bge customers are still waiting for relief tonight. one of the big problems, the large trees are still sitting on many power lines. powerful winds knocked them over during friday's storm. it is making things very difficult for workers trying to restore electricity. 2,000 utility crews from at least a dozen states in canada are here to help out with this overwhelming job. the repairs are urgent, as the sick and the elderly are vulnerable to this 90-degree plus heat without air conditions. and the effects of the severe weather are being felt in several counties. sky eye chopper 13 is live in towson, where crews are working on power lines right now. and we are also tracking the possibility of more storms for tonight. let's go straight to meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk. bob? >> a batch of thunderstorms across central and western pennsylvania, moving southeast alt around 25 miles per hour. take a look at radar. you can see the activity to the northwest. not too far from chambersburg.

north of cumberland. some of them have weakened hopefully. by the time they get to us, they will continue to weaken. but there's a potential for strong, gusty winds in any of these storms. and there's been hail reported in portions of ohio and west virginia. hopefully, won't have to deal with that. but i think we do have at least a chance of scattered thunderstorm activity tonight and again probably during the morning and even afternoon on july 4th as well. so the risk of some of these storms being locally strong to severe is certainly there with the heat that we have. take a look at temperatures now. luckily, today was still rather dry. 95. but the dew points only at 58. we're not really looking at a heat index. in fact, 95 degrees. only feels like 94. doesn't go up because the air is so dry. only 90 in ocean city. and 82 out in oakland. bernadette has a look at this. how long we've seen these temperatures. bernadette? >> only. that's the thing. we're not breaking record-only temperatures. but it's the consistency and how long this heat is going to last. take a look at this graphic here.

we've had 17 days so far with 90-plus days so far. most of those have come since mid-june, continuing into july. and this is not going to change any time soon. take a look at the next three days around here. we're forecasting highs of 98 degrees. 99 and 98 degrees. and looks like the dew points dew points and humidity levels will be climbing. so the heat index will be even higher. and the thing is, this is going to continue into the weekend. we have the chance of strong thunderstorms around here. still, the heat that is going to continue through the weekend and a lot more going on. we'll have your forecast coming up. back inside. >> bern, thank you. as we brace for possible severe weather. the cleanup from friday's storm is still far from over. rochelle ritchie joins us with the problems in howard county. but first, mike hellgren is live in baltimore county with the very latest on the power struggles there. mike? >> reporter: jessica, damage like this is what it looks like in county after county, across this state right now. and so many people are sweltering in these hot temperatures. the governor says the duration

of all of this. and the days without power is really creating a dangerous situation. >> reporter: four days after the storm, a mangled mess of limbs and lines covers some streets with temperatures outside high and no power. tempers are reaching their boiling point. >> still don't have anything. >> reporter: any answers from the utility? >> no. >> while bge is stressing most customers have been restored, that's little consolation for those living without electricity. >> when the power stops, everything stops in your house. you can't even flush the toilet. >> we are still in a very dangerous part of this emergency. and that's where the -- why the most important home, the most important residence, we restore to power is the very next one. >> reporter: bge says some customers may still not get power until the weekend. they dent want to make false promises, even though they have been criticized for giving

vague deadlines. power crews have converged on maryland, working 16-hour shifts. >> this is work that we love to do. and when somebody needs help, we're eager to help. >> new video shows this straight-line hurricane forced winds that turned so many lives upside down. an epic storm of dust, combined with lightning. staking the state by surprise. and they left many wondering when the nightmare will be over. >> it's dark as ever on the street. it's no light. and i have to get up every day in the morning. >> but i'm not satisfied and won't be until every home is restored. >> reporter: and there are still more than 146,000 people right now without power. people who are living without basic necessities. for some, that means no water systems. it is very difficult, very rough going, even this many days after the storm. and we're talking about perhaps into the weekend before everyone gets their power back. reporting live in baltimore county, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news.

