calling 9111 by knocking on the windows of the apartment that was burning in an attempt to try to awaken anyone who may have been inside. >> reporter: outside it dunn appear there was a lot of fire. this was a huge fire. but what can be so dangerous is the smoke. >> certainly. and you are accurate in saying this does not appear to be a huge fire. this was a fire that appears to have started in the area of the kitchen. the cause is under investigation. and by no means was it even a large fire. it was a relatively small fire that generated a tremendous amount of smoke and it is a smoke that will normally injure somebody and it appears two young children sustained smoke injuries opposed to burn injuries. >> when they came out they were not breathing. >> firefighters were met in the front yard, the front courtyard by the children's father. he told them where they thought they were. firefighters went to extinguish the fire. another team of firefighters went this to perform a search. they located the children in the back bedroom. they were brought and assessed

and it was quickly determined they were not breathing and had no pulse. cpr was initiate a then two were transported to the hospital by paramedics. >> the father sustained injuries. only three people in the building at the same. >> that's correct. what we know so far is the father met out in the courtyard. he did display signs of okansme inhalation and lacerations. he attempted to rerescue the children but was driven back by the heat of the fire and the intense smoke. >> we will have new developments on the 6 and -year-old son as they are available and we talked to a witness on the scene who tried to do everything she could during the chaos. >> went in the house and got a bat and came and broke out the windows and the father and neighbors tried to get in the apartment. once they got in inside some of the neighbors put scarfs in their faces to try to get to the kids but the house was too smoky. >> tell me your thoughts. >> i was crying.

i was hysterical and trying to get in there to them the best i could but i couldn't. >> reporter: to recap the fire started around 5:15 in this riverdale apartment complex on the first floor. firefighters pulled two children, ages 6 and 7 out of the first floor building unconscious and of course they are in the hospital right now fighting for their lives and also the father there who sustained minor injuries. back to you. >> thank you for that. >> now on to our other top story tonight, a 12-year-old girl one of three people recovering after a shootout in greenbelt last night and now charges are pending against another of the injured. plus, staying secure, the head of security for marriott hotels speaks to 9 news now about think aftermath of those deadly bombing in jakarta. i'm lindsey mastis. the head of security for marriott hotels across the world spoke to me on the phone from jakarta. allen says he was staying a the ritz carlton when the explosion

occurred. >> i saw some people start to run. >> reporter: he says a the time of the explosion both hotels were at a threat condition of red. >> which is our highest level of security. >> reporter: that means everyone walking in to the hotel had to go through metal detectors. >> all luggage is inspected with sophisticated explosive vapor detectors. >> reporter: we don't see this type of security at hotels here in the u.s. >> the threat that we see overseas in countries like indonesia is a much higher threat profile here. >> reporter: he dunn know how the explosive devices got in. i'm audrey barnes in greenbelt. a shoot out at this apartment complex sent three people to the hospital with gunshot wounds. one of the victims a 12-year- old girl and the other a u.s. capitol police officer who encountered a man in the parking lot. >> the officer with could

coming to see his mother and the girl was inside of an apartment and grazed by a stray bullet. >> a lot of people in the area that is out here playing in the day. >> reporter: in the shootout stems from a fight between roommates. one a department of the army civilian police officer from ft. myer. it was his personal gun that the roommate grabbed and started to shoot with. now that he's in custody, residents are breathing easier. >> i'm glad the neighborhood is back to normal, back away from what we are not used to. >> thank you, audrey barnes. tonight police are trying to nand employees who empled asm y nnwho y is o facing child pornography charges. she s arrested last nit in d attsvie and police say th 22-year-old showed some of the children she cared for po rnographic images on the computer and used a live web cam to ertrsfan images sfthe children over the internet. any employees who employed her are asked to call the police. keeping an eye on the skies

as the weather will move through her area. tony pann is on the weather terrace and i see a little sunshine behind you, tony. >> not too bad out here right now. we had a severe thunderstorm watch in affect earlier this afternoon. that was cancelled about 4:30. that's not 0 say we wot see more active because we probably ll but the threat as wi diminished. you can see some widely scatteres sherowd er rs unthtorm out e,er especially in the erwee,wen suburb but nothing that would beclassified as severe. out isare gointh enevg d enketa taan elbrum. br40 chwianceu yoll run in to one of those showers or storms. look at the weekend. temperatures will cool off again in the low to mid-80s after being in the mid-90s yesterday. we will go back to that same old summer pattern we have had all year long. for the most part it could be dry. a shower or two but generally a dry weekend. we come back in a few minutes and look at the seven-day forecast in detail and for now we will send it back to derek.

