is votes. the other is deep pockets. >> reporter: president obama drew a crowd during his visit to cam of came -- cambridge this year. >> this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> i think it's great. i think it's wonderful. >> reporter: tuesday's visit is about the election. >> this would likely be the president's only visit to maryland in the course of the campaign. he will likely be spending his time in other swing states. in maryland being we supported the president overwhelmingly, four years ago. and not only that, we sent a lot of volunteers to knock on doors in pennsylvania and virginia. >> governor o'malley stood with the president in 2010. and he will stand with the president again tomorrow to shore up that support, which means fundraising. >> we will likely raise over a million dollars tomorrow. >> reporter: it's money that also brings ann romney here tomorrow to a fundraising event

hosted by former governor bob ehrlich, who serves as the state director for the romney campaign. >> there are probable going to be more democratic donors in maryland than republican donors, but the republican donors will probably be wealthier than the democratic donors. and that's reflected in the donations the two candidates have gotten so far. >> reporter: regardless of how the votes line up, campaign contributions are not to be ignoredful >> reporter: and the president will be attending a private fundraiser before his stop here at the hyatt tomorrow afternoon. reporting live from downtown baltimore, i'm pat warren. now, back to you on tv hill. >> pat, thank you. the president is scheduled to speak at 3:45 at the hyatt. and stay with wjz for complete coverage of campaign 2012. we'll continue to bring you the latest on the candidates and the issues on air and online wjz.com. >> one of the greatest ravens of all times says farewell to football. derrick mason makes his retirement official in baseball today.

>> well, denise, it was six months ago that mason first announced he would no longer play in the nfl. it is today that he formally steps away. and though he played for three other teams, mason wants the ravens to be the team he's associated with as he retires. >> reporter: one year after he was cut by the ravens, derrick mason returned to officially say goodbye to the ravens and to his 15-year pro career. he played six seasons in baltimore. and in a relatively short period of time, made a major impact. catching more passes for for more yards than any raven in team history. mason played most of his career with the tennessee titans. but says baltimore is where his heart is. >> i would like to thank the organization, you know, for allowing me to have an opportunity to hang up my cleats here. it's an amazing place. >> reporter: mason adds that this amazing place has amazing fans who welcomed him in 2005,

after years of rooting against him when he played for tennessee. >> there's not too many places you can go, and a place really embraces you the way that the city of baltimore embraced me. and i will be forever indebted to this city. >> reporter: mason was a ravens' iron man, never missed a game in his six years here. and his receiving stats to that, and gm ozzie newsome puts mason in a league of his own when considering the franchise free agent. >> i don't know if there is any one player over the span of their career that did more for this organization than derrick mason did. >> mason singled out ray lewis, ed reed, john ogden and the late steve mcnair, as the ravens he most appreciated during his time in baltimore. >> mason said he is considering a career as a broadcaster with his playing days now done. wjz teams up with the orioles to feed the hungry. and we would like to thank

everyone who helped out. some familiar faces, including vic carter, collected food and money for the maryland food bank during the o's game this weekend. lots of stuff to donate. and it's all part of our continuing community commitment. there's gigi and bob. you can still help tonight by going to wjz.com. and clicking on news. well done. and pat warren. hey, pat. >> i was standing with vic. but i was so aggressively seeking donations. they didn't get me on camera. but i was right there with him. and weren't the fans from philadelphia generous? >> i thought they were great. >> really generous. >> we were comparing them with the yankees. >> they were terrific. a medical breakthrough in maryland. one man's incredible story of three hearts and how local doctors saved his life. out-of-control wildfires are burning out west. as firefighters race to save homes and businesses. reports of a python loose

in towson. well, they caught him. here he s. but he's no python. the story when we return. showers, then cooler weather on the way. don't miss the updated forecast with bob. ,,,,

