for more now, we go to nbc's kurt gregory. >>> nature's power captured on camera again.his time, in springfield, massachusetts. the tower cam at the nbc affiliate shows what appears to be a towering funnel cloud whirling above the city. residents were stunned. >> we had a tornado come down and took out houses behind our building. >> reporter: several buildings in springfield were heavily damaged, large vehicles were flipped, heavy trees were toppled. thousands of customers are without power. massachusetts's governor declared a state of emergency. >> at least 19 communities have been affected so much. we have an emergency on our hands. >> reporter: many residents plan to stay in emergency shelters. >> god's hand was over me. because i never seen them in my life. >> reporter: an evening of wild weather that many in the region won't soon forget. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> elsewhere in washington, the standoff continues between democrats and republicans at odds over raising the nation's debt ceiling. spending cuts and medicare reform remaining a sticking point between the t

nbc's kurt gregory reports. >> reporter: with temperatures soaring into the 90s, new yorkers are trying to beat the excessive heat. >> my apartment is as warm inside as it is housed. -- outside. >> reporter: but the extreme heat can also be deadly. five possible heat-related deaths have already been reported in three states. and cooling centers for the elderly are open in st. louis and chicago, where health safety workers are going door to door checking on senior citizens. >> do they have an air condition, do they have a fan? >> reporter: record-breaking highs of 99 degrees in baltimore and washington, while philadelphia hit a record-breaking 97 degrees. blistering conditions for work crews, but not everybody was miserable. >> i like the heat. i've waited for it all winter. >> reporter: the broiling heat meant a short day of classes for students near philadelphia and in new jersey. >> it is hot in the schools. they don't have air-conditioning. >> reporter: no ac needed for these kids in camden as temperatures soared all the way to texas where it's very hot and very dry. >> we've gone 13

kurt gregory reports on all of this wild weather. >> reporter: in arizona a raging wildfire is growing, threatening homes and lives. >> we just saw the fire burning around the house. >> reporter: and forcing evacuations in mountain communities. >> they said you have to leave now because the fire was right there so we had to turn around and leave. >> reporter: burning for more than a week, there is zero containment and more than 2,000 fire fighters are battling the blaze. the thick, rugged terrain is making the fire difficult to fight, now strong winds and low humidity are making a bad situation worse. >> because of the swirling winds, trying to put water down and retardant down on areas to try to save the town, but here we go. this is the sad part of it. >> reporter: 193,000 acres have been scorched. >> it is going to be a very hot fire. >> meanwhile, blazing heat is gripping much of the country from the upper midwest to south florida. temperatures are reaching into the mid-09s in chicago where on saturday the heat turned deadly. a 26-year-old man died while running a half marathon. ne

nbc's kurt gregory reports. >> reporter: a fierce wildfire continues to grow in los alamos very closeo the national laboratory. firefighters are working day and night to clear brush and extinguish spot fires near the sprawling nuclear research facility. >> we have not lost any structures at the laboratory or in the town site, and we don't plan on losing any structures. >> reporter: the secretive los alamos laboratory is made up of 2,000 buildingsed a nearly four dozen sites. it's home to the nation's largest supply of nuclear weapons. >> our facilities and nuclear materials are protected and safe. >> reporter: another concern. the possible release of radioactive and harmful materials. thousands of 55-gallon drums containing plutonium-contaminated waste are stored above ground at los alamos. >> release of radioactive and hazardous materials, there hasn't been any. let me say that again. there hasn't been any. >> reporter: and there's no rest in sight for weary fire crews. the wildfire has already scorched more than 93 square miles in less than two days. curt gregory, nbc news. >>> whil