we just hope that they will be able to come home soon. >> emotional words from the families of seven firefighters burned when flames became a fireball. good evening. i'm aaron gilchrist. the families of the two firefighters still in the hospital updated their conditions today. darcy spencer is live in washington hospital center with more on these firefighters' long road to recovery. >> reporter: the parents of those firefighters did speak this afternoon. it was very emotional, but now we want to show you a pick which you were -- picture of their

sons here. what you see is ethan. he was able to walk to the hospital room of kevin o'tool, a fellow firefighter for a brief visit. this is the first time they have seen one another since this horrible incident. the families of two volunteer firefighters hurt while battling a vacant house fire friday night talked about their recovery. these are the parents of 21-year-old ethan sorel. >> ethan has been through quite an ordeal. >> reporter: their son, previously awarded for saving the life of a child, has burns to his airway and communicates with a pen and note pad. >> we pray every day that they would bless him and see him through this. >> reporter: these are the parents of kevin o'tool. he has second and third-degree

burns over 40% of his body. >> this is your worst possible nightmare as a parent. took the longest ride in the world. four and a half hours from new york. and not knowing what to expect. and it was worse than we really expected. >> reporter: both volunteers who come from fire fighting families remain in stable conditions. five other firefighters have been released. news 4 spoke exclusively to two of them saturday night. >> a little sore. just glad to be out. prayers with kevin and ethan. >> reporter: fire officials say a sudden rush of air in the home due to windy conditions created a fireball or torch effect in the house. the firefighters had little time to get out. >> what we can tell you is was a an eight-second lapse from the time they entered the door until the torch overtook them. eight seconds was all it took. >> reporter: both sets of parents are hoping their sons

will make full recoveries. kevin has a long way to go. he's expected to be here at the washington hospital center burn unit for at least six more weeks. he'll have multiple surgeries ahead to deal with the serious burns. darcy spencer, news 4. >> we all hope they make a speedy recovery. thank you. a warning about a stranger who slipped into a dorm room. a female student living in kumberland hall say she woke up to a man tumping her thigh. the suspect said he walked in by mistake and then left. the student says her laptop had been moved in an attempt to steal it. the suspect got in through an unlocked door. >> you have to lock your door when you go to sleep. i have a couple of locks on my door that i never use.

the chain lock. i just use one, but you should take all safety precautions. >> police say other students in the dorm building reported saying two suspicious people and heard someone trying doorknobs. mark o'mall lee says he will sign same sex marriage into law on thursday, but opponents say the fight is not over yet. derrick ward reports. >> reporter: a successful trip through the state legislature and a pledge from the governor for a signature would pretty much mean fst a done deal. but for maryland's same sex marriage bill, it's not. opponents say it's just the beginning in their efforts to have the matter settled in their favor by the voters. >> i think it's virtually certain that pro-family activists will be pursuing a referendum to try to repeal the action of the legislature. >> reporter: peter spring is with the research council. he spoke last week while supporters of legalized marriage say encouraging growth

for their side, opponents have their own pleasing prez dense. >> i look to the experience of other states. in 31 out of 31 states where the question of the definition of marriage has appeared on the ballot, voters have chosen to uphold traditional marriage. >> my wife and i pledged a commitment to forever. we would love each other conditionally and be with each other in the toughest of times. >> heather mazier spoke about the ceremony they held years ago. it was a union in the eyes of god. >> a car accident, would debra be able to ride with me to the hospital in an ambulance. >> >> reporter: the answer is no without legislations like that a approved. >> these are the protections that come with a marriage license. >> reporter: both sides are gearing up for a fight.

>> if that's what it takes, that's what we'll do. >> if that happens, we will win. >> reporter: derrick ward, news 4. we are following some breaking news now out of canada. three people are dead, dozens more may be trapped after a train derailed. you're looking at the latest images. this is the scene in burlington, ontario, about 40 miles west of toronto. officials say there were 75 passengers on brdoa as well as four crew members. the train was going from niagara falls to toronto. it went off the track about 3:30 this afternoon. it was both dry and sunny when this happened. we'll stay on top of this for changes in the story. we turn now to decision 2012. mitt romney getting an endorsement ahead of the ed her supportrizona primaries. of mitt romney this morning on "meet the press." she also made the announcement at the governors conference this weekend. romney is g support as