>> mike, thank you. first warning weather continues now live in columbia. rochelle ritchie is tracking the storm's aftermath in howard county. rochelle? >> reporter: people were without power in howard county. and this is what you'll find scatter across the neighborhoods here. trees broken. and their limbs scattered or broken across the lawn. and you also find homeowners trying to pick up the pieces. >> reporter: tonight, howard county residents like tyrone giddens are spend their time on the phone. >> we have the tree came down and broke the deck. >> reporter: talking to insurance agents, in hopes of getting their homesy paired after friday night's storm. his lawn is covered with branches and trees. >> branches are rolling across the roof. and after that, i just heard this big whoosh sound, like something dropped. >> reporter: tyrone said friday night, he could hear the trees and branches, cracking in the wind. this pine tree is more than 100 feet long. it barely missed his home. >> the height of the tree, to me, is like twice the length of

the house. >> reporter: across howard county, dozens of lawns are littered with trees, yanked by their roots. >> i've seen so many people comeby and taking pictures. from the bottom of the hill, you see the trees and the holes. >> reporter: utility workers are working overtime to restore power to thousands. some have come out of state to help bge workers. >> they're telling us, it may still be into the weekend. and we're saying come on, let's go, let's go. let's get it done. >> reporter: county executive ken oman says unfortunately, those left without power for four days now, could be in the dark this weekend. like many, he's also in the waiting game and plans to ask tough questions of bge when things return to normal. >> are they doing all of the trimming they're supposed to be doing? >> reporter: as ulman tries to deal with the problem of 10,000 people, he didn't try to deal with the $10,000 in damage. >> having a homeowner's policy has helped me out. >> reporter: with the threat

of more storms coming, some are worried that some of the trees will not be able to hang on much longer. >> thank you so much. skysky eye chopper 13 continues to track those working in the region. captain jeff long has more on what he's seeing today. >> reporter: good afternoon. we have been all over the city and the county this afternoon. and this is becoming a very familiar scene. bucket lines here. this particular scene. bolona lane is closed while four bucket trucks work on these lines, preparing them for a few pole, which you can see waiting in the street right there. reporting live from skyie chopper --a sky eye chopper 13, i'm captain jeff long. back to you. >> captain, thank you. right now, more than 53,000 customers in baltimore county are still without power. baltimore city, anne arundel county, and howard county are also struggling. in total, more than 147,000 bge

customers in maryland are still out. for more details on the power restoration progress, vic carter is live with bge spokesman rob gould. >> rob, thanks again for joining us. you said you have the bulk of the people back online. but it's still going to take a while. >> yes. we have 80% or more restored. but it's really that 147,000 figure that we're ficked on now. and of course, -- fixed on now. and of course, if you're without power, you don't care how many are restored. you want to be restored. for all of these images we're showing you, it's just going to take sometime. >> what is the biggest challenge facing you at this time? >> trees, trees and more trees. this storm is as bad if not worse than a hurricane. and hurricane irene, what we saw there is pretty bad. this is real bad. we have trees all over the place, in places you wouldn't expect to see them having come down. and that's really posing a challenge. we have to get in there, cut away the trees. put poles in place and put the

wires back up. >> bob and bernadette have been talking about the possibility of more storms coming through. possibly not as severe. but have you to be nervous about what that might bring. >> for us, a storm is a storm. we're worried about tonight. but we're all worried about tomorrow night. sounds like that could be stronger storms. a good example, yesterday about 2:00 a.m., we had a storm roll through here. and we lost 14,000 to 15,000 customers. this is why we're being careful about what we're saying about what we're going to be done. we'll be done this weekend. again, if we have weather that will rolls through here, that factors into the whole restoration process. >> and of course, we'll continue to monitor it from the newsroom. back to you in the stewardio. -- studio. >> as we mentioned, the hot weather is also taking its toll. derek valcourt has more on the first heat-related deaths in maryland because of this. derek? >> reporter: mary, four confirmed heat deaths already. and state health officials know that as this heat continues,

there will likely be more. >> reporter: outside, it's a scorcher, which is why inside city health offices. it's the phones heating up. >> hi. this is kimberly mantley, i'm calling from the baltimore city health department. how are you doing? we're calling our senior citizens to make sure you're doing okay. >> reporter: the city set up a phone pank bank, calling thousands of residents over the age of 80, checking how they're handling the heat. those that don't get an answer may get a visit. >> we're going door to door, making sure we do everything we can to reduce and eliminate the number of heat-related deaths. >> reporter: already maryland has seen four deaths from the heat. doctors say those most at risk have underlying health problems. >> they do worse with the heat. and they do worse with every day of the heat. so you can see increasing problems and increasing deaths as a heat wave goes on. >> reporter: but it's so hot, even healthy adults are having trouble. >> i've gotten dizzy.

