you can see firefighters are still on the scene. that fire is under control right now. firefighters were called to another brushfire in the area, this one in the 8400 block of echo drive in riviera beach. at a point five homes were in jeopardy but the fire was brought under control. the homes are near stoney creek right on the water. several people were forced to evacuate, but, again, they have been pay lud back in, so that situation is coming under control this evening. the captain with the anne arundel fire department joins us live. tell us, do you have a cause at this point? >> no, we do not have a cause. the cause is currently under investigation. the initial fire call for 911 came out at 1400 hours and the first responding unit found a

fire coming up a deep ravine to six occupied dwellings. they were evacuated. additional resources were requested. they have been working to get blats under control. >> reporter: you can see it's quite windy. that does not help firefighters. >> we're directly on the water. we are facing at least 30-mile-an-hour winds blowing the fire into the firefighters' faces. normally we would fight it from the burned out section and work it that way. we couldn't in this way. we couldn't get down to the beach due stot deep -- to the deep ravine. it took approximately an hour to get the fire under chrome and another hour to completely extinguish the blaze. >> reporter: most of maryland has been under a red flag warning. what does that mean? we're still under the warning at

this point. >> that means everything is very dry due to the lack of rain and compiled with the wind conditions. >> reporter: so the message is do not light a fire outside. that includes cigarettes. don't toss your cigarettes either. >> dispose of your tobacco products in an appropriate contain are. if you're going it use your grill, use it with extreme caution. there's no burning at all in anne arundel without a permit. >> reporter: thank you for the update a steady situation at riviera beach. it's now under control and people have been allowed back into their homes. we'll toss it over to wyatt who has an update on the forecast. wyatt? first thing is, of course, the extremely dry conditions.

we've had almost no rain this spring really. since the beginning of the year three inches and dry air in place and here's the wind. we felt these for several days. they're helping to dry things out. any fires that do start get fueled. there's the bottom line. a fire weather watch for the rest of the evening as well as red flag warning. the wind is there along with the dry conditions. this may well get extended into the day tomorrow. there is that possibility of a few showers making their way into the west. it's much need rain. right now it does not look like much. windy, 60s and dry. we'll talk more about how things develop coming up. thanks a lot. today's brushfire comes on the heels of a seminole fire where firefighters worked frantically to keep it from reaching dozens of homes.

they are there today to make sure the fire doesn't reignite. >> firefighters called out four alarms to contain that fire in jupe ma. forest rangers are still not sure what caused it. in a matter of hours fueled by winds it spread across 18 acres, forcing families from 16 homes to evacuate. much like today harford county issued red flag warnings. the same fire went unnoticed friday that burned half the nation. >> we have a burning regulation with stipulations as far as the time of day you can burn what you're allowed to burn, the distance away from the woodline, someone responsible for the fire at all times. water available to suppress the fire. >> rangers say the burn warnings are issued when temperatures are high and humidity is low as well as when high winds are present. they have the absence of leaf cover on the trees and the

forest. it allows the sun to bake organic material making it susceptible to igniting with a spark. there was a massive warehouse fire in philadelphia. fire officials said a5-year-old -- 25-year-old and 60-year-old firefighter both died when they got trapped in the warehouse and the building collapsed. homes had to be evacuated and six were damaged. the two oklahoma men police belief are responsible for the shooting spree that left three in african-american men dead friday aperiod in court today. 19-year-old jake england and alvin watts were both given $9 million bond. they're facing three conneds of first-degree murder. both are white but police aren't saying if attacks are racially motivated.

>> certainly we'll lack at all the facts in the evidence and make a decision. it's preliminary to determine what the motivation was. >> investigators said england wrote a message on his facebook page before the shootings saying his father had been shot and killed by an african-american two years ago. police say federal charges could be filed if the shooting meets the definition of a hate crime. an indiana man has been arrested, accused of coercing boys across the country to take part in sexual activity. investigators found sexual information on the computer of richard finkbiner. >> we believe that there may be as many as 100 victims or more that have been -- potentially

been sex ploited. he captured it through an anonymous website and told them that he would release the videos if they didn't follow his instructions. >> the u.s. navy is sending out compensation checks after the military jet crashed in virginia beach. the payouts will start at $2300 per. the crash of that fa-18d destroyed dozens of apartments. well, the 2012 legislative session will come down to the wire once again. both houses are working to cut a deal involving the state budget. we'll have more on that sthail mate later -- stalemate later. there have been many bills that have passed and are waiting on