rick santorum tries to explain his latest comments about president obama. he called the president "a snob for saying he thinks all americans should go to college. >> whatever the case may be, all of those things are very important and worthwhile professions we should not look down our nose at and say they are less because you didn't get a four-year college degree. >> whoever wins, the race may not be settled until may. a federal trial over the nation's worst oil disaster in history has been delayed by a week. a multibillion-dollar case was supposed to start tomorrow. it involves bp and the spill from 2010. bp and the other companies involved are continuing settlement talks. the oil giant is working to compensate the people and businesses impacted by that accident that killed 11 people and the spill that lasted

several months. gas prices continue their rapid rise to $4 a gallon. the national average right now is at $3.69. that's up 37 cents from the beginning of the year. in virginia, the average for regular unleaded is $3.61. in maryland, it's $3.67. we could see prices here in maryland rise even faster than other parts of the country because two refineries were shut down. prices are higher despite lower demand than we had at this time last year. much more ahead tonight. nelsonman d mandela is out of t hospital. what doctors found what wh they ran tests on him. a former top chef contestant plans to open a restaurant in d.c. it's no small feat. this man is now a world record holder. we'll explain that. after a very pleasant, but slightly chilly day today, there's still talk of a big time warm-up coming our way for the beginning of the week. i'll give you the details in the

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♪ a new rrlt is coming to d.c. he will open a shop in the pavilion. this is video from youtube. the journal reports his restaurant should open in late fall. it will focus on lesser. used cuts of meats and promote

the use of the whole animal. he's co-owner of bolt in frederick, maryland. he was a contestant on "top chef." a top record for a short man. he's just 21.5 inches tall. less than two feet. world records presented him with the certificate today for being the world's shortest living person. he's also the shortest person ever recorded in the 57-year history of guinness. he said he's never seen a doctor or been seriously ill. still ahead tonight, the big surprise some military wives are planning for when their husbands get back from afghanistan. and when we

tonight nelson mandela is out of the hospital. he was admitted yesterday for ab nominal pains. ron allen has the latest from south africa. >> reporter: the word here tonight is that nelson mandela is at home resting comfortably. he was discharged from the hospital after 36 hours. he had a minimally invasive because of a long standing stomach illness. a year ago, he was in the hospital for about a week for a respiratory condition. doctors are saying it was not an emergency or life threatening.

it was a scheduled visit. because he's so old x there's a lot of concern overall about his health. >> as we know, the age it plays its part as well. >> i hope he lasts forever. >> reporter: mandela has not made a public appearance in about two years, which leads to more speculation about his health. there are rumors and reports he's frail and tires easily and does not have a strong appetite. but the word tonight that he is resting at home comfortably recooperating from a minor surgery over the weekend. now back to you. >> thanks to ron for that. there's a group of military wives who got dolled up today with "the help" of local businesses. they are getting ready for their husband's return from afghanistan. so a salon stepped in providing $2,000 worth of salon services.

>> i think that today is about wives putting aside work, children, household duties, and everything else we have to do alone and enjoying a day of pampering. >> the women took home a bag of hair and skin products. their husbands have been overseas for the last seven months. probably going to mess all that up as soon as they get back. >> well said. >> i'm just saying. chuck is here to talk about the forecast. a pretty day out there. >> a nice day today. especially on the sunny side of the street. in the sunshine, it was a pleasant day to be outside. once you got into the shade, a little on the cool side. temperatures fell just short of the 50-degree mark. that didn't stop people from taking advantage of the sights around washington. enjoy a stroll around the national mall. a little volleyball. that's close to the lincoln memorial. my favorite running path goes

right through there p. a great-looking spot. everyone out running and biking. good-looking day to be outside today. i didn't get my run in. hopefully you got yours in today. i'll catch up on tuesday and wednesday. outside now, scars are clear. temperatures aren't chilly yet, but they are going to drop about ten degrees. be ready for rapidly-falling temperatures. low 40s across maryland. 47 in fredericksburg. a hint of the cold breeze keeping the temperature lower. your sunday evening planner falling into the low and mid-30s by 11:00 tonight under a mostly clear sky. sun went down a couple minutes ago. nothing showing up on doppler around our immediate vicinity, but there are snow showers in the northern plains. that area is going to stay well to our north. but it's going to send a weak, dry cold front in our direction

tomorrow. that cold front is going to interact with a piece of this moisture across the southeast. that might bring a little more cloud cover for you folks in southern maryland. a little more cloud cover. northbound near 100% of sunshine for monday. so a cold evening and a cold start tomorrow morning. temperatures well below freezing in the western suburbs. but tomorrow, a big time warm-up. temperatures are going to jump about 30 degrees from start off temperatures in the morning to high temperatures in the afternoon. mild tomorrow. temperatures into the low 60s in many spots. there's that area well away from the washington area. that weather front comes through about sunset time ushering in a chilly night tomorrow night. but not too bad. tuesday looks nice too. rain returns on wednesday. clear skies. temperatures falling fast.