so i decided to carry an umbrella today. because the heat just pounds on you. it's excruciating. >> if i have business, i start taking care of it in the morning. when it starts getting real hot, i'm heading home. >> i'm not that young myself. so it's pretty hard on all of us. >> reporter: howard monet already opens his air conditioned home to friends and family. and with power still out to tens of thousands, health officials are hoping others will do the same and keep the sun from taking lives. >> reporter: hospital emergency rooms also feeling the effects of this heat. they say since this heat wave has begun, they have experienced a huge uptick in the number of people ages 65 and older, who are coming in for treatment. we're live, derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. jessica? >> reporter: derek, thank you. hughes the latest-- here's the latest on this severe weather. right now, more than 147,000 are without power. utility companies say could

take more days. and so far, six storms are blamed on the heat. you can find forecast updates any time on wjz.com. well, the weather, definitely a concern for tomorrow's fourth of july celebrations. and so is the potential for violence in those big crowds. in baltimore, the holiday has police taking action. wjz is live downtown. adam may is live at harbor east, and the look at the sta's safety plan. >> so many issues, mary. the strategy of this new plan is really straightforward. that is to avoid a repeat of what happened. >> reporter: fights, shootings and violence, last fourth of july, at baltimore's inner harbor, left a scar on the city many will never forget. >> people that are planning to come down to act like troublemakers or to cause problems, will be dealt with very swiftly. >> reporter: top brass unveil a new strategy to keep people safe. recalling a tourist, stabbed to

death with a broken bottle. >> my little girl is not going to have a dad. >> reporter: a 4-year-old was also caught in the melee when he was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. >> we don't want anyone getting hurt. we don't want to see that page come across last year for that innocent 4-year-old kid. that's ridiculous. >> reporter: this year, police are adding a new property fence to the harbor, changing the way officers are deployed. using gps technology for foot patrols. and calling in other help. police say other tactics implemented since the beating of a man on st. patrick's day, and other crimes involving teenagers, are already working. >> couple of months ago, we already tracked -- cracked down on the ruckus in the utility area. and we're just not tolerating it. >> reporter: setting last month's celebration. and the safest, with no major crimes. >> reporter: and also today, police are making some changes to the fox trot helicopter. they're outfitting it with a new live camera that will

provide a feed back to police headquarters. that way, they can monitor the big crowds and keep an eye out for any trouble. reporting live, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. >> adam, thank you. despite these high-profile incidents, overall crime downtown is on the decline 89 -- decline. maryland live generated about twice as much as the state's other two casinos combined. maryland live is expected to have more than 4700 lot machines and electronic gaming tables by october. they also have the restaurants in there that i'm sure are doing well. >> bobby's burger. >> that would do well with us. ahead. staying goodbye to a beloved actor. details on the death of andy griffith. and a look back at his life and accomplishment. how four service members died on the job.

weekend thunderstorms. and maryland's heat wave isn't helping the storm recovery. don't miss the updated first warning forecast with bob. when i earned my doctorate, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu/maryland to find our 4 locations in your area.

