"action news" delaware valley's leading news program. with rick williams, sara bloomquist, and meteorologist, david murphy. good afternoon sara bloomquist is off. in the news the prime suspect in the berlin truck attack has been

killed in a dramatic shootout. and police are looking for a serial burglar that broke into 12 different local businesses. but the big story is a big fire that killed one person and left others homeless just before christmas in montgomery county. annie mccormick is live in pottstown. >> reporter: rick, one man is dead and this fire is still under investigation. as you can see behind me, crews are now working to board up the apartments and borough officials are deciding which apartments people can return home to all this have as the holiday weekend kicks in. >> the big puff of smoke rushed at us and we couldn't get him out. >> barbara and her neighbors tried to get him out. carlos mitchell describes

rescueing their children. >> i grab them and that is it. just grabbed the little ones and that was it. >> three floors on the third floor, kids upstairs i banged on the door. >> we knocked down the fire and discovered the victim in the fire room. he was already deceased. >> gary came to the scene and identified his brother david as the victim. >> we were having him over for christmas. he was a very good person. he would do anything for anybody. >> the fire started where he lives and preliminarily smoking could be the cause. not all the apartments were destroyed but mitchell says she lost everything but she is thankful her family is alive. >> two days before christmas.

i don't know what to do. >> were all the presents inside? >> everything is inside and they won't let me in to get anything. only the clothes on my back and i don't have anything for my kids. >> last check the red cross is helping several families affected by this fire, that includes 14 adults and seven children and helping them with lodging and clothing as well. reporting live in pottstown, annie mccormick, channel 6 "action news." >> a serial burglar in philadelphia is connected to recent break-ins in the suburbs. they said this man broke into 12 different businesses and started in mid-november in the city and stretched to bensalem and radnor townships. each time the man uses a hammer to shatter glass doors and he has been spotted in two different cars ark blue minivan and a champagne mercedes sedan.

if you know about this man or his whereabouts you are asked to call police. it's a nice travel day for the holiday weekend. the skies are bright and drive as we look live from sky 6 hd from wilmington delaware. melissa magee is tracking the latest traveling conditions. >> we are tracking some wet weather into the overnight hours and into the day. 44 in the city and 45 for wilmington and millville 44 as well down in dover and the poconos 34. and 41 in cape may. the day planner is looking like this. 2:00, 48 degrees and plenty of sunshine. and sun giving way to clouds, 6:00 in the evening 41 degrees under a partly cloudy to mostly

cloudy sky. and the temperature of 38 degrees at 10:00 p.m. if you are planning on traveling on this friday, no weather delays from philadelphia over north into boston and as far south as atlanta and dallas and up to the north and east in new york city. here is stormtracker 6 live double scan 3-d, the next weather system we are tracking out of the midwest. in the midnight hour and into the day on saturday. by 7:30, 8:00 in the morning a wall of water moving through most of the i-95 corridor and areas to the south and east and we could pick up a quarter inch to inch of precipitation, the concern tomorrow morning is that there could be mixed precipitation well north and west and up through the lehigh valley. we'll look at that and how long the rain is sticking around in

the accuweather forecast. >> thank you. meanwhile the nation's airports roads and train stations are busy with people aheading out for the holidays, katherine scott joins us live from the schuylkill expressway with more on the travel rush. >> hi katherine. >> hi rick, people are getting out of town for the holidays for the next week or so. and aaa believes that gas prices and consumer confidence is driving the increase in holiday travel as compared to last year. we are along 76 west and at this hour a backup to city avenue and we watch the lines of cars build over the last hour and a half or so. as people with eagle toward get their holiday weekends underway. >> we got up early. >> people came early to philadelphia international airport. people rounded their way through the terminaled at a and d and people traveled light. >> i use either send them ahead

of time or try to keep things already for security. >> go early but it's never early enough. as you can see. we left really really early and we are still pressing. >> more than 103 million americans are expected to travel for the year end holidays, that is the most on record. in the philadelphia record, 1.2 million will travel 50 miles or more and 7% of them go by air including the morely family they will go by boat. it's my mom's 30th cruise and she is used to it. >> love it. i just love it. can't find a man on there, but i'm still going. >> the lion's share of travelers will go by car and they tribute the boost to an optimism in the

