for "nightline," i'm alex perez in louisiana. >>> our thanks to alex. just ahead from coby, nba stars swear by in pain treatment that can cure what ails you. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. i'm good. alright. [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time. is important to any successful business. which is why at wells fargo, we work with you to get to know the unique aspects of your business. we can recommend financial solutions that can work for you that have helped millions of business owners save time, reduce expenses, and maximize cash flow. as the number one small business lender for nine years running... we're with you when you need us. so you can be there for your customers. wells fargo. together we'll go far. >>> kobe bryant did it, a-rod did it, even pope john pa

that's a life. >> alex perez, colorado springs, colorado. >> coming up next right here, they pretend to be war heroes. why the war against phony heroes took a blow today. and why they could keep getting away with it. ready? as i'll ever be. break a leg! i used to love hearing that phrase... but not since i learned i have... postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture. i want to keep acting but a broken bone could change that. so my doctor and i chose prolia® to reduce my risk of fractures. prolia® is proven to help make bones stronger. proven to help increase bone density. i take prolia®. it's different. it's two shots a year. [announcer:] if you take prolia® (denosumab) you should not take xgeva®. prolia® can cause serious side effects, including low blood calcium levels, serious infections... ...some of which may require hospitalization, and skin inflammation, rash and eczema. tell your doctor if you develop dental problems... ...as severe jawbone problems may happen. what's out there matters to me. so does what's in here. break a leg! thanks ed. ask your doctor if pro

abc's alex perez has more from colorado.>>reporter: this is the closest we've been allowed to the waldo canyon fire. as you can see here, authorities have been able to get things under control. but look just on the other side of the mountain there, the fire is still burning. complicating matters, the blistering dry temperatures, the high in denver today 105 degrees, it's like battling a blaze inside an oven. to give you an idea of how hot it is out here, firefighter david has been out here fighting this fire for several hours. look at his helmet. right now it's 117 degrees. this is a race against time. once that fire begins, it can spread at a rate of up to 14 miles per hour. just look at this video of the texas wildfire from last year and how quickly it consumes the dry brush on the ground and scorches tree tops. >> any one spark will start a fire. >>reporter: the fire fight across the state of colorado has already cost more than $30 million and the tourism industry by one estimate is losing $1 million a day as some state p

abc's alex perez has the answers. >> reporter: the drop is dramatic. a whopping 49 cents lower than this year's high in april. what's the least expensive gas in america right now, 2.83 a gallon in south carolina. currently there are 16 states selling gas under $3. in the coming days, analysts also say six more states could join them. >> this lights a fire under americans. this is sure to entice more people to go on vacation and spend more of their hard-earned money. >> reporter: that fire could not have come at a better time. the boom is also a relief to small business owners. this one runs this flower shop in downtown chicago. the drop is allowing her to drop prices too. >> reporter: what does it mean for you as a business owner? >> that means a big relief. that means that our cost of goods can go down. it means that people will have some extra cash to spend. it means that my expense on delivery can go down. so it's a good thing all the way around. >> reporter: american families drive more than any other time of the year. criss-cross, from the park to

here is abc's alex perez. >> reporter: this was mountain shadows, colorado, one week ago. and this is mountain shadows today. an entire neighborhood largely levelled by fire. this was a place where neighbors knew each other by first and name and when the flames came, the tight-nit community torn apart. >> i know it's gone, but it's been there 13 years. and that's hard. >> reporter: her husband lived downhill, lisa's house demolished glen's house untouched. he had to break the news to his ex-wife and daughter. >> that's a difficult conversation to have with the children. you don't have a house to go back to. >> reporter: the fbi and local authorities have yet to pinpoint what started the wild fire. gu the county undersheriff tells us they believe this is arson. >> this in many ways is a type of terrorism somebody is trying to destroy, you know, an entire city. >> reporter: a city that mountain shadows neighbors like paul never imagined would be scarred like this many. >> you see this kind of empties lots now just piles of rubble. what do you think? >> it's horrific. that's