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so you can run more devices at the same time. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all, it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪ it is mostly sunny right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. in tonight's healthwatch, a breakthrough at the university of maryland medical center. for the first time ever in maryland, a patient with an artificial heart receives a heart transplant. >> reporter: 64-year-old grant fus ner said he is lucky to be alive. earlier this year, he was rushed to the maryland medical center with congestive heart

failure. >> i wasn't that far away from death and didn't know it. >> reporter: doctors immediately knew he was a candidate for heart transplant. but to keep him alive while they waited for a donor, doctors impplanted an-- implanted an artificial heart. it is the only fda-approved device scraibl as a bridge to a heart -- available as a bridge to a heart transplant. >> when you think about it, we really had to trust each other because we're telling him, we think we need to take out his entire heart. and even though he knew his heart was badly diseased, it's still a big step to agree to that. >> reporter: just a month after the artificial heart was pounding in grant's chest, a matching donor became available. so he went back into surgery on his birthday and received the ultimate gift, a new heart. and grant is so grateful to the donor. >> you cry a little bit when you first hear about it. a young man lost his life. and saved mine.

and perhaps others. >> reporter: grant went to a rehabilitation hospital for several weeks after the transplant and was finally able to go home on may 25th. he should be up and walking in the next few weeks. a large snake spotted in baltimore county, brings out police and trained animal handlers. but now, in the light of day, the fear has subsided. mike schuh explains from towson. >> reporter: it's after dark sunday. here, deep in the wiles of towson. a concrete jungle, formed by loch raven, goucher and taylor, slithering out of the canopy, a huge snake. no, no, no. not the one on this van. a real one. donna campbell lives nearby. >> are you frightened by snakes? >> oh, yeah. oh, my god, what the heck. yeah, it was just a 7-foot snake in parkville. you don't hear about that everybody day. >> reporter: animal control responds.

they're told it's a huge, dangerous python. >> here's your killer. >> originally the call came in that it was a huge python. it's not a python. but a rat snake. >> not dangerous unless you're a house. >> we have wild snakes in maryland. this is not one of them. so this was probably somebody's pet. >> reporter: neighbors call it a monstir. -- monster. its four feet of length now nearly contained. donna just glad it didn't cross her path. >> you probably would have been able to hear me scream, on television hill. honestly. and i'd probably still be screaming. [ laughter ] >> reporter: the fact that this snake has been captured... >> i can rest ease tonight. >> reporter: in the wiles of towson, mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news. >> such pets are held for four days. if the owner does not show up, the snake will be put up for adoption. i don't know. are there a lot of people

clamoring to adopt snake. >> maybe there are. >> a nice use for the yellow pages. look up his number. let's take a look at temps and conditions around the region now. clouds on the increase. temperatures going down a little bit. 85. humidity, 44%. south/southeast winds at 8. the barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at rain on your tuesday right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

well, some sailing weather out there right now. light breeze. temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s. water temperature, however, is only pretty pleasant. upper 60s to low 70s. and the bay, spots in the 70s. take a look at quick radar. there is shower act stift that's developing south of the region now. particularly in southern virginia and central north carolina that is moving basically up to the north and northeast. and i do expect to see some showers late tonight. but tomorrow, looks like a pretty wet day. most of the day. right now, we're at 85 degrees. got up to upper 80s and low 90s earlier. 90s still in easton. ocean city, only 76. winds off the ocean there.

80 in elkton. showers close by that region. 72 in oakland. and 78 up in cumberland. and 83 over in hagerstown. locally, temperatures in the mid-80s for the most part, as you can see. and running 5, 6, 7 degrees above average. normal high now is 81. you can see temperatures have been quite a bit above normal. now, tonight, shower activity. and a lot of moisture from the south. a lot of this was along the gulf coast. not nearly as strong as it was. but there's also a front to the west. behind that front, cooler and dryer air coming in for wednesday. but in the meantime, here comes that moisture, up along that front. showers and thunderstorms. could be heavy downpours tomorrow. somebody could see more than 2 inches of rain with the system. so likely we'll see maybe some urban flooding. if some of those storm drains are not cleaned out, the water is going to back up. be watching. that but wednesday, dryer and slightly cooler air coming in. all in all, we had a lot of moisture coming in from the gulf of mexico. there you see it. coming up the tennessee valley. and that front to the west,