economy. >> at 30th street station people lined up and the trains were ready to roll and hanukkah starting tomorrow night and christmas on sunday, people have a lot of places to go. >> we started in florida and pennsylvania and new jersey and now heading for connecticut. hitting all family members. >> reporter: and it's not about the gas prices, 76 west on city avenue, i asked aaa about drivers specifically in new jersey and she says they have not seen a correlation between the increase and how many are traveling this holiday season. new jersey numbers are strong for holiday travel. but wherever you are going or whatever are you doing, make it a safe one and make it a wonderful holiday season. katherine scott, channel 6 "action news." >> thank you be careful out there. >> take 6abc.com and 6 abc mobile app wherever you go this

holiday weekend, from storm tracker 6 we have you covered and follow our meteorologists for weather updates as well. well, authorities say that the prime suspect in monday's deadly truck attack in berlin, germany, died in a shootout with police. he some how travelled to milan, italy before he was taken down. >> the officers happened to stop him as he walked alone at 3:00 in the morning more than 600 miles from the scene of the attack. >> the manhunt ended in a dramatic shootout at a train station in milan. anis amri died after a shootout, shot to death by police. the officers approached him during a routine patrol and instead they explained amri

pulled out a pistol and shot this officer in the shoulder. you see where the bullet pierced his uniform and another officer returned fire killing amri then have matched his fingerprints to the cab left in the truck used in the attack. >> the man killed is without a shadow of a doubt the terrorist that law enforcement in europe is trying to track down. >> every policeman in journey and berlin are trying to find this man. >> they are trying to find out when he left germany and believe he may have traveled through france arriving in italy before he was killed. >> why he went there and how the most wanted man in europe was able to travel through three countries unnoticed. marcy gonzales, channel 6

"action news." police in hatfield township montgomery county are searching for the man and woman that say they forced their way into a home yesterday morning. arrest warrants are issued for stephan gibson and helen grant. that gibson had a gun when they forced themselves into a home and they got away with cash and a mother and her newborn child were home at the time but they were not hurt. crews were back in queenscil ab village to repair a water main that broke on tuesday. one lane is open to traffic right now and no word on when the repairs will be completed. and still to come on "action news" at noon, two men are in custody after they hijacked a flight and the demands they were making as they threatened to blow up the plane and the authorities arrested man allegedly responsible for a road rage shooting that killed a boy

in arkansas. and melissa magee is back with a closer look at the holiday forecast from accuweather.

malta's prime minister says two hijackers are in custody after they forced a libyan plane to divert to the airport. a standoff ensued on the ground for more than four hours. more than 100 passengers and crews were on the flight and all landed safely. and they were protesting the new political party in libya and wanted asylum in europe. and now officials say the men in australia your inspired by isis and targeting a train station, church and other public spaces in melbourne, australia's second largest city and they were planning the attack for three weeks. the prime minister called the plan one of the most substantial plots disrupted in the country

in three years. and a man that is accused of killing a boy in a road rage incidents in arkansas is arrested. gary holmes is looked on capital murder and committing shooting death of asa king. he apparently shot at the car because he thought the grandmother was not moving fast enough at a traffic light. witnesses were in the same car while on the interstate in oakland. no arrests have been made. a man in northeast pennsylvania survived being trached in his wrecked car for 12 hours, brian smith was driving on interstate 81 in butler county when his car flipped over an embankments and

his phone slipped out of the cup holder leaving him with no way to call for help. a police corporal found him by tapping into a gps feature on his phone. and starbucks offering up free drinks this afternoon. find out which local stores are taking part in the give away and package thieves caught stealing off people's doorways. how to keep your gifts safe when we return.

