firefighters didn't stand a chance with the homes so close together and the fire well on its way. you also see a man here on the bottom of your right hand corner of the screen, wrought with emotion, banging his head on a wooden post. nothing to do but watch his home burn to the ground. more emotion today as this family saw their home for the first time and nothing to do and nothing left of it. >> i start to think of it and want to start weeping. i saw them last night and they were -- thank god they weren't in the house. >> it was frightening. devastating. upsetting experience. >> reporter: investigators tonight are relying on eyewitnesses and also relying on forensics. it will be days before they figure out what caused it. right now it's undetermined. we also know that two dogs and three cats also perished in this fire. but this hardly compares to the raw emotion that we saw today. live in manassas, surae chinn, 9 news now. >> thank you. what caused the fire to

spread from home to home? and what could keep that from happening again? the manassas fire marshal says if the homes were required to have sprinklers they would have helped to keep the fire down until firefighters could get there. also, the homes were all built to code but they do sit much closer together than single- family homes in older neighborhoods. these homes were 10 to 15 feet apart and the exterior walls made of vinyl siding over particle board which are both flammable. >> these are lightweight construction developments covered with vinyl siding and not generally designed to be a fire resist tan structure. when you have a well advanced fire and a windy day you are going to get lateral spread. >> reporter: fire chief says the most important preventive measure for people is to practice better fire safety. be more careful when you cook in the kip and use outdoor grills and never leave them going and walk away.

now an update on a woman charged with animal cruelty after her dog died in a hot car. catherine washington now faces 18 months probation and during that time she can't own any pets. that was the sentence handed down bay district court judge in frederick. she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after her 14-year-old yellow lab died in july. she left the dog in a car with the windows down while she went in to costco to buy pet supplies. the outside air on that day 104 degrees. right now in largo, friends and family are holding a vigil for the maryland senate candidate hit and killed while riding her bike last sunday. she was the green party candidate. she was hit on sunday morning while riding her bike and she died one day later. police have not charged the driver who hit her yet. the military's policy of don't ask, don't tell takes a hit from a federal judge.

it's about the case of a former major margaret witt. the pentagon gave her a discharge under the don't ask don't tell policy but wit sued to get her job back and now a judge in washington state ruled the pentagon violated her constitutional rights and he's ordered that she be reinstated as soon as possible. now to a highly decorated veteran of world war ii who was laid to rest at arlington national cemetery. vernon baker, his family and friends traveled from idaho for the service. for his heroic actions during the war, he was awarded the medal of honor. vernon baker was 90 years old. the funeral for a navy seal from silver spring, killed in afghanistan, will be october 4th. the dematha high school graduate brendan looney was among the american military personnel killed on tuesday. his funeral will take place at

st. john the baptist roman catholic church in silver spring. there will be a prayer service for him tomorrow at dematha high. at waller reed the army honored two soldiers with a purple heart. rick zimmerman and private first class loveless were injured while supporting combat operations in afghanistan. the purple heart is give on the members of the million. after democrats decided to delay a vote on preserving tax cuts their counterparts in the house are saying not so fast. pelosi is considering calling a vote on the issue next week. >> america's middle class will have a tax cut. it will be done in this congress. >> reporter: more than 80,000 democrats are urging her to extend tax cuts for everyone, at least for the time being. president obama has been pushing for a vote by the end of the year to extend the cuts but only for the middle class.

>> well, the northern midwest got a break from the rain today but it is coming back again tomorrow. a lingering tomorrow system dumped almost six inches across minnesota and western wisconsin yesterday. causing major flooding in several areas. high water forced hundreds of people to evacuate. schools and businesses were shut down. it also caused roads to collapse in to craters and row boats were the best form of transportation. >> a lot of people are just amazed by the volume of water we have seen. not just today but throughout 2010. >> when it gets to a certain point you start to worry. this is bad. >> reporter: the national guard is helping residents in some of the hardest-hit areas. still to come on 9 news now, why some in montgomery county are upset over schools new athletic field, even though they are supposed to be safer for the athletes that use them. but first a pregnant woman turns the tables on a robber holding her up during a knife

point. how she got the upper hand. we'll tell you coming up. it is hot but breezy and not that humid. we will take you out with the almanac. you can find it on our website at wusa9.com. brand new record high 99 goes in the books. the old record high 94 back in 1970. we will come back and talk about the rest of the weekend and some changes are on the

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.