. >> abc's alex perez is in colorado springs and has been covering the fires since the very beginning. alex, we know two people are dead. what can you tell us about the missing right now? >> reporter: well, paula, good morning. yes, there are about ten people have been reported missing. and really, here's what happened. there were 32,000 people who had to evacuate. flee this area in a complete panic. it was difficult to keep track of where everyone was going. now, authorities are trying to make sure that everyone is accounted for. now, the damage here has been severe. some 350 homes completely destroyed. and some people have been allowed to return to their neighborhood. but others still don't know when they'll be able to get back in. and that reason -- the reason why it's happening is authorities have to get in there and assess those areas to make sure they're not sending people from safety, right back into danger. >> alex, we've been hearing numbers. 15% containment. have they made any progress today? >> reporter: yeah. they have made some progress. it's up to about 25% containment,

for "nightline," i'm alex perez in louisiana. >>> our thanks to alex. just ahead from coby, nba stars swear by in pain treatment that can cure what ails you. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. i'm good. alright. [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time. is important to any successful business. which is why at wells fargo, we work with you to get to know the unique aspects of your business. we can recommend financial solutions that can work for you that have helped millions of business owners save time, reduce expenses, and maximize cash flow. as the number one small business lender for nine years running... we're with you when you need us. so you can be there for your customers. wells fargo. together we'll go far. >>> kobe bryant did it, a-rod did it, even pope john pa

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> oh. he did something, all right. >> takes your breath away. >> what a brave, brave little boy. >>> let's go to sam, now, for the weather. already there in central park, getting ready for the concert. good morning, sam. happy friday. >> good morning, everybody. nice to see you. it's steamy in the park. and by the way, that whole situation in minnesota, a big part of the state coming in with nine, ten inches of rain in two days in that duluth area. real bad situation there. still recovering from the flooding there. are you ready to break the heat? the problem is, it's going to come with strong to severe storms today. in boston, 90-degree day today. they will be loud storms this afternoon. here's the low we have to watch in the middle of the gulf. this could become a tropical situation. but it means heavy rain for the entire gulf coast. stay up with your local abc stations. >> a few areas of light rain washington. especially west of the blue ridge near martin's third. it is a warmise, start.

. >> reporter: alex perez, abc news, colorado springs. >>> passengers on a cancelled air france flight are about to leave san francisco after spending hours onboard their broken jet. jamie and her new husband chris were on that flight they boarded around 3:00 yesterday afternoon on their way to their honeymoon in itlism the plane never left. -- in it . the plane never . the plane was call back to the gate because of mechanical issues. cracked window shield in the cockpit may have caused the delay. >>> much more ahead at 11. we are going to have a look at the technology tested in san francisco boy that could help cleanup the world's oceans with >> i almost feel like i don't deserve it. >> bullied bus monitor who became a youtube sensation meets the man who raised >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> a hawaii beach remains closed after a livermore teenager was bitten by a shark on maui. paramedics treated the 16-year-old girl for a three to five inch wound. she is expected to be okay. the attack happened while she was sitting in two feet of water very shallow. h

. >> reporter: alex perez, abc news, colorado springs. >>> passengers on a cancelled air france flight are about to leave san francisco after spending hours onboard their broken jet. jamie and her new husband chris were on that flight they boarded around 3:00 yesterday afternoon on their way to their honeymoon in itlism the plane never left. -- in it . the plane never . the plane was calback to the gate because of mechanical issues. cracked window shield in the cockpit may have caused the delay. >>> much more ahead at 11. we are going to have a look at the technology tested in san francisco boy that could help cleanup the world's oceans with >> i almost feel like i don't deserve it. >> bullied bus monitor who became a youtube sensation became a youtube sensation now's a great time to get at&t u-verse tv. make the switch! [ female announcer ] call to get u-verse -- now with free hd -- for only 25 a month for six months -- our lowest price ever -- with a total home dvr included. plus get hbo and cinemax free for three months. [ male announcer ] with u-verse tv, you can record four shows

