sorry, late today fire officials are still trying to come up with the identities of the victims, however, according to neighbors the people that were killed in the house were richard and eleanor satterfield, both believed in their 70s along with their granddaughter and her three children, the oldest 9, the youngest, only 1 years old. a tragedy that has shaken this neighborhood. >> reporter: the depth of the grief is bottomless, loved ones gone, the home that neighbors say the family lived in for more than 30 years burned and broken. flames swept through the home before 5:00 this morning. the firefighters got there and the front of the house was burning along with four other homes on either side. other folks got out. but the elderly couple in the middle house, granddaughter and three of their great grandchildren did not. >> i just smelled smoke. when i came outside the house was enflamed in a lot of fire. >> where do you live? >> 2307 homewood.

and the house, i'm assuming the fire started with the miller house, that's where my neighbors live and nobody came out. >> reporter: high winds hampered firefighters' efforts with 45 mile-per-hour gusts. when crews got inside they found all six members of the family dead on the first floor. the oldest, neighbors say, in their 70s, the youngest, a child, only a year old. people in the neighborhood just can't get over the news, the family has been a fixture on homewood avenue for more than 30 years. everyone knew them and respected them. it's a horrible loss. >> they would do anything for anybody. whenever you need it. any of them, they would always be there. she was real nice. she was a teacher. she would help anybody whenever she could. the whole family, i mean, i just grew up with them. she was like a grandmother to me. i could go to her for anything. him too.

>> reporter: right now the fire department has not determined exact cause, however, witnesses say they did notice that firefighters were taking out several space heaters from the home but not sure exactly if that's the cause of the fire. once again the other people that were displaced by the fire are being helped by the red cross tonight. roosevelt leftwich, abc2 news. three people escaped another fire in a three-story home in an apartment house last night in harford county, with the help of a quick-thinking volunteer firefighter. tom seland was eating dinner in a restaurant in havre de grace when someone yelled out a historic home was on fire on franklin street. he ran to the scene ahead of the ladder trucks and spotted two people stranded on the roof. >> when i got here they were on the roof. you could see the blood on the yves. i just talked to both into dropping their legs down. i was able to grab lawn furniture and get up and reach

them off the top part and help them down from there. >> he also broke a first-floor window and entered the burning struck -- structure to pull another woman out. two victims were transported to the bayview burn center, treated andry lead. another firefighter suffered a cut to the arm. he was treated at the nearby harford memorial. in a word, harsh. i mean, just harsh weather out there today. strong powerful winds, our wind advisory expired from the national weather service. it's still going to be a blustery night. what we're seeing in terms of gusts of wind, at the top of the hour, gusting to 28 at bwi marshall. gusted to 33 frederick. 32 easton. this is extremely windy weather and when you throw in the fact we're in the 20s, this is what it feels like. 9 above zero in baltimore. 10 above in easton. single digits, life threatening wind chills tonight. definitely one you don't want to be outside for more than a

few minutes at a time if you can avoid it. clouds across the state, minimal. we'll see clearing overnight but it's just going to be cold. that's the bottom line. 20s, windy an again feeling more like just a few degrees above zero with that powerful wind combining with that arctic air mass. we'll talk about when we see some relief from the harsh weather, coming up. >> thank you. because of that harsh weather a code blue has been issued in baltimore, because of the extreme bitter cold temperatures. city health officials say the cold is a health hazard and today the mayor laid out plans to keep everyone safe this winter. jamie costello has details. >> reporter: this code blue day is issued when temperatures drop below 25 degrees. we're there. and extreme conditions, we're already there. this could really threaten the life and health of our neighbors. the mayor's plan, stephanie rawlings-blake says on code blue days like today the homeless will have a safe warm place to go. the homeless shelter at 210 guilford is open for extended

hours. the mayor wants to remind families not to use alternative heat sources such as space heaters. >> while we do not yet know the cause of this morning's tragic fire we do know that extreme cold weather could increase the risk of fire. other recent incidents remind us not to use prohibited alternative heat and power sources such as stoves and generators that may cause fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. >> the mayor also offered tips to stay warm this winter. wear multiple layers, cover your head like this little guy. remember to check on elderly and ill neighbors as well. jamie costello, abc2 news. >> thank you. it looks like slots are coming to arubbedle mills and looks like you'll be able to play that first game next year. the developer david cordish says a temporary casino with 2,000 slot machines and limited menu would be built on the first floor of a parking garage. it will be next to the mall. the garage will be built starting early next year and the temporary casino would be

opened at the end of next year. here's video of the final casino project. the actual casino will have nearly 5,000 slots, restaurants and concert venue. it's expected to open in late 2012. head of the republican county and prince george's county native michael steele wants to run for a second term. it would be tough with five other republicans wanting the job. he kept the decision a secret until halftime night -- last night until a conference call. he said i'm asking for your support and vote for a second term. a lot of republicans unhappy with his fundraising efforts and management style. self-appointed whistleblower and wikileaks founder julian assange still behind bars despite meeting bail today. the wanted man will remain behind bars for at least another 48 hours. more on the story tonight from london. >> reporter: julian assange declared a free man and granted bail on tuesday but just for a couple of hours.