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[ male announcer ] because sleep is a beautiful thing. [ birds chirping ] introducing zzzquil, the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil. ♪ it's partly sunny and 94 degrees in central maryland right now. your complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. tonight, fans are mourning the passing of andy griffith. the star of the andy griffith show has died at the age of 86. alexis christoforous reports for wjz with more on his life and his accomplishments. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: who doesn't hear the whistle and remember the andy griffith show? from 1960 to 1968 it was a huge hit. and the star, andy griffith, played the show's proverbial straight man. >> i meant charity. >> i didn't charge him nothing. >> i meant something for the

joy of giving. >> i enjoyed it. >> i love playing straight. because you get to see the show and be in it at the same time. >> reporter: andy's samuel griffith life paralleled the show in many life. he was born in a small town in north carolina much like the fictional mayberry, and grew up in a poor but loving home. he was studying to be a minister, but changed his major to music. his breakthrough role was in 1957, "a face in the crowd." >> yankee goes, mama guitar. >> reporter: years ago, sheriff andy taylor was supposed to be funny man. until his friend don knots got into the act. >> don called me when he saw the pilot and said, don't you need a deputy. >> reporter: and the rest is comedy history. >> andy, you know we couldn't have dwifn otis -- given otis a sobriety test last night. >> well, why not? >> he was too drunk. >> reporter: in 2005, he was

awarded the presidential medal of honor. [ applause ] >> reporter: a working actor. to the end of his life. alexis christoforous, wjz eyewitness news. >> andy griffith died around 7:00 this morning at his home in north carolina. according to the dare county sheriff's department. his career spanned more than half century on stage, film and television. >> if you're waiting for somebody to get home from work, let's check in on our roads right now. here's kristy at wjz traffic control. >> hi, mary. hi, everyone. unfortunately, we have a lot of traffic out there. harrisburg, expressway, things crawling from shawan to belfast. inner loop, still a problem there. jones falls to harford road. and the west side inner loop, stop and go, southwestern boulevard to liberty road. as far as the outer loop goes, that's actually been a problem most of the afternoon. 25 minutes there, from liberty road to baltimore national pike.

and northbound 95, real slow there from eastern avenue, past whitemarsh boulevard. as far as accidents go, pulaski highway, at north crescent. commerce street at east pratt. and now, let's take a live look. as you can see, we have quite a situation there, that's northbound 895 there at potee street. we have an accident above the right-hand shoulder. this traffic report is brought to you by subway. introducing the saucy santa fe melt. only for a limited time. back to you. >> thank you. and bob is here. >> still hot out there. >> hot day. >> luckily be wasn't as humid today. thunderstorms northwest of us. not real strong, but i do think somebody is going to get one or two storms which will really keep tracking that for you. take a look at temps now. we are still in the low to mid- 90s. 94. humidity only 30%. we'll come back and take a look at the thunderstorms once again after this. >> and many viewers still cleaning up frommed from's

storms. here's -- from friday's storms. here's some of the pictures. for a complete slide show g , go to wjz.com. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

here's some clouds moving in. we have thunderstorm activity to the northwest of us.

and shower activity. take a look at radar. just north of hagerstown. chambersburg. a batch up there. now, these aren't particularly strong. they had brief downpours. we've reported some wind gusts around 35 miles an hour. with some of these cells to the north and west of us. take a quick look there. you can see cumberland there. not too far, an accident in western maryland. breezewood. moving off to the east and southeast. i think by the time it gets to baltimore, if it holds together, we'll be looking at storms here around 7:30 to 8:00. somewhere nan that range. and-- in that range. and we might see brief downpours and gusts. there's a possibility we might see more stuff coming in tomorrow. even in the morning and again in the afternoon. several chances. 94 degrees right now. the good news is, the dew point has been rather low all day, in the 50s. earlier today, was it was around 53. that's quite dry. there's not a lot of moisture in the air for those storms to feed off of.

not like we had friday when we had dew points in the low 70s. these storms to the northwest of us, around 20,000 feet. friday night up to 45 and 50,000 feet. much stronger. 75 in oakland. dew point once again at 58. so it makes it feel a little cooler. 94. feels more like 92 and 93. 90 up in westminster. and 90 on kent island. 95, 67 today, the average is 87 and 66. that sounds pretty good. records, 104. in 1898. and 50 in 2001. a light, northwest breeze. some of these storms and cells that come through can easily give you storms over 40 miles an hour. and that could cause problems. i think it will be isolated. but some folks could see a few strong thunderstorms in the region tonight and again tomorrow, which is the fourth of july. a batch of clouds and shower activity across the great lakes. you can see how it's pretty much headed down to the south and southeast.