abc's alex perez is there. >> reporter: this was mountain shadows, colorado, one week ago.led by fire. this was a place where neighbors knew each other by first name and when the flames came. >> we got to go! >> reporter: the tight-knit community was torn apart. lisa scott's home is now one missing from the map. >> i know it is gone. it's been there 13 years and that's hard. >> reporter: lisa's house demolished. glen any house untouched. in fact, glen had to break the news to his ex-wife and daughter. >> that is a difficult conversation to have with your children. say, you don't have a house to go back to. >> reporter: a city that mountain shadows neighbors, like paul deburgess never would be scarred like this. >> you see empty lots, piles of rubble what are you thinking? >> it is horrific. every one of those people that is a family. that's a life. >> reporter: alex perez, abc news, colorado springs, colorado. >> a red-hot dome of oppressive air is cooking much of the country. as more dangerous heat moves in. officials in north carolina are not taking any chances. they're w

alex perez on the ground in colorado again tonight for us. alex, good evening. >> reporter: david, good evening. authorities have started a difficult process of assessing the damage. we now know two people are dead. at least ten others have been reported missing. the big question that still remains tonight for thousands of people is when will they be able to get back home. from the first time since wild fires started, a ground level look of the sprawling devastation near colorado springs. president obama tonight toured the hardest hit community of mountain shadow. >> what's remarkable is obviously how devastating these fires are. once they hit a house and take root, it is very difficult for anybody to imagine the kind of devastation and how quickly it happen had had. >> reporter: the president met with exhausted firefighters. >> this was up in sflams. >> all of this stuff was in flames. all these houses were in flames. >> reporter: with evacuated residents, residents who watched homes burn, wondering tonight if their home survived. thousands o

abc's alex perez is in the middle of the battle against the smoke and the flames. alex? >> reporter: well, diane, you can see the smoke behind me. this fire is still burning. the major concern tonight, the wind. it is once again picking up. for residents who are already shaken up, that's the last thing they want to hear. in a matter of hours, these colorado suburbs became a raging inferno. dozens of homes consumed by flames, hundreds of families tonight, desperate for answers. mindy levinson got a text message, like thousands of others, from authorities saying she had minutes to evacuate. through the choking smoke, she grabbed her son, dog, and ran out. >> it hurts a lot, i mean, to think about going back there, my house in ruins and charred. >> reporter: some 32,000 horrified residents stuffed belongings into their cars and scrambled to get to safety. including 700 cadets and personnel from the air force academy, which was partially evacuated. >> i've never seen anything so scary. >> reporter: many people captured the terrifying moments on their cell phones. >> it's hap

abc's alex perez as hanss. >> reporter: the drop is dramatic. what's least expensive gas in america right now, 2.83 a gallon in north carolina. 16 dat$16 dates selling gas und three. in the coming days, analyst ums say six more states could join them. in that fire could not have come at a better time. low gas prices light a fire under americans. they really, really like low prices. this is sure to entice more people to go on vacation and spend more money. >> the boom is also a relief to small business owners. this one runs this flower shop in downtown chicago. a drop is allowing her to drop prices too. >> what does it mean for you as a business owner? >> it means a big relief. it means that our cost of goods can go down. it means that people will have some extra cash to spend. it means that my expense on delivery can go down. so it's a good sign all the way around. >> reporter: american families drive more during the summer. chris crossing our camp, the park, the summing pool. baseball field, the grocery store. >> it all adds up. ask this mom, w

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: today, with the colorado springs wildfire, only 5% contained, another 7,000 residents were warned they may have to get out soon. this is the closest we've been allowed to get to the waldo canyon fire. here you can tell firefighters were able to get it under control but look over the mountain there, the fire is still burning. complicating matters the blistering dry temperatures. the high in denver today 105 degrees. it's like battling a blaze inside an oven. just to give you an idea how hot it is out here, firefighter david has been out here fighting this blaze for several hours. take a look at this helmet. right now, it's 117 degrees. this is a race against time. once a fire begins it can spread at a rate of up to 14 miles per hour just look at this video of a texas wildfire from last year and how quickly it consumes the dry brush on the ground and scorches treetops. >> any one spark will start a fire. >> reporter: the firefight across the state of colorado has already cost more than $30 million. the tourism industry by one estimate is losing $1 million