a number of prominent figures including socialites, journalists and a british film director all offered to post bond worth over $315,000. until this, the latest twist in the case. >> finally, after two hours, we've heard the swedes won't abide by the up pire's decision -- umpire's decision and want to put mr. assange through more trouble, more expense. more hurdles. they clearly will not spare any expense but to keep mr. assange in jail. >> reporter: the swedish authorities appealed against the decision to grant the wikileaks founder bail. assange isn't going anywhere. tonight he remains behind bars, as his team continues to fight the appeal. the 39-year-old already spent a week in jail since being remannedded in custody last tuesday. without access to computers, the internet or newspapers.

no access to the outside world. >> we requested he have a computer. it was denied. he's only been allowed three visits. and he's only been allowed three phone calls. >> reporter: assange is fighting extradition to sweden on allegations of rape and sexual assault with two separate women in august this year. he denies any wrongdoing. despite his absence, wikileaks continues to release more diplomatic cables. llama hassan, abc news, london. tonight, national and world leaders are remembering diplomat richard hole holbrooke. , who had chest pains in a meeting with secretary of state hillary clinton last friday. doctors spent the weekend trying to repair an aortic tear but couldn't stop the bleeding. best known as the architect of the peace accords in bosnia.

>> there will be a lot of people in many different parts of the world who are going to miss him and look back on what he did with a lot of gratitude. >> america is more secure and the world is a safer place because of the work of ambassador richard holbrook. >> reporter: he served under every democratic president since john f. kennedy. he was 69 years old. a tribute to ronald reagan will soon be circulating through the mail. his stamp was unveiled at the reagan library in california to commemorate the late president's 100th birthday which is in february. former first lady nancy reagan was at the ceremony. the tamp will go on sale for 44 cents starting in february. a search and rescue effort plays out in anne arundel county. it was staged to help authorities prepare for the real thing.

and breaking up is never easy but a new web site says it will do the dirty work for you. plus, bitter cold temperatures across the country and causing some major problems. especially for a homeowner in kansas city. how their home became encased in ice. it online. check out you. one rior operations due to the

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the latest recordsetting winter storm blowing east resulted in at least 16 deaths so far. officials are urging people to take predawgs cautions and try to stay safe. tj winick has the latest. >> reporter: the deep south is in a deep freeze. in atlanta today the mercury plunged to 14 degrees, breaking the record set in 1917. it could get colder tomorrow. in florida the bitter cold is forcing the homeless into emergency shelters and

threatening the citrus crop. every minute counts in the orchards where below freezing temperatures for more than four hours means trouble. >> we can get a couple of degrees from the wind and a couple of from cloud cover. that will raise the temperature. >> reporter: watauga county, north carolina, saw the sixth day of snow in a week. >> i haven't seen it like this since i was born here. >> reporter: this missouri home was frozen solid after a watermain break gushed over the entire house. >> water is shooting up in the air. you can just see it going up and the wind catching it. >> reporter: it's the midwest that has been hit hard etc. by this latest blast of arctic air. in northern indiana, up to 16 inches of snow stranded more than 100 cars and some drivers for more than 12 hours. one tow truck operator was digging out vehicles for 17 straight hours. >> i ran into a lady down there and she was in tears. she she could not function in the car. it's really disorienting down there. >> reporter: crews in minneapolis are working frantically to fix the ripped

roof of the metro dome. the challenge is to get the roof and field back in shape for next week's game. >> everything's a challenge, right? >> reporter: fridgeied temperatures in the western part of this state have actually shut down some schools for the day. and certain parts of new york, ohio and pennsylvania could all see snow today. tj winick, abc news, new york. it seems like a lifetime ago. i know we had one of the hottest summers on record. will we have one of the coldest winters? one of the coldest decembers, looks like right now, the way we started the month. i remember hearing, you get the swings and sometimes you get huge swings in the weather. you get a couple of extreme seasons. extreme summer followed by extreme winter. could happen. maybe december is not a sign of january and february.

harsh out there. look at what we're seeing now. nice-looking evening. but look closely at that one stack in the distance. that smoke trail at 90 degrees, gives you an idea of that strong northwest wind coming off that stack to the left part of your screen there. that is some extreme wind flying by my friend. i don't have to tell you, you know if you've been out there and that wind is really making you miserable. 23 degrees now winds west at 18 miles per hour. but gusting much higher than that. had a wind advisory through the day. that has come down. so we will see some improvement, but i mean, cloud just whipping by. our weathernet camera doubt today, really -- downtown today, really windy. roland park, you can see trees shaking pretty well here. if we can get this to go. if not we'll spin forward. yeah, weather trucking by today. winds whipping, clouds whips

by, temperatures frigid. we saw the temperatures into the low 20s, upper teens at best today. already down to 19 in rockville. other places like edgemere 23. and boy, those winds steady around 10 to 20 now, letting up a little bit but not particularly much. you see what that does to the wind chill factor, feeling like 9 in bowie, pasadena and up towards reisterstown. maryland's most powerful doppler radar, we've seen the snow shower action we had last night abate. for all but the extreme western edge of the state. that's a good thing. again, the big story will continue to be the very frigid air tonight, below freezing all night long, well below freezing through most of the day tomorrow if not all day tomorrow. i don't think we get back above the freezing mark until we're probably talking winds -- wednesday, thursday afternoon, probably our best shot at getting above freezing. highs today only into the upper 20s. these were the actual air temperature highs. that is unseasonable for this part of early december. about 20 degrees below average in fact.