low 40s to mid-30s by 11:00. for tomorrow morning, clear skies. coldest in the west. mid-20s. then tomorrow afternoon, beautiful weather. high temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s for most. maybe a few extra clouds towards southern maryland. the seven-day forecast mild tomorrow. not too bad on tuesday. rain looking more and more likely for wednesday. maybe lingering into the front half of thursday. then another chance of some chilly, rainy weather coming in late friday night into saturday. there's a long time between now and then. we have time to take the rain drops out. >> thank you, chuck. coming up in sports, robert griffin wows scouts. people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! get high yield free checking at capital one bank. why earn bupkis, when your checking could earn five times the national average!! and free atms anywhere.

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hakim is here pi than. they tried to get the race in today. >> we are not racing. >> can't they put wipers on? >> that might make it interesting. wipers and some sticky tires. >> no problem. see what happens. >> nascar has postponed the daytona 500 because of rain. it's now scheduled to start tomorrow at noon. big baseball news. rhyme zimmerman is d.c.'s newest $100 million man. the nationals signed the third baseman to a six-year, $100

million extension. he says he wants to play his entire career in washington. now that's a bold statement because playing for just one team is rare. how rare? this rare. of all the players in baseball history with 15 years experience, only 62 spent their entire career with one organization. zimmerman's new contract also includes a no-trade clause. last year he missed 61 games because of injuries, but when he's healthy, he's productive. he has hit 24 home runs in his seasons. he's the franchise leader in five offensive categories including home runs and rbis. he also won a gold glove in 2009. the the deal was the number one order of business for the nats.

>> really it's been in the lineup for his whole career. >> i have been here when the times were bad. they have done a great job of building this organization up from the ground up. we have young guys that are just now starting to get here. we're going to be good for a long time. i wanted to make sure i was here for that. i'm excited to be a part of this organization and excited to get to the ultimate goal of winning a world series. that's everyone's goal here. and the whole team showed up to make me even more nervous to talk in front of the cameras, but that's their goal too. i'm happy to be part of this clubhouse with them. i wouldn't have done this with any other team so that's special. >> with the entire team presence, shortstop said i'm happy for him. the washington redskins need a quarterback and robert griffin iii has been in their eye.

he decided not to throw at the nfl combine, but he did run. and he ran fast. he posted a 4.38 40-yard dash, but his official time is 4.41, the fastest 40-yard dash by a quarterback at this year's combine, the third fastest by a qb since 2000. catching up with rg3, not easy. >> you want to show them you are as advertised. that's the main reason i came to run. didn't have to run. i'm either as athletic as you thought i was or even more. you want to add to your game. that's what i've been ding in arizona. working the footwork. throwing the timing routes i didn't throw in college. working all those into my repertory of throws i'm going to do and continuing to build those strengths. i'm just excited to be in the nfl and go to a team that falls in love with me and will be there for me. >> also he confirmed that he did

meet with the redskins this week. hockey. after winning back to back games since mid-january, the capitals are one point out of a playoff spot. last night in toronto. early on, getting some support. marcus johanson, james rimer a wrap around goal. that was beautiful. 32 seconds in. the caps have a 1-0 lead. then turning defense into offense. steals the puck, a quick shot, and scores. his 17th of the year. less than 4:00 into the game, the caps take a 2-0 lead. noverd was awesome. an incredible safe on carl gunners gunnerson.

the caps won 4-2. dale hunter says novert is gaining confidence. >> he played well tonight. he made the big stops when he had to. that's what you need from your goal tender. when we do break down, it happens. he came up large tonight. >> up next for the capitals, a home game against the islanders on tuesday. however, there could be new faces on the roster by then. the nhl trade deadline tomorrow at 4:00. >> thank you for being here. nightly news is next. we'll see you back here at 11:00. [ male announcer ] for some reason those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like,

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