more activity developing south of us. this is really not impacting us. there's another batch in detroit. again, may develop tomorrow afternoon. heat and humidity yes, for sure. next several days, temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. some locations could easily get to 100 degrees again. humidity may be trimmed. a little thursday and friday. but the temperatures will not. stay in that hot range. west range, 5 to 10 knots. bay temp, around 80 degrees now. it's been so hot. 73. maybe a thunderstorm early. and another overnight. 73 for a low. upper 90s tomorrow. maybe another thunderstorm threat early in the day. and again, later in the afternoon. hopefully all done by about 6:00 or 7:00. so the fireworks at 9:30, hopefully will be okay. can't promise that, though. >> but it would be nice. angry with a cell phone service. the drastic action the guy is facing and the punishment he could face. when will the power come

back on? i'm mike hellgren in baltimore county, with some answers. and also, new information on the number of deaths related to this storm. i'm ron matz at the inner harbor. you can enjoy the fourth of july fireworks on board the constellation. the story coming up here on wjz. it's the perfect match for the perfect moment -- oreo the dunkin' way. introducing the new oreo coffee coolatta and new oreo vanilla bean coolatta. taste the fun today. america runs on dunkin'. hurry in to dunkin' and try the new

it is 5:30. 94 degrees and partly sunny. good evening, everybody. thank you for staying with weekeyewitness news.

-- wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the things people are talking about. maryland still suffering from friday's powerful storms. large trees are down around the state. this one sits on top of an apartment building. the massive cleanup, far from over. looks like there is damage to the main roof there. the main concern tonight is the power outages. bge has staging centers, where utility crews around the country have arrived to help more than 145,000 bge customers, though, are still without electricity right now. wjz's extensive first warning weather coverage continues. meteorologist bernadette woods is tracking this prolonged heat, which is making recovery difficult. first, mike hellgren is live in north baltimore with the latest on the power issues. mike? >> reporter: mary, we are in baltimore county, rather. and this is the hardest hit area roovment right now. there are more people in baltimore county than anywhere else in the bge service area. and at this point, there is a fear that with the duration of this, it could be even more

dangerous. we've already seen four deaths, just related to the storm, not even counting the heat. the latest one was a man who fell 30 feet in garrett county, after trying to remove some damaged limbs. at a press conference today, state officials talked approximate some of the precautions you should be taking. >> we cannot man every single intersection. so as you approach those intersections that are without power, please use caution, treat them as a four-way stop. and again, just echoing the message on the heat-related concerns. obviously, law enforcement is asking the public to be the eyes and the ears to assist law enforcement with this. check on your neighbors, your friends and your family, obviously the elderly. and if you can't make contact with somebody please contact the local law enforcement. >> reporter: good advice there. let's take a live look from sky eye chopper 13 at some of the repair crews now at work. more than a million call have come in to bge's call center. we've got more than 3,000 call

centers. many from as far south as florida. even as far west as texas. trying to restore the backbone of this system. bge says there were major problems with their infrastructure because of all of these trees that came down with our strong winds and lightning. remember these wind gusts were equal to a category 1 hurricane that tore through here. and we just hope that with more severe weather possibly to come, that there's not more damage. and there's not any rollback to the progress that has already been made. reporting live in baltimore county, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. from the midwest to the mid- atlantic, at least 24 deaths are being blamed on the weather. as danielle nottingham reports, people are becoming more vulnerable, the longer it takes to get back to normal. >> reporter: utility crews in virginia are battling downed trees, oppressive heat, and upset customers. >> it is a huge mess.

we haven't seen any work being done yet in the neighborhood to cut up the trees. >> reporter: at this call center, customers want to know how much longer they have to sweat it out. >> all of our customers are asking for updates this morning. and we're trying to get to the mall. >> reporter: virginia is one of seven states, along with washington, d.c., where more than a million homes and businesses are still in the dark, after friday's storm. >> this whole job here is probably 5 or 6 hours. and you multiply that by thousands. it just takes a lot of man hours to get back into the neighborhoods. >> reporter: not only are downed trees a headache for utility crews, they've also cut off? neighborhoods. with temperatures in the 90s, those with special medical needs and the elderly, are at risk. >> this is when our senior citizens are most vulnerable. >> reporter: in west virginia, stores are giving away ice and water. >> dan gannett says his crews are working 16-hour shifts and longer. >> they're getting out on the job.