capital one bank. they're everywhere. ♪ yeah, you're right! [ horns honking ] hey, there's one right up the street. [ male announcer ] capital one bank. the most branches and atms in the dc area. what's in your wallet? ove, go long! we're back with a commuter alert. those of you who use the douglas bridge. ddot will be shutting down the bridge to all traffic each night this weekend. the first closing starts at 11:00 tonight. it's going to reopen at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. it will close at 11:00 p.m. on saturday and 8 p.m. on sunday. and this is to do repair and rehab work on the bridge. oh, boy, patranya bhoolsuwan, you have been

looking at the roads and it's been heavy out there. >> oh, boy is right. as you can see behind me, a lot of yellow and yesterdays and you know what that means, no one is going above the speed limit on the west side of the capital beltway. zoom in with the live picture over the american legion and that goes to show you a lot of cars out there. especially on the outer loop approaching the toll road. looking at a 10 to 15-minute delay still. for virginia drivers, moving south onion 395, jammed up, as well. washington boulevard past duke over to the mixing bowl and south backlick to triangle. it is top and go all the way but no accidents out there. that's the good news. back to you. in tonight's consumer alert, more fees from your bank to replace the fees that they can't charge you anymore, thanks to a new law. i know. if you are a bank of america customer, you better read the pamphlet they sent you. don't toss it out. starting soon you will have to pay dollars to get a paper statement, $3 to see images of cancelled statements if you

want to see them on that statement. $12 if you deposit a check and it doesn't clear and expect monthly maintenance fees and minimum balance requirements too. by the way, you can avoid some of the charges by banking on- line. one robber is probably wishing he picked a different victim after the person turn the knife on him and attacked. it happened in oklahoma city yesterday. police say 34-year-old donald billby confronted a pregnant oar by's employee in the parking lot and demanded her purse but the woman wrestled away the knife, started to slash him and ran inside. >> this employee made a wise decision to make a refuge inside of the business where she could get some help to call 911 and that obviously encouraged our suspect to depart the scene quickly. >> reporter: police quickly caught up with billby he was take on the the hospital and treated for wounds and he is now in the oklahoma city jail. coming up on 9 news now, new athletic fields at schools

in montgomery county are supposed to be better for the athletes, but some parents are upset over the changes. but first, here's a preview of the cbs evening news. differenter in a bottle. why the dea wants you to open your medicine cabinet and clean it out. we will have that story and more tonight on the cbs evening news

words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right.

(announcer) new icy hot spray. relief that's icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. and no mess. new icy hot spray. don't mess around with pain. . all right all of you bookworms out there. tomorrow the national until has the book fair. it will be free. you can catch reading, discuss works with the authors and take part with the whole family. >> we will be having 77 authors total. of course we have a big lineup of authors who write for young people and children and of course many activities also so that people from the whole family can come and spend an

interesting day here. >> reporter: to get more information on the national book festival go to the where you live section on our website and click on the captiol hill neighborhood. for more stories from where you live, go to wusa9.com. find your community in that section. keep up with what is happening in your neighborhood. get story or news tips. we want to hear from you, so contact us and be part of the wusa9.com team. there's new concern about artificial turf fields in montgomery county and one group is asking the county council to look in to fears about potential health hazards. scott broom listened to the issues and visited the fields. >> synthetic turf fields like this are a joy to play on and way cheaper to maintain than grass but they are a concern concerned about toxic contamination. here's one reason they are great to play on crumbled rubber between the fibers that redust duces impact when

players hit the ground. i comes from shredded car tears and contains some potentially toxic materials such as lead and arsenic. the concern dates back to 2007 when a number of aging fields in new jersey and new york were taken out of commission because of the presence of lead. since then, the consumer product safety commission has determined that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead on these fields but that has not put an end to the questions. in montgomery county, fields have been installed at three school, most recently walter johnson in bethesda. this week the western montgomery county citizens board asked the county to investigate the safety, health, environmental and financial impacts of artificial turf with a careful review of any sue gnu scientific information. in the meantime, there are no plans to limit play on turf fields like this one. in fact, there are rec councils in some schools and the county

to install more fields like this one. in montgomery county, scott broom, 9 news now. school and recreation facilities are advocates because they save on maintenance costs. speaking of savings with the hot weather and lack of rain, culpeper is asking residents to reduce their water use. it's been a tough summer. it is now fall but feeling like summer. we are confused around here. do it before it becomes mandatory and drought or no drought take a broom to the driveway, don't waste water. kind of silly. little exercise, too. the forecast the next three days going in the right direction. we will go down slowly. upper 80s tomorrow which is quite warm. we will be talking about that

if with weren't 99 today. slight chance of a shower nod not affect the game. and much cooler air on sunday. low 70s. wow! and maybe a shower, maybe some drizzle by evening, a lot of clouds an the best chance of rain and showers and storms will be on monday. temperatures will struggle to get to 80. probably won't make it. break down tomorrow. the better of the two days in terms of the weekend. 74, slight chance of aspiring until the morning. upper 60s to start the this suburbs. 80 by lynch time and 87 by evening and slight chance of a sprinkle. a weak, weak cold front rolls through tomorrow. and same old story. it is moisture starved. all right. summer and fall, pretty common in the metro area. record highs are shattered. old record 94 at dulles. new record 99. old record 92 -- excuse me, old regard at national 94. it is the 66th day of t 0-