kind of squeezing it together. all along the east coast. so shower activities, spotty later tonight. a little more steady stuff tomorrow. and as i said, there could be heavy rain, thunderstorms and heavy downpours as the front comes through. clears out on wednesday. so dry air will move in finally. south winds, gusting to 20 knots. the bay temp around the mid-70s right there at thomas port light. tonight, then, 70 warm tonight. humid. later on. shower, maybe a thunderstorm overnight. shower activity, come. sometimes places will see heavy downpours, lightning and wind gusts as well on your tuesday. >> well, we will watch it, bob. thank you. still ahead on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00. an update on the breaking news in fells point. wjz remains on the scene of the five-alarm fire. the latest on the efforts to bring it under control. 20 years since one of the most grizzly -- grisly carjackings in maryland history. now, the victim's husband is talking about the day his wife was dragged to death with his

daughter in the back seat. the interview coming up. i'm ron matz, on east lombard street. star spangled salute from fells point. the story coming up here on wjz. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 5:30. 85 degrees and mostly sunny. good evening, everybody. and thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. we continue to follow the breaking story in fells point. a five-alarm fire ripped through broadway, causing

concerns. over combustible materials inside. wjz is live on the scene. meghan mccorkell live with the city firefighters. meghan, we don't see as much smoke at this point, finally. >> reporter: yes, mary. that is getted -- good news. we have been pushed down. you can see some of the flashing lights down the street from us. we walked down there just a few minutes ago. it does appear the firefighters have made some significant headway on this fire. we only saul a very issue -- saw a very, very small amount of smoke coming out of that building. firefighters got to this scene just after 1:30, in the old hex building in the 500 block of broadway. we're told they encountered very heavy smoke and fire on the upper floors. we're told that the roof collapsed. we know two firefighters did sustain minor injuries in that collapse. now, people living in this area told us they were in the area. they heard one fire trucks, two fire trucks. then they heard dozens of fire

trucks coming into this area. we know about 130 firefighters were on the scene, fighting that five-alarm blaze. walk down there a few minutes ago, the mayor was out here on the scene, surveying the damage. along with the fire chief. but the good news swe are not seeing as much smoke. all of the firefighters in the area seem a lot more relaxed. it seems they do finally have this fire under control. live in fells point, i'm meghan mccorkell, wjz eyewitness news. >> the fire also causing gridlock in the fells point area. complete coverage continues. live at wjz traffic control. kristy breslin has delays. >> reporter: yes, absolutely no access to south broadway, coming in or out of fells point. we also have blockages, south register between fleet street and eastern avenue. traffic is being detoured around the region. east and westbound traffic, detoured to pratt and alice anta. north of pratt street. that is detoured.

best-case scenario, just avoid that area at all costs. as far as the rest of the region goes, a couple of new accidents. southbound accident, at 32 there blocking at this time left-hand lane. another crash at route 100. as far as delays go, plenty of them. northbound on the harrisburg expressway, jammed there from shawan road to belfast. top side inner loop, slowing there from york road to providence road. and the same situation on the west side inner loop. stop and go there from 70 to security. as far as other accidents go, 543 at church road. philadelphia road at fontana read lane. and gilford avenue at east of madison street. let's take a live look. that's a look at 50 eastbound there. there's an accident there at the bay bridge. delay is back to roman coke road. that's going to take a while to get through. as you can see, traffic is still pretty much at a standstill there. get ready to go live. maryland live casino. the ultimate gaming and

entertainment destination now open. you can go to maryland live.com for all of the details. it is one of the most grisly carjackings in maryland history. ray mother killed-- a mother killed, trying to rescue her daughter. now, 20 years later, the victim's husband opens up about that day. adam may has the heartwrenching interview. >> reporter: until this crime, the term "carjacking" cannot even exist in maryland. but now the victim's husband breaks his silence. >> reporter: senate 8, 19-- september 8, 1992 started an exciting day for their family. >> sarina was talking to her. >> but he had no idea there thwould be the last time he would see his wife. when pam left their home, she was attacked by two men who wanted their 1990 bmw. minutes later, steve saw this shoe, but didn't realize it was pam's. >> i said, it's kind of weird,