and at 10:00 at night, it's not done. and we're saying, you gotta come back. no, we're staying here until we get those people's lights on. >> reporter: still, many may not have power back until the weekend. in arlington, virginia, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> president obama has declared federal disaster emergencies in ohio and west virginia. let's take a look at the very latest numbers now from bge. right now, we're told that more than 53,000 customers in baltimore county are still without power. baltimore city, anne arundel county, and howard county, are also struggling. in total, more than 142,000 bge customers in maryland are still out. >> and as we have been telling you, this heat wave is make being the storm recovery extra difficult. first warning weather coverage continues with meteorologist bernadette woods. she's tracking our updated numbers. >> reporter: that's right. this heat is just going to continue. and along with the heat, the chance for thunderstorms. we're going to take a look at first warning doppler radar.

there's a line of pretty nasty storms coming out of pennsylvania. the thing is, there are not many severe thunderstorm warnings. but that could change. we are watching this very closely. and there's a potential for damaging winds with those thunderstorms as it crosses the state. but this is not -- not, i repeat, of friday night. the other issue is the heat. it just continues. no we're not breaking records but 90s again today, for the seventh straight day in a row. 90 in baltimore, 96 in d.c. and even though the dew point is down a little bit, and it doesn't really add anything to the heat index, in some cases, it takes a degree away. it still continues. not only tomorrow, as we make a run to the upper 90s, possibly 100. puthat continue -- but that continues close to 100 on thursday, on friday, and even into the weekend. so we've got a lot to get through still. back inside. >> bernadette, thank you. just a reminder for homeowners faced with the task of removing trees knocked over during friday's storm, today,

miss utility, the free call before you dig service, is recommending you call them at 811, at least two full days before you start to dig, if you have to dig. this helps prevent underground utility lines from being damaged, striking a single utility line can lead to personal injury, penalties, repair costs, and outages. of course. well, stay with wjz for first warning weather coverage when the storms hit. you can find forecast updates any time on wjz.com. the governor of south dakota says a fourth crewmember has died from this weekend's crash of a firefighting plane. the air force c140 tanker, like the one seen here, went down in the black hills with six crewmembers aboard. the entire tanker fleet was grounded after the accident, but that has since been lifted. the military planes are used because of the numerous western wildfires. one of the most destructive wildfires is the one in waldo canyon, colorado. this incredible video from the colorado springs fire department shows them mobilizing on the ground, as the fire spreads to entire

neighborhoods. thousands of people were evacuated. and over 350 homes destroyed. officials say the fire is now 55% contained. most of the evacuees have been allowed to return. time now for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in tomorrow morning's edition of the baltimore sun. more on the cleanup and recovery from last weekend's storm. they signed jim thorn but what else do the orioles need to do to finish the other half of the season strong? and ice pops. they get a gourmet makeover. read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast. a first of its kind program here in maryland is using incarcerated war veterans to train wounded -- dogs for wounded and disabled war veterans. >> reporter: at the maryland correctional institution in hagerstown, a dog crate now

rests in an inmate's cell. it is part of a new program that has incarcerated veterans, training service dogs for wounded and disabled veterans. inmates will care for the puppies, making sure they're fed and groomed and ready for training. terry dorsey is an inmate who is thankful for the program. >> being incarcerated, people forget about us or think we have no worth. but this is an opportunity to show that we can do something positive. and it's for a worthy cause. >> reporter: correctional officials say the program gives inmates a second chance. >> is a project that when they're done, they're going to get rewarded deeply. and they'll have memories forever of those animals they've raised. >> reporter: at a special ceremony, inmates heard from veteran dan lasko. he served in afghanistan, lost part of his leg, and had a traumatic brain injury. and is now healing with the help of a service dog. >> there are certain things a service dog, especially a vet