>> thank you, tony. well, not much for tiger to laugh about today. a look at history inu his day the british open. and then later on, the giveaway that is turning heads a one ca dealership.

i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> kind of gives you chills, doesn't it. 40 years ago tonight apollo 11 was this stage six of the mission on the moon and buzz

aldrin and -- see what was will have behind. this video is fuzzy but that is the lunar mod july. from apollo 11 sitting next to the raid. it is taken by the orbitar launched last month the better photos are of the apollo 14 mission. in this one you can see a pile of scientific instruments and footprint and the lunar module and its shadow. you can see more at wusa9.com. click on the water cooler. tonight the hatches are open between the international space station and the space shuttle "endeavor" and the 13 astronauts on board are making for the largest crowd ever gathered in orbit. tomorrow, to two of them will venture outside for the first of five planned space walks during "endeavor's" mission. for just the second time in tiger woods career he can think of making new plans for the week. he missed a cut by one stroke

at the british open. he had a four over 74 in round two. heading in to saturday, fairfax county native steve marino is tied for first with tom watson ever coming up, summer sell ration safety. a look at keeping your family safe near the water. that's ahead in living well. and tony is back tthwi l-heal rtanweekend forecast. gkc÷qqñ rt b@

in the summertime so many activities resolve around the water and that includes parties for the kids. in tonight's living well report some safety reminders that can keep a celebration from turning tragic. >> today is my son's 7th birthday. he wanted to have his birthday party here. >> reporter: here is the great wolf lodge water park in williamsburg, virginia. it is an aquatic wonderland for kids but the ramos have a group of children this their care and they know constant adult supervision is a must. >> they are running all over the place. >> the parent is the first step the line of defense against drowning. >> reporter: great wolf director of aquatics, jeff henderson says weak or nonswimmers should be within an ample's length of adult and flotation devices are recommended for small children when you have more than one to watch. at this massive water park there are 50 life guard on duty

any given day. but even if you are hosting a party at your home, consider hiring a life guard and know the way they are trained glen the life guards here at great wolf follow 10-20 protection rules. ten seconds to scan their zone of responsibility and 20 seconds to get to a swimmer in distress. >> i think it is an overall respect and understanding of what the water is capable of doing. >> reporter: also, when it comes to life guard training, henderson suggests looking for someone who's been trained with the jeff ellis method. to find out more, go to our website at wusa9.com and click on living well. before you try to cash on your old stuff, make su reosthe s n'vehat beec renle in r the iv"lg $minart" fos it is l ilga letotollse gsthinthth s haenbecareed reand at th es rdya yasales on-line d an se ll venu k chout the consumer product

safety commission's website. we have a link to them on our website at wusa9.com. click on living smart. apparently the federal government doesn't need comedians after all. theresry department pulled down a web request for jokesters/cartoonists to cheer people up at the bureau of public debt. bruce leshan said whoever came up with this scheme is already becoming the butt of some jokes. >> did they solicit you? >> i'm sorry, that sounds really dirty. we have not been solicited in a long time. >> the funny folk at the capitol steps know comedy and furl bureaucrats but they are none too happy about minute anyone else trying to mix the thing. >> the last thing we need is competition from the bureau of public debt. like debt comedy jam. >> live from debt comedy jam. bill from accounting with his famous impression. i'd like a bond, james bond.

we don't want that happening. >> reporter: someone at treasury was hoping a comedian could teach employees about humor in the work place and draw on the spot cartoons, too. >> you see we have a duck and he is wearing a hat at a bar and he's telling the bartender put it on my bill. huh? huh? >> reporter: what do we as taxpayers owe on the public debt right now $11.5 trillion. that is a number a lo of people don't find funny at all. ludicrous. >> i spent 21 years in the military. there was nothing funny about that. >> reporter: treasury is apologizing for even considering hiring comedians. an adviser says it was not an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. >> can't be funny. >> can't do it. >> are you funny. >> i'm very funny. >> maybe we ought to leave the funny business to the pros. >> what's the deal with the national debt. >> this guy is killing us. he's so funny. >> in washington, bruce leshan,

9 news now and wusa9.com. >> well apparently that gig was supposed to lighten up the managers at the bureau but we all know it is the rare manager that has any sense of humor at all, except for sports news director. buy today and get a free ak. that's the deal that one truck dealer is offering in missouri even get a pickup in the month of august and they will ve you a free ak-47 rifle. actually he is not handing out guns. instead you get a gun store voucher and a small matter of getting a license to carry. he says some folks may in the like it but he says you don't have to get an ak. the coupon is worth $450. you can get whatever gun you want. what do you think of this pro motion, harmless or shameless share your thoughts with mcginty's mail bag. a local favorite is celebrating a big milestone this weekend. brook side gardens will mark the 40th birthday with foods

and drink and activities for the whole family. stan takes us to the neighborhood oasis for a sample. >> this is a hidden gem and in the ' 60s the commissioners decided that we needed to preserve some of the land so they created what is wheaton regional park. brook side gardens sit within wheaton regional park. some come to exercise or relax here. we have artists here. we have school groups here. >> there's something here for everybody. we have between 600 and 800 butterflies in flight. >> he's my friend. he loves me. >> great place to bring the family. >> you won't really realize it until you are actually there. >> we do not encourage our visitors to touch the butterflies but we want you to enjoy them with your eyes and not your hands. >> i believe that is a blue morpho and once he opens his wings up you will see, yes. >> it is so beautiful here.