again tonight alex perez on the front line. >> these fire trucks are here and fires everywhere. oh, my god, i feed to get going. >> reporter: it was a frantic escape all captured on video. >> ashes coming in my window. oh. >> reporter: that's the voice of any coal, one of some 32,000 residents forced to flee the colorado springs wildfire. >> i'm leaving my house. for probably the last time. >> reporter: those words are proving to be prophetic. later learning her home was destroyed. nearly 350 homes were leveled by the fire. two people are dead dead and at least 10 others reported missing. from the fire line another threat, winds carrying embers up to half a mile away landing on homes igniting mini fires. those homes were wooden roofs are exposed wood trimming didn't stand a chance. colorado springs has been fighting this fight long before this summer's first spark. for years the city has been urging owners to thin out nearby brush around the home and replace 55,000 wooden shingle roofs with fireproof material. this is a brand-new roof. what's the difference between that and a sh

our alex perez is in lafox, illinois, with one anxious farmer. >> that's right. it's a steamy 93 degrees here in lafox, illinois. farmers here and in the corn belt states across the country are dealing with the same problems. excessive heat, not enough rain. they say it can be devastating in some areas. take a look at this corn stalk. it's only about a foot high. but get this -- at this point of the year, it's supposed to be waist high. >> reporter: from the midwest to the nation's capital, where it was the hottest day all year so far. abc's ginger zee is at the national zoo, where they are desperately trying to keep their animals cool and safe. >> it is already a sultry 97 degrees, we've been watching it all day here in washington, d.c. and get this -- here at the zoo, the animals that naturally live in sweltering conditions, well, they are just as hot as we are. why? they weren't born there, they were born here in d.c. to stay cool, this tiger gets meat-flavored popsicles. it encourages them to get into the water and the ice cools them down. that elephant is pi

honesrch for here is abc's alex perez. >> reporter: at a time when almost anything can be ordered onlineh one click and delivered to your house, for the icright and legal, so too can beautifulollege udent. meet 63-year-old tommy and -year-old monty. ey've beenogher for two ar >> i lovethem.. >> they ok great. >> they're fun. >>yeahhey e. >> thank you for them. heach 're welcome. sugar daddy and sug baby >> yeah. e a high five. >> i powerful. >> when sheeeds ney, toy is her o guy andor monty, it a way to get the edution she can't afford. he's like i can help you get through hool easy. you just travel withme,ave fun, beunp me company. i said, re. we obserd thateing a sugar baby cesith other rks. >> we'll do a little shopping today. >> he drops 5 grand a month on mon te. >> isn't that hot? >> perfec >> the's a te fitting dress. >> these esit aair of high-heel shoes,at ouit. >> goodness. god. >> 387.25. it'not just y, he has six her sar babies. >> thank you so much. >> ts ishat we cl the lost and drawfound . this is at some of my lovely sugar babies left behind. the ladies combin.n year ive

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> we do hope he makes a full recovery.one so handy like that. thank goodness. >>> let's go back down to sam. >> as wild as this spring has been, we're beginning to change the pattern in the northeast. look at the live shot out of new york city. wabc, by the way, my former home, and the station that's the best in new york. if you're not watching them in new york, you're wasting power, if you're not watching wabc in new york. let's show you what's happening now. this area of low pressure has been taking over the northeast and the mid-atlantic. basically, it's dragging in that colder air along the coastline and keeping us cloudy and damp. you're going to watch that shift out. watch the numbers change. from the 60s to 80s in boston saturday. chicago, you've started to see some of the milder numbers working your way. and so will detroit. look at the fires. there's seven major fires burning in five states in the >> san francisco, 65 today. a nice day today. all that weather was brought to you by smart balance. robin? george? >>

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> good morning, cedar rapids. >> yeah. you can adopt us. we'd love to be your new best friends. >> absolutely. >>> let's get more weather from sam. >> george, this may seem anti-climatic but allow me to welcome you to summer. this is the first full official day of summer, even though most of us feel like we've been in it for a while now. let's get to the boards. here's what's going on with the cooldown that's headed for the great lakes and into the northeast. so this little heat wave is just a short one for some folks. areas in the south, do not cool off. from chicago to boston to detroit to new york city, these numbers do go down by the time we get into the weekend. tropical trouble, that storm that was chris, out in the atlantic, not a problem. this disturbance around cuba right now really could be a player. some of our forecast models have it near the tampa bay area in the next 48 hours. and some kind of tropical system. we have to watch it. because we know, that area is prone to a lot of flooding. we're just going to w