dog can do for a disabled vet. >> it's proven pet therapy that is working in more ways than one. >> if we do a good job, it's going to reflect on them. and to let the society know that we have -- we can do something worthwhile. >> reporter: and the dogs come to the maryland correctional institution in hagerstown through an organization called "america's vet dog." it is a nonprofit based in new york. 12 dogs will be trained at a time at the prison. really, really speaks to the heart of pet therapy, both for the inmates and for the veterans who need them. i think it's going to be neat to track it and see how it works. >> what a cool story. still to come tonight on eyewitness news. highways buckle under extreme heat. the problem on one major road. and what happened to the driver who ran into it. an office building goes up in flames. the great rescue of the employees trapped inside. i'm bob turk. first warning weather center. more hot temps on the way.

maybe some storms tonight. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. first, here's today's report from wall street. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,

if you're looking for a

place to watch the inner harbor fireworks, have we got an idea for you. the uss constellation is hosting a big party. and you're all invited. ron matz reports, it might just be the best place to celebrate the fourth of july. the fourth and fireworks at the inner harbor, go hand in hand. you can see them from the uss constellation. their 12th annual, holiday deck party is the place to be. >> we do cannon -- special cannon firing demonstrations, special tours of the ship, led by our uniformed crew. we'll have some music on board. it's just a very nice time. >> reporter: the constellation is rich in history. launched in 1894. she intercepted slave ships during the civil war. today, students get an on-board education. >> right now, we're hosting the super kids program. we have rising third and fourth graders from baltimore city, coming down to the ships. >> reporter: just a few feet from the constellation.

they're also getting ready for a busy fourth. at lenny's delicatessen. >> there's a lot of people. security is real tight. it's real nice. it's a great police for people to come for the -- place for people on to come for the holiday. >> reporter: the party begins at 7:00. and 250 people are expected. >> it's a great party. wonderful event. helps keep the ships afloat. and you can see the fireworks from high above the crowds. >> reporter: ron matz, wjz eyewitness news. >> the constellation deck party includes food provided by classic catering and beverages from the pratt street ale house. for ticket information, log onto wjz.com. >> i don't want to say this, but the fourth of july festivities could be at risk because of bad weather outside tonight. it is hot with a chance for storms. and we're expecting similar conditions tomorrow. meteorologist bernadette woods shows us what to expect for the holiday. but first, bob is tracking storms moving across maryland right now. bob? >> thunderstorm activity in

garrett, allegheny county as we speak. around the cumberland, frostburg, and not too far of oakland, storms moving right through there now. and these had brief, gusty winds. brief downpours some areas. could see a quick quarter to half inch of rain in like 25 to 30 minutes. so the strongest activity, moving through the cumberland area, into west virginia. another batch appeared near chambersburg. in this area, and looks like it's going to head down towards gettysburg. eventually, westminster, baltimore carol and frederick county should see this around 8:00 to 8:30 tonight. and some areas could see some downpours, lightnings as well. maybe brief gusty winds. although right now, we're had no reports of anything severe. but there could be thunderstorm activity tonight. and unfortunately, may have a repeat of some of these storms again tomorrow, on the fourth of july. bernadette has a look at a hot july 4th in the region. bernadette? >> that's right.

now, this is not an all-day rain event. but just be smart about tomorrow, everybody. those thunderstorms could linger into the morning hours. some of that batch that's coming through. otherwise it will break upa we head through the day. and temperatures start rising up to 98. humidity is going to be higher. and then we head through the afternoon. again the chance for a late-day shower or thunderstorm. and if something does become strong or severe. we'll let you know. >> of course, we'll be tracking that. stay tuned and we'll let you know what's going to happen. hot. that's about it. looks like a much lesser chance. high storms again. thursday, friday, saturday. sunday, a bit of a break. low 90s, even cooler for next monday. >> bob, thank you. an unbelievable scene from wisconsin shows us the damage caused by this extreme heat. take a look at the highway. buckled because of these soaring temperatures. even more incredible is what happens when an suv hit that bump. you see a vehicle go airborne and fly across the median.