it is peaceful. it's heaven on earth. a chance to remember all that we are given. it is just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. >> we need places like brook side gardens because we need to kick people with plants and get them to slow down. slow down. enjoy the weather. coming our way this weekend. >> exactly. slow down and enjoy the weather. always good advice. this weekend will be a continuation of -- i hate too use the word cool but mild summer we have had. >> hard to fight it and hard to complain. >> that's a good way to put it, as well. it was 96 degrees yesterday. we will wind up near 83 or 84 over the week again. start with the thee-day trend first. that's good stuff. this is the hottest part of the year. the average high is close to 90. we will be in the low to mid 80s. a slight chance of a shower on saturday and monday but overall i think it will be dry for the next three days. tonight, there's still a chance

of a shower or thunderstorm. i put that mark up around 40 or 50%. if you are going to be out tonight, not raining at your house tonight perhaps and you are wondering i would take an umbrella. lows in the 60s. sunset at 8:31. during the day tomorrow, a mixture of clouds and sunshine. 20 to 30% hans of a shower but a dry day. temperatures between 80 and 85. sunrise tomorrow morning at 5:58. switch it over and look at live doppler 9000. it was active this evening but a couple of cells popping up here. one significant one near the culpeper area. this is not severe thunderstorm but you will hear thunder and see lightning. elsewhere scattered light rain showers. i believe the chance of rain will go up later on tonight. switch it over and take a wider view on the radar. we cud see stronger thunderstorms our of the mo untains of west virginia and back in to ohio. these are lined up along the cold front that will come through midnight at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning the first initial low is passing by with

the first batch of rain and this will come in at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. until that goes by a chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the forecast. the temperatures have cooled off in the 70s with the showers. 76 downtown. only 72 in winchester at the top of the hour but the really cool stuff is in the great lakes. keep in mind this is the middle of july. 63 in chicago and minneapolis saint paul in the 50s. in the up of michigan not that cool here but that's where our weather is coming from. that's why the mild conditions this the forecast. the front will stall on the coast and that's why i put a 20% chance of a shower on saturday. you like the hot stuff it will be back by the middle of next week. temperatures up close to 90 degrees again on tuesday and wednesday. with another chance of thunderstorms, but overall this weekend, pretty nice. how about that, 62, 63-degrees in the middle of july in chicago. i'm loving that. great stuff. >> let's get to the weird news file because there is a little god in everything.

even in brian, texas where a patch of bird poop on a pickup truck is claimed a miracle. the family says the dropping is in the shape of the virgin mary. the image just showed up last sunday after the family performed the ritual that guarantees your car will get hit by a bird, they washed it. minutes later holy splatter, batman. since then friends and family have been coming by to take pictures. the family plans to take the mirror off the truck and keep it on display. never wash it. >> yeah. >> yeah [ laughter ] we want to hear what you think, send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. ú

an update for you now on a story we first brought you in the mail bag a couple of weeks ago. organizers of the iowa state fair wanted to honor michael jackson with a sculpture made

of butter. when the plan met mixed reviews they decided to put it to an on- line vote and we can tell you that with 100,000 votes cast in the polls 65% of the voters say no to to the butter sculpture of mike. the mail bag tonight a yawn for senate confirmation hearings for supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. our good friend john from chan till lay says no one should be surprised by that. -- but the justices just do whatever it takes to get confirmed to the lifetime job. any appointee who dares to be interesting or the tiniest bit controversial gets blown up and

blown out. so they become predictable and boring. then this on marion barry now council member and now the ongoing saga of the investigation in to his handling of the city funds. well, i wouldn't really note that marion barry was allowed to run for office like anyone else who completed his term and served his debt and even if he had been a convicted felon which he has not been in dc they get voting rights back once they are free. prison may be the only place you can not reach out to mcginty's mail bag. everyone else i expect to hear

from. that's our report. i will be back here tonight at 11:00 with anita brikman and don't forget log on anytime you like to wusa9.com. see you a little later. bye-bye. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act.

this is "entertainment tonight" in high definition. breaking news on the fight for michael jackson's kids as a new player emerges today. plus, exclusive shots of the children and who is debbie rowe suing. inside the new court papers. michael's mother katherine, the sorrow over the loss of her son revealed. >> katherine has been crying a lot. plus, where is the doctor who was there when he died. why are the autopsy results are being delayed. >> what the lapd just told me today. exclusive -- >> i'm talking to them. >> brooke shields' first interview since her tearful good-bye to michael. >> when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. plus -- emmanuel lewis on michael as a father. >> it's something that he had been looking forward to a long time. then, a new michael jackson song never before heard until now.