degree weather. if we do one more day we will tie the record. if we do two we can rewrite that tidbit, too. 94 outside. 93 lees birth. the only saving grace is a good breeze and looking at low humidity. 94 in fredericksburg and 39 manassas. -- 93 manassas. for on the a nice night for baseball. the braves are in town. clear to partly cloudy, breezy an mild. 84 to 72. and winds will continue out of the southwest at 10 to 15. between the winds and the low humidity it is making it bearable, not like a humid day in july. lows 65 in gaithersburg. 67 rockville. i think downtown and around the beltway, you are probably around 70 to the low 70s. out to college park you are 68. 66 in fairfax. 66 reston and 65 also in leesburg. not bad. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy, breezy and warm. slight chance of a shower. temperatures 60s and 70s.

don't change your plans. winds southwesterly at 10 to 15. by afternoon, partly cloudy, breezy. still plenty warm. spotlight chance of a shower. highs 84 to 88. and winds out of the northwest at 10 to 15. we should be in the upper 70s this time of the year. we will zoom in on this skinny line of showers moving through detroit approaching pittsburgh and back in to kentucky. that's the cold front that will give us a chance of a shower tomorrow. as you can see, not producing a whole bunch and most of what gets in here will be out by the mountains. better chance of showers twain between hagerstown and cumberland. zone forecast, maybe a shower in oakland. 76 tomorrow. 82 cumberland. mid-80s in hagerstown and winchester. almost 90 in culpeper. mid-80s for leesburg and warrenton, manassas and also middleburg. downtown mid to upper 80s. chance of a sprinkle, upper to mid-80s on the bay and small craft advisory for the bay and

tidal potomac. 897 tomorrow. maybe a sprinkle and much cooler. low 70s with clouds and maybe drizzle or shower by late in the day. it will not be a washout, just kind of cool. on monday a better chance of rain, showers and storms in the upper 70s and may bleed in to tuesday and very nice on wednesday, thursday and friday. >> looks like the forecast is going to get on the right track. we want to know if the redskins can get on the winning track. >> number 92 would help, wouldn't it? >> if he got in the game and got in the head and heart. >> a big boo boom hanes wto didn't suit up last week but all signs point to a change this week. and also trent williams has been hobbled since the texans game. he took strides to get back in the mix today but will he play? and the wizards a great season is coming up. they make roster moves next.

right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation.

when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better.

if the redskins want to cure what is ailing their rushing attack this maybe the week to do it. they had craters this they their attack last week. hopefully the redskins can. having having trent williams in the house will help. he has been able to put on pads for the first time this week. he was in a limited role. he suffered a knee and toe injury against the texans. the coach says he is feeling better but wouldn't say whether he is going to play. >> there's a lot of possibilities. a lot of combinations we could go. usually based on the trainers and him and what we think is in the best interest of the team long range. haynesworth is 50/50 but shanahan said big al didn't have a setback so that's good. he's been suffering from a

sprained ankle he tested before the texans game but couldn't go. the coordinator wants to see him in there. that's for sure. we hope to see him, as well. week four of high school football and don't forget to log on to dc.high schoolsports.net. the game of the week is a good one, too. the knights of ballou hosting fun bar high school also in the district. wilson travels to anacostia in virginia undefeated broad run at park view. you saw the feature about dominique terrell and his teammates taking on osbourne park. and cher. college ball now, it should be easier for maryland on saturday. west virginia is not ranked and they have to travel to college pack and the panthers were division one a school in part of the sun belt conference too. relatively unknown but

certainly dangerous. maryland is looking to bounce back after a lost week in morgantown when they were ambushed 31-17. they play texas a&m and rutgers tough and if you think maryland is looking past them, think again. >> this is a very important game in our schedule. we are focusing on what we have to do to win. >> our goal is always to win the next game. it is one thing that you talk about at the west virginia game. so, after we watched the film it was on fiu trying to get back on track. >> virginia tech tough year continues. the hokies will be without williams when they face boston college. williams has a right hamstring injury. no timetable on his return. he rushed for 1600-yards last season. finally the wizards begin training camp next week.

a few new guys will have deals in place. they extended the contract with black and exercising the option on mcgee. black averaged 14 points and six rebounds last season and mcgee six points and four rebounds. our focus tonight is high school football. we will have a full report at 11:00. >> friday night lights and you have a quick forecast for the game. >> looks like different than last year, we cold rainy days and nice tonight. around 90 here the next several days we cool off to the upper 80s and low 70s on sunday. that's a change. we will have a full list of the record highs coming up at 7. that's it for us. the cbs evening news with katie couric is next. derek will see you at 7:00. we hope to see you back leer on monday night. 

>> couric: tonight, president obama fires back at the president of iran for suggesting