the two people inside were hospitalized with neck and back injuries. >> looks like something out of a movie. well, we can't blame this next story on the heat. but rather the hot temper from a phone customer. take a look at the video. a man goes on a rampage, inside a mobile phone store. he rips displays off the wall. and then sprays a fire extinguisher. he was arrested at the scene. the staff says the incident started after an argument with a manager. well, firefighters make a brave rescue, as workers hang from a burning building in ecuador. officers say over a dozen people from the flames and mysterious fire sparked during lunchtime, while most of the employees were out. thank goodness. two people were killed. one from a falling window. another from suffocation. it's not clear what caused the fire. there's more fighting in syria today. while syria's president all but issues an apology for the downing of a turkish jet.

monica villamizar has the latest from wjz, from london. >> new amateur video captures the sounds of gunfire. smoke rises just outside damascus, after forces loyal to president basmash alshad shell the area. and another suburb is in ruins after syrian helicopters dropped bombs. these latest images come as assad is stopping short of an apology for the downing of a turkish fighter last month. he said he wished his forces had not shot it down and added that he did not want to escalate tensions with turkey, which scrambled f16 fighter planes for a third day. they confirmed u.s. beliefs beliefs that assad tortures and abuses his own people, including his own children. the group identified 25 centers it says are being used to torture civilians.

u.n. are asking the international court to investigate. >> i believe that the evidence points to the commission of crimes against humanity. >> reporter: despite the deadly violence across syria, the country's athletes are preparing for the london olympics. the head of syria's olympic committee, a close friend of assad's, has been denied admittance to the games. he said his country's problems should not interfere with the counter t games. >> syria is sending 11 athletes to the london games. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00. for all new stories coming up, vic is in the newsroom with more. storm cleanup. wjz continues first warning weather coverage. a storm system that caused so much trouble and left thousands of people without power. record-breaking heat. the power is down as maryland heats up. more on what is becoming a fatal combination. check in for more on these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> all right, vic. thank you. and still to come tonight

on wjz eyewitness news. he is still hoping to make the all-star team. did jason hamill help or hurt his cause in seattle? >> stan saunders with the answer coming up n,,,,,,,,

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well, orioles baseball has been fluctuating, but several players have been providing enough punch for the team that they'll be participating in next week's all-star game in kansas. we'll see how the toughness made the all-dar star to the delight of fans everywhere. >> reporter: iffy pitching caught up with the birds last night in seattle. where they lost to the mariners, 6-3. that eeps the birds at six games in the back of the division. 14 wins and 37 losses. nonetheless, catcher matt weeder is one of those. behind the plate last night, he took a wicked walk to the facemask but shook it off like nothing to it. you know that had to work.

witheer stepped up to the plate from the kneeling position. wieters joins teammate adam jones and reliever jim johnson on the american league all-star roflter, while jason hamill waits to see if a national online voting gets him past there. he gave up four runs last night against the mariners but did strike out eight. watch the game on masn 2. much more headed your way at 6:00, including the latest quarter final action from the tennis courts of wimbledon, england. back to you. >> all right, stan. thank you so much. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. debris everywhere. power outages. i'm rochelle hitch -- rochelle ritchie in howard county. i'll tell you how they're i'll tell you how they're dealing with,,,,,,,,

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coming up right now on wjz eyewitness news at 6:00. >> after the storm. i'm mike hellgren. a terrible tangled mess of power lines and limbs makes detting back to life difficult. i'll have the latest on restoration efforts. i'm derek valcourt at the baltimore city health department, where officials are hoping that phone calls can help save lives. i'll explain coming up on eyewitness news. getting ready for big crowds on the fourth of july. i'm adam may. how baltimore police are changing their strategy to keep

those crowds safe downtown. that's coming up. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. hello, everyone. i'm vic carter. >> and i'm denise koch. here's what people are talking about tonight. >> repair crews are crisscrossing the street, try to repair damage. broken trees, downed power lines. knocking out service to 10s of thousands of people. and repair crews from all over the nation are assisting bge as they try to restore service. more than 140,000 people are still waiting for crews to reach their area. sky eye chopper 13