satellite and radar trend, clear, most of the state, we have a little bit of snow shower action to the west. north and west of us, primarily. cold air continuing to pour into the state. our overall trend, we'll see more clear weather tonight. tomorrow and into wednesday night but thursday, another storm system that hasn't even developed yet will approach and that could bring us the shot of snow showers on thursday afternoon. futurecast, clear tonight, tomorrow. then the storm begins to develop by tomorrow evening. as we go forward into our thursday time period snow on the north side of this thing wrapping into the system. we could see a brief mix in here thursday night into friday. still early to say but it's the next storm we're watching for late thursday. overnight, 17, clearing skies with just blustery cold conditions. tomorrow 31, partly cloudy. still blustery. below freezing all day. and tomorrow night, 19, still breezy but not as windy, ok?

7-day forecast, trend, again, not much of a change here. we're watching for the the chance for snow showers late in the day thursday into friday morning. >> thank you. you've been in a relationship, you know, breaking up is hard to do. but is it hard enough that you would actually pay someone to do it for you? the head of one web site hopes you will. he runs idumpforyou.com and will break up with anyone for a price. >> no way. horrible. >> that's pretty nasty. it's one of those things that is a no-fly zone. you don't go there. >> reporter: but someone is going there. we're talking about a web site called idumpforyou.com. for a nominal fee a guy named bradley will taking the hassle out of your breakup. >> he wants me to call you and tell you he is breaking up with you. >> reporter: that's right. bradley will call your boy or girlfriend, husband or wife and dump them for you. he'll even record the phone

conversation in case you want to post it on youtube for all to hear. >> no, no, no. >> yes, yes. >> yes. yes. drew, moran is dating another person. >> reporter: ouch, that hurts and most people we talk to don't think it's very nice. >> you're less of a man if you have somebody call an break up with your friend. >> i absolutely believe someone should do it themselves. i'm coming from the old school. >> reporter: in person or on the phone? >> in person. >> reporter: do you really want a call from a stranger? it's over? i don't think so. >> reporter: how much will it cost you to have someone else do the dirty work for you? it's $10 for the basic breakup. $25 to call off an engagement. and $50 for the dreaded divorce call. >> if you're married you can't call your own husband and tell them you want a divorce? that's kind of weird. >> reporter: dumpers can register on-line and there's even a section there are reasons why you are dumping the

person. how would you like to get that phone call? >> i would never get that phone call, no way, girl. are you kidding me? >> reporter: we have psychiatrist dr. brendan grier of the council for relationships check out the web site with us. >> i think it's a great way to attract attention. i think it's a lousy way to deal with the relationship. >> reporter: dr. grier says if you're thinking seriously of turning to idumpforyou.com, be darned sure the relationship is over. >> it's going fob pretty hard to come out of this sounding like you're a good person. >> reporter: so far more than 300 people have left the breaking up to bradley. >> that's about as low as you can go. that was dawn timony reporting. a little happier -- the toy collection of magazine publisher malcolm "forbes" is going on the auction block but bring lots of cash. sotheby's wants up to $5 million for the collection which includes hundreds of items, among them, a 1933 version of monopoly in a

circular shape. expected to sell for as much as $80,000. it takes place friday in new york. here's your chance to help make the holidays brighter for a child in need. brings -- bring us a new, unwrapped toy, for your kindertime toy drive. we've teamed up with the baltimore symphony orchestra. we have instruments in the lobby already. for the orchestra kid program. -- kids program. to donate we have a list of locations on abc2news.com. click on the kindertime link under the marketplace tab. a warning tonight for new mothers. coming up at 5:30, why the fda doesn't want women who have trouble breastfeeding to turn to the internet. >> plus, a man who has dedicated his life to helping young people in baltimore. the tribute to mac lewis.

in tonight's "health alert" -- i like this story. there's encouraging news for those trying to keep their weight down as they move up in years. turns out women have the edge on men. dr. timothy johnson explains why. >> reporter: men and women are alike when it comes to gaining weight. they are at greatest risk of packing on too many pounds when they are young adults. a new study followed more than 3,500 men and women over 30 years. as they aged, both sexes gained weight but those who were highly physically active gained less weight than those who were not. for women high levels of activity were more than twice

as effective in keeping weight off as in men. women who engaged in high activity gained 20 pounds over 20 years, while less active women gained 33 pounds. highly active men put on 2 pounds in 20 years -- 22 pounds in 20 years as opposed to 28 for less active ones. overall, the study finds keeping up high activity levels as a young adult can keep you slimmer as you head into middle age. with this "medical minute," i'm dr. timothy johnson. food, toys and medicine are among the items that have been recalled in the past. new at 5:30, many people may not be getting all the information they need when it comes to recalls.