health check this noon. tests are showing the ebola vaccine to be highly effective. this could stop outbreaks in the future. thousands of people died after the ebola virus spread across south africa. and they struggled to come up with a vaccine and merck is expected to ask for approval next year. oprah winfrey's shrinking waistline is boosting her bottom line. she bought a share in weight watchers and revealed she lost more than 40 pounds on the plan and her stake is worth $40 million more than when she purchased 2. starbucks is celebrating

holiday cheer with pop-up parties giving away free espresso drinks from 1:00 in the afternoon through january 2nd. the locations will be listed online every day and recheck there are two stores in our area with the promotion today. sururban square in ardmore and off route 73 in mount laurel. free coffee from 1:00 until 2:00. the "action news" team is working on news stories for 4:00. they gave her the gift of life and years later they finally get to meet. and one day with a skill at flooring takes his hockey rink to a whole new level. and meanwhile, accuweather is up next and meteorologist, melissa magee, has the seven-day forecast including christmas

when "action news" comes right back.

meteorologist, melissa magee, is here now with the holiday forecast. a lot of folks are off and a lot of folks are hitting the malls. >> the conditions are nice and mild a touch above where they should be. we'll stay mild and tracking wet weather. stormtracker 6 live double scan radar you see it's dry and no issues with precipitation now but overnight tonight we are tracking a system moving in for the start of christmas eve. we'll show you the picture outside. the action cam was out in somers point, new jersey and the sun glistening on the water. and sun and clouds into the

afternoon into tonight. and 44 currently in philadelphia and lower 40s for lancaster and reading and 42 at the coast in cape may and 43 in trenton. here is satellite 6 along with action radar along with action radar, it's dry and quiet and a few more clouds moving in from the west and we widen out the picture and what we are tracking is the area of low pressure across the plain states think the snow is developing in omaha pressing to the south in minneapolis and getting closer to chicago and the rain is a touch milder. this is working its way eastward overnight tonight and into the day tomorrow. the setup sun to clouds and not a bad day, a high temperature of 48 degrees and a touch cooler than yesterday's high of 53, above where we should be for this time of year and tracking the low pressure from the west working its way eastward for the start of the day tomorrow. christmas eve we have the front moving on through and a high temperature of 48 degrees and

morning rain with we could pick up a .25 or .50 inch of precipitation and the moisture moves out as we get into saturday afternoon. future tracker 6 showing you overnight tonight at 2:00 in the morning, you'll notice the mixed precipitation for the poconoss and lehigh valley. and milder air quickly rushes in well north and west of the i-95 corridor and mixed precip turns over to rain and we have the wet weather here in philadelphia and areas to the south and east and by 12:30 tomorrow showers right along the shore and into central delaware and we start to clear out tomorrow afternoon by 3:30, in the afternoon. so by christmas eve night, we are looking pretty good. partly cloudy and not too chilly, 6:00 p.m., 42 degrees and midnight tomorrow 36. today sun to increasing clouds and not a bad day, a good day to get last minute shopping in.

and on saturday, a wet start but a dry finish, company at 48 degrees. and sunday nice for christmas day 48 for the high and monday mostly cloudy for the start of kwanzaa, and a temperature coming in at 52. and tuesday warm for winter a temperature of 55 and wednesday much cooler in at 42 and thursday it's mild again, a high temperature coming in at 46 degrees. certainly not bad today and get out and get my gift rick, no excuses we are tracking wet weather for early tomorrow. >> a nice umbrella. a channel 6 umbrella. >> i have four of them. >> i'll get you one more. >> one school is celebrating christmas with an annual live nativity scene. they presented their living nativity in newtown this morning, for nor than a decade children have participated

portraying the blessed mother and inn keepers and an infant is chosen to play the live baby jesus and they sing traditional christmas hymns. a scary situation on the slopes, a child is stuck dangling from the chair-lift how rescuers finally got him down and police arrested two women involved in a robbery that turned deadly in income.

"action news" at 12:30 continues with rick williams and sara bloomquist. >> sara is off and here are the stories we are following for you now at 12:30. police are searching for the woman from a home invasion robbery. and a tweet is serving up controversy for donald trump. and santa brings a truck load of toys to a local elementary school and we'll show you the delivery in north philadelphia. but first holiday weekend arrived for many of us and the weather is anything but frightful. sky 6 hd is looking live at the rothman skating rink at dillworth park, we see peeks of sunshine and mild conditions once again and another day where