there's a shoe in the street. >> reporter: meanwhile, after about a half mile, the carjackers threw the 22-month- old into this intersection. she got up and walked into the intersection, where witnesses picked her up and said she was crying, asking for her mother. >> reporter: it was horrific. she found pam's body dislodged. the crime stunned the nation. >> a carjacking turned into a killing. >> reporter: rodney sullivan and bernard miller were convicted in the crime. key evidence, this video first seen here on wjz. it shows the actual suspects walking behind pam bassau when she was putting her daughter in the car. to this day, steve wishes he had noticed them. >> maybe it was because it was the nature of the day. goitd careless. >> reporter: sarina is now preparing to graduate with a degree in industrial engineering. and steve knows pam would have been proud. >> really loving mother, with a

loving heart. >> reporter: and both killers are in prison. vawnl has no-- sullivan has no hope of parole. and miller has tried but been denied. >> what happened is so sad, all of these years later. >> awful. this year, a retired police officer wrote a book on the crime called "fatal destiny." baltimore county police are searching for a killer, after a woman is found dead in the woods. a bicyclist discovered the body of 33-year-old janel balogun. a medical examiner has determined she was murdered. police would like to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in that area over the weekend. a massive manhunt tonight in alabama. police are searching for a man they say shot and killed three people near auburn university's campus. rochelle ritchie has more. >> reporter: police believe they know where the shooter is and where he might be hiding. they say this man opened fire

at an apartment complex saturday night. three people were killed, including two former auburn university football players. and three others were hurt. police are searching for leonard in montgomery, alabama, about 55 miles west of auburn. police are also looking for two other people they want to question about the shooting. >> reporter: police say they have a motive for the deadly shooting. but they are not releasing that information. there is new information about two car accidents, involving the u.s. commerce secretary. the crashes may have been caused by a medical condition. bigad shaban has the latest for wjz from california. >> reporter: a government spokesperson says commerce jettary john-- secretary john bryson suffered at the wheel of his car, when he allegedly caused two crashes near los angeles saturday. bryson spent the night at the hospital and returned to washington. the president's chief of staff, jack lu, spoke to bryson this morning.

>> we're obviously concerned about the incident. cashed -- concerned about secretary bryson's health- related issues that played a role in this incident. >> reporter: police say bryson crashed his lexus into another car that was stopped waiting for a train to pass. they say they spoke to three men inside the vehicle and hit the car as they tried to drive away. there were no passengers inside bryson's car. a spokesperson said he was on personal time. >> minutes later, bryson hit another car and was found unconscious. he was given medication for the seizure and hospitalized. nobody was seriously hurt in either accident. bryson was cited for felony hit- and had -- hit-and-run but has not been charged. the secretary voluntarily took a breathalyzer test. >> no alcohol or drugs were found 92n either accident at this point. but the investigation is ongoing. >> reporter: bryson was also

given a test. he was in california to give a commencement address and has a home in nearby san marino. in san gabriel, bigad shaban, wjz eyewitness news. >> the obama administration is still gathering information about the accidents and bryson's medical condition. the coast guard is searching for a missing swimmer near atlantic city. police say a 10-year-old boy went missing while swimming with his sister yesterday. after the boy went under the water, his sister swam to shore for help. the two were in the water after lifeguards were on duty. the search for that boy does continue tonight. well, the defense rests in the roger clemens perjury case, without the former pitcher taking the stand. clemens told the judge today that it was his decision not to testify. he is accused of lying to congress when he denied lying to congress or using human growth hormone. wildfires are stretching

crews to limits tonight. teresa garcia reports for wjz, weather conditions are making things even worse. >> reporter: the fast-moving fire in northern colorado is burning out of control, destroying a mile of forest, every hour. dozens of homes and buildings in the rural area are gone. and hundreds more are threatened. >> it's 0% contained. it's a wildfire. very large, unpredictable, aggressive wildfire. >> reporter: dry, windy conditions are fueling the fire that now covers around 60 square miles. bigger than the city of denver. around 1800 people have been told to evacuate. the fire grew so fast, some residents had just minutes to pack. >> and i had to drive past it. and i just kept thinking, just keep driving. just keep driving. >> reporter: on sunday, the fire forced a bride and groom to shorten their wedding ceremonies so they could flee, along with their guests. >> so they got their i dos done. and right after that, we had to leave. >> reporter: the red cross is