the governor's signature. one is named after a high profile murder. >> reporter: the phylicia barnes' law passed the house and the senate. the hope is it will bet are draw resources to search for missing children of all ages. it was back in december of 2010 when the 17-year-old from north carolina went missing in baltimore city. an allout search ensued and canned -- continued for months until the body was found last spring. a still unsolved murder, the state can learn from it. >> we need to step up efforts when children go missing to make sure they don't wind up in the same situation. >> reporter: the bill focuses on the front and of the smiles child case. it ensures that law enforcement

will coordinate with volunteer groups and coordinate with local, state and national authorities within the crucial first hours of the disapeerchlts the phylicia barnes' law raises the requirement from 14 to 17 years old, measures, the barnes' family supported last month with testimony in annapolis. >> she had no problems with her family. she had no runaway issues, nothing. she was really stereotyped, profiled, stereo typed as a teenager. that was not the case. >> reporter: new this loophole is closed as both the house an the senate passed the barnes' bit. carter hopes it creates a level playing field for missing children of all ages and races. >> hopefully it will bring more

attention and casino media and law enforcement to focus more on children that go missing within the first few hours because that's the most critical time. >> reporter: carter says this may be the first missing child's bill after a my know. she expects him to sign this into law. brian kuebler, abc2 news. the maryland general assembly has reached its people day and looks like will dealen the state's budget won't come until the final hour, if even then. don harrison has more. >> reporter: for many of us it's human nature to wait until the last minute to get things done. this year legislators are pushing the limits. there still is not an agreement on the state busmght some say the casino bill allowing table games in pg county are holding up the issue. this has michael bush frustrated. >> if the budget in maryland

goes down and the senators are more concerned about the obsession of gaming than school construction, school funding, hospitals, higher education, then let them wear that when they go homeland tell their constituents. >> reporter: mike miller says the house plan doesn't raise enough money this year. >> their plan is to raise $150 million. so rather than come back last year and do the same thing over again, let's set tell now. >> reporter: some issues dit get solved, the -- did get solved, and that is the sewage or flush tax. another one is the offshore windmill. nevertheless, the budget problem looms large off the final hours

of the session. >> this is something that clan change from minute to minute. >> reporter: the house and the senate will continue negotiations on the budget. if they don't come to an agreement by this evening, they will go into an extended session. the last time they did that was 1992. in pape -- annapolis. >> if they go into that extended session, legislators can only debate the budget. the medical factors that cause autism remain a mystery but a new study shows there may be more of a link between a pregnant woman's rate and whether or not her baby develops autism. karen trave vers has the -- travers has the story. >> reporter: an alarming new study says maybe. the study says more than 500 autistic children are in california and compared them to

the same number who do the not have autism. they said the risk was 60% higher among those born to mothers who were owe berks hypertensive or diabetic. >> now scientists have to explain y what is this about obesity. is it the high levels of sugar in the blood, high levels of insulin or the chronic inflammation. >> reporter: one in 88 american children now have autism. that's up from one in 110 in 2006. obesity is also on the rise in the u.s. affecting more than one third of american adults but medical experts say there may not be enough information to say whether the two are connected. >> if you're pregnant and you're obese, wouldn't lose sleep over the study. i think the chances that your obesity will cause obesity in your child as -- are as of yet

unprove & if you really want to give your child the best start in the world, then you have to pay very careful attention to your own health. >> reporter: over a billion dollars has been spent on autism research. doctors say this study is the latest piece in a very complex puzzle. karen travers abc2 news washington. >> the dhom know sugar factory is celebrating a sweet milestone. find out how the icon nick refinery is making history tonight. her mother, brother and nephew were all killed. today she was in court as the jury was selected for the murder trial. and he's trying to concentrate on this book's steps, but jaleel white is facing serious distractions.

i just wanted to say a few words. first of all, thank you for the lovely meal jane. mom. and let's hear it for sara's paper mache eiffel tower. it's the washington monument. and dad, i'll never forget what you said to me this morning. you said "brian, it's 11:15. get up." so maybe this is just the cake talking but let's celebrate! [ male announcer ] celebrate the little things. buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger and get a free double chocolate chip cake.