sheltering people and evacuating ranches. when wayne knolls fled his home, he grabbed his cat and a wild baby raccoon. >> some kids found him. we're just taking care of him until he can get better. >> the military is fighting the fire from the sky. but they are limited because crews are also battling major fires in neighboring states. in the mountains of new mexico, a huge mountain fire has forced hundreds to evacuate. firefighters do not know when they'll be able to get either of these western wildfires under control. teresa garcia, wjz eyewitness news. >> let's check in with bob turk now in the first warning weather center, with more on dry, windy conditions fueling the flames. bob? >> not only is it dry. but it's been breezy. temperatures are above normal. right now, a little major fires in utah. portions of mexico. also in colorado, no rainfall expected. but just outside of that area, very widely scattered, spotty

thunderstorms. however, these are what we call dry thunderstorms. they rain a little bit. but it dries up before reaching the ground. you get lightning without the rain. unfortunately, that causes more fire to break out. looks like the next couple of days, things are not going to improve out of the western portion of the united states. >> the thick smoke created by the colorado wildfires blowing as far as 200 miles east of nebraska. time now for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. learn about the big money but low-profile owings mills developers who is hosting the fundraiser for president obama. for these stories and a lot more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. we're just a couple of days away from one of the biggest events in baltimore history celebration. will mark the bicentennial of the war of 1812. ron matz reports, while hundreds of thousands are expected to celebrate downtown, one baltimore woman is showing her pride with a work of art.

♪ [ music ] >> reporter: let the sale a bration begin. >> yes. it's right up here. >> we put it up here. on the side of the building. >> reporter: and lillian crowley is showing her pride with her 6,000-piece glass mosaic of the 15-star american flag. >> i was thinking what can i do patriotic? the flag. the flag, of course. >> reporter: customers are stopping outside their store, lum berd hardware, a fells appointment landmark. to take pictures. are the works are beautiful. this one is, too. >> it's great for the neighborhood. great for the area. and especially with our 1812 celebration coming up. >> reporter: williams' husband ken, known for glass work got the ball rolling with his own flag. >> i put this together and i put it up. and lillian saw it. and she said, it's beautiful, but i want to make a bigger

one. >> and i started gluing all of the glass in place and taking my time. so i wanted it to look as nice as it could. >> reporter: just a few days ago, the big flag mosaic went up the side of the building. and you can see it driving down east lombard street. >> and i'm proud that baltimore is being showcased in this way. all of the good things we do. that's what this city is about. >> reporter: ron matz, wjz eyewitness news. >> and lillian says it took her about three weeks to complete her work. stay with wjz for complete coverage of our proud history, as we celebrate the star- spangled sale a bration. well, let's get all of that rain out of here. it's beautiful when the boats come in wednesday. >> that would be good. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. a serious side effect from too little sleep. the new reason you'll want to get to bed a little earlier. crimes hit one of israel's most sacred places. the vandalism discovered at the holocaust memorial in

jerusalem. bob turk. wet tuesday coming up. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. first, here's today's reports from wall street. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,

out on the water, which is a good 10 degrees cooler than the air temperature. that's for sure. tomorrow, looks like rain and maybe thunder. there's a small craft advisory in effect for tomorrow. morning showers maybe thunder as well. maybe a bit of a break. and more showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. could also see heavy rain, downpours with some of those showers and thunderstorms. wednesday, it begins to clear out. 84. 77, on thursday. beautiful end to the week. sun and clouds friday and saturday. today's energy saver, is about how to dispose of cfl bulbs. you can drop them off at

various household waste sites. stores like ikea. for more information on how you can be an energy saver, go to wjz.com. and click on our special section. flooding in florida causing -- causes a state of emergency. pensacola hit with 32 inches of rain this weekend. and many rain is in the forecast. many people living there lost power. ask a 200-apartment complex was hit. no injuries have been reported. officials are looking to clean up the damage. a man clings to a tree for hours in china, as gushing floodwaters tried to sweep him away. luckily, rescuers pulled the man in with a rope. over 2500 people were evacuated. more than 1500 homes were destroyed. the state's media estimates up to $28 million in storm damage costs. >> vandalism at a sacred