jury selection is underway for the man accused of murdering three family members of jennifer hudson. abc2 news diane alvear has the very latest. >> reporter: "american idol" finalist, oscar winner, weight watchers spokeswoman, jennifer hudson's presence sin escapable -- is unescapable. >> it's someone we look at as a hometown version. >> reporter: the tragedy unfolded in october of 2008. the bodies of hudson's mother and brother were found and her nephew's body was found in a

vehicle. the singer's brother-in-law was charged in the murder. the attorneys are concerned he may not get a fair trial because of the singer's fai. potential jurors have filled out a survey such as have you ever seen "american idol" or watched the movie "dream girls." >> no different from the r. kelly case or michael jackson case. >> reporter: and it continues even after the jury is seated. >> all the attention is on the celebrity. >> reporter: while hudson's name is on the prosecution list, at this point there are no indications she plans to testify. diane alvear reporting. we want to get back to that breaking news. a live picture of rivera beach

in anne arundel county. firefighters have wrapped up a two alarm brushfire. it's the latest evacuatations over the past dry and windy days. everyone is continuing to watch the situation. >> kelly, it's real lit combination of the wind, the lack of rain all season. >> no snow. >> we didn't have snow melt at the end of where the. ed a it up and it's unusually dry for this part of the year f we -- year. if we get some rain that will change the game. >> april showers. >> outdoor burn. be very careful. >> right. take a look outside pretty windy. people out on the dragon boats. weather fairly nice but the issue is not so much the sunny skies. it's the wind.

64 right now out at bwi. humidity is at 27% and that wind is west at 24 and gusting even higher than that. a windy, dry and sunny scenario. you can see the showers now are really confined well off to our with the. if they hold together, we could see showers overnight. right now very light radar returns, but don't be fooled. the air is so dry that these raindrops are evaporating and not touching the ground. again, we'll see what happens. hopefully some rain showers. temperatures running in the mid-expit -- mid-60s. 55 in winchester. 41 in oakland. the temperature range is where we'll be the next several days during the day. of course the fire risk will be there through the rest of the evening and lasting well beyond this into tuesday and west

there. it is, running the entire east coast almost. winds are from the west, but gusting quite a bit higher with gusts up to 30 and 40 miles an hour. at the top of this hour we've seen gusts over 31. nearly 30 at the airforce base in dover. it's that combination of the dry air and the wind. that is an absolutely terrible combination for an outdoor fire to really get moving quickly. to the west we are watching this disturbance. it's our one chance of decent showers that could make something of a difference around here. this will be a brief window where we can get some rain coming in later tonight overnight into midnight or 2 in the morning. then we'll be back in a general little cloudy situation. i don't see a lot of potential for rain after this disturbance that comes through tonight and brings us potentially brief showers. dry, windy conditions will continue to be the case. we'll be much cooler because the

back side of this system coming through is going to bring in much cooler air with it and, again that trend dries us out quickly after that chance for showers. overnight we'll bring in the chance for showers, not a lot. tomorrow your two-degree guarantee, 58. tomorrow night down to 38. the extended forecast showing basically just a chance for a hit or miss shower through wednesday. after cooler days ahead we warm up into next weekend. kelly? >> thanks a lot. he will be doing his tango with his partner but jaleel white has been trying to side step questions about his private life. recently he has come under fire accused of an argument with his dancing partner. how his girlfriend is making claims in the past that his girlfriend abused her. >> these aren't allegations that are new. i ended up on "dancing with the

stars." the ex i have been coparenting with has decided she wanted to have an interview with the magazine. >> as for his partner kym johnson, she said it was overblown and she supports it. you can catch it here. we have 10 couples still but the bottom two couples after tonight will disans off to stay alive in the competition. stay tuned and keep it here for abc2 news at 11:00. genetics slow metabolism, reasons people justify. and the number of people taking pain killers has increased dramatically.

in tonight's health alert, researchers say they found the link between two genes in childhood obesity. the study compared genetic data and found a gene with 13 and one with 17 and seemed to be indicators for obesity. the researchers say they don't completely explain obesity. things like diet and physical activities will play a role. the number of people taking pain killers is increasing dramatically causing serious and deadly side effects. sales of oxycodone increased 16 times since 2010. in an aging population, doctors are more willing to prescribe

pain killers and addiction is being blamed for the record use of pain killers. a delivery at dom men know's sugar factory. the deadline to fill your taxes is inching closer. tips on whether to itemize or not. plus, planning your summer vacation will tell you the top travel destinations and how to save.