memorial, the walls at a jerusalem holocaust memorial, were spray-painted with graffiti. police say they suspect ultraorthodox jewish militants because the slogans were in hebrew. this latest incident is blamed on the ultraorthodox. ousted egyptian president hosni mubarak is in a coma. doctors used a defibrillator to revive him multiple times. but today, we are told he is in a full coma. the uprising forced him out of office in february 2011. he was sentenced to life and moved to a prison hospital just nine days ago. in tonight's wjz healthwatch, doctors often tell us to get more sleep. but now there's a particularly good reason for it. a new study from the university of alabama at birmingham, finds people over 45, who regularly sleep less than six hours are at a higher rick of having a--

risk of having a smoke. -- stroke. researchers say it's healthier to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night. if you're having trouble, ask your doctor for help. we will keep you updated on the breaking news. a huge warehouse fire in south baltimore. complete coverage continues at 6:00. hard numbers. baltimore finally making good news when it comes to the city's murder rate. what the fbi is reporting. check in for these stories. then, of course, we'll have all of the breaking news coming up at 6:00. and still to come tonight. a loss to new zealand. how american college students survived more than a night in the freezi,,,,,,,,,,

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part of the new jersey turnpike is littered with garbage just in time for the morning commute. a tractor-trailer, hauling tons of crash overturned, leaving only one lane of traffic open. the vehicle flipped over a guardrail.

no reports of any injuries. >> two american college students are safe after they spend more than a week trapped in the new zealand wilderness. monica villamizar has their incredible story. >> reporter: search teams flew over the mountains in new zealand, hoping to find two american students, stranded in the bitter cold. alec brown and erica clines worth, told friends they wanted to relax at the park and study for finals. but they ended up trapped in the snowstorm for nine days before finally hiking over the river for safety. >> we were wearing hoodies. and not the type of thing you want to be wear scwg have when stuck in a mountain storm. >> reporter: but the university students from wisconsin said they heated themselves up in the hot pools and slept in a hammock like this one, to withstand 17-degree temperatures. >> reporter: they survived on one biscuit and jelly a day. >> clearly, we were pretty comfortable where we were and survive today, no problem.

we had all of the right gear to get through it. and had clean, fresh water and stayed warm and dry. >> reporter: but some rescuers have criticized the students for not being prepared and not checking the forecast. >> -- t is frustrating. there is a lot of work gone into this operation. the use of a helicopter. >> reporter: a friend dropped the couple off at the park for a week-long hiking trip. she called authorities when she didn't hear from her classmates. monica villamizar, wjz eyewitness news. >> the two university of wisconsin students will finish up their study abroad program soon. they are expected to come back to the u.s. in a couple of weeks. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. we will keep you updated on the breaking news, a huge warehouse fire in fells point, under control at this point. a live report from the scene. ,, ,,,,,,,,

coming up on wjz eyewitness news. raging inferno. dozens and dozens of firefighters battle a huge warehouse fire in fells point. wjz is live with complete coverage at the scene. gripping testimony. one of jerry sandusky's alleged victims takes the stand in day 1 of his sex abuse trial. the presidential campaign comes to maryland. i'm pat warren, coming up on eyewitness news. find out what the big attraction is. maryland, with deep pockets. will rain bring us cooler temperatures? don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. wjz eyewitness news at 6:00

starts now. five-alarm fire. a ware house up in flames in fells point. >> tonight, the intense effort to get it under control. and the search for a cause. >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm jessica kartalija, in for vic carter. and here's what people are talking about tonight. >> a five-alarm fire raging out of control in fells point. more than 100 battling the fire and the heat of course. we'll is live -- wjz is live with complete coverage. first, let's go to meghan mccorkell who is on the ground, with the latest to put out this blaze. >> reporter: well, denise, it appeared that firefighters have made significant headway in