alex perez is on the story in chicago. good morning, alex.finally, good news. >> reporter: hey, good morning. the drop is dramatic. analysts believe the national average for a gallon of gas could dip below 3 bucks by fall. gas is an astonishing 49 cents cheaper right now than it was two months ago. in michigan, down 52 cents. in albany, new york, 55 cents. and in alabama, down a whopping 72 cents. there's 16 states selling gas under $3 a gallon. and in the days to come, six more states could join them. it was supposed to be the summer of $5 gas. what happened? experts say there's three reasons prices are plummeting. demand is down. oil production is up. also, the recession in europe is slowing demand that markets like china, lowering crude oil prices. what's the effect on the economy? >> low gas prices light a fire under americans. they like low prices. >> reporter: for cash-strapped consumers, trying to make ends meet is the best news they've heard in a long time. why are you so happy? >> because gas prices are ridiculous. i pay almost $60 t

abc's alex perez is on the front lines for us, outside of colorado springs. alex? >> reporter: amy, good morning to you. this is one of the neighborhoods that have been evacuated. mother nature not cooperating here. expected to be 108 degrees in denver. and well over 100 degrees in several parts of the state. that's making the dry, tinder-like conditions even worse. here's in colorado springs, the fire that began over the weekend has grown to about 4,500 acres. some 6,000 people still remain under evacuation orders. the big fire in hyde park, near ft. collins, that is still burning. there's more than 2,000 firefighters across this state trying to get things under control. of course, the big question is now what impact this will have on the state's tourism industry. fourth of july holiday, just a away. that's a time when families head to colorado to vacation. and right now, so many of its parks are closed or have restricted access. the big question is, how will that affect the tourism industry? amy? >> all right. alex perez, thank you. >>> the red cross has issued a

abc's alex perez is on the front lines for us, outside of colorado springs. alex?> reporter: amy, good morning to you. these are just some of the homes that have been i vak waited. mother nature just not cooperating here. it's expected to be 108 degrees in denver and over 100 in several parts of the state. that makes the dry, tinder-like conditions worse. here in colorado springs, the fire has grown to about 4500 acres. some 6,000 people here remain under evacuation orders. the big fire near ft. collins, that is still burning the. about 2,000 firefighters are trying to battle the flames across the state. how will this impact the state's tourism? the 4th of july holiday just days away. with the state's parks closed or under restricted ak setsz, how many of those people will still come here? amy? >> all right. alex perez, thank you. >>> the red cross has issued an emergency for blood donations, calling the supply nationwide dangerously low. the agency says the extreme heat that has gripped much of the country is partly to blame. 50% lower than usual. >>> overseas rig

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> we're going to cheer for the graduates.heers and applause ] >>> sam has the weather. >> note to schools. note to schools. graduation is not for you. it's for graduates and the families. that's who it's for. [ applause ] all right. let's get to the boards. things going on this morning we want to talk about. we're going to show you pictures out of colorado springs. crazy. look at this. that's hail washed up against cars. the hailstones fell as quick, three inches of rain, powerful hailstorms. those storms will continue in parts of colorado today, from cheyenne, to denver, pueblo, north platte. that's where the storms will be kicking up and the heavy rain in the gulf. >> all of america's weather in the next half hour. robin, george, josh? >>> coming up, an abc news exclusive. a husband acquitted of killing his wife in the so-called spray tan murder trial. he speaks out for the first time since the trial ended. >>> and breakup backlash. what's going on between john mayer and taylor swift? he says she humiliated him. ohn mayer a

alex perez, abc news, colorado springs, colorado. >> two awful scenes this week.floods -- you lose a lot on the first floor. you lose cars. living room, part of your house, maybe the upstairs salvageable. in a fire, you come back and everything you own is ash. you just have to -- your heart bleeds for the people who have already lost their homes. the panic of the evacuation. and folks don't know if they will have anything to go back to. just heartbreaking. you don't know when and how this home haetro the muc they can't even see they are hesitant to give clear numbers, too. because if there has been a home that has been leveled or home that has been burned down, they want to be able to tell that family first, instead of them, you know, hearing about these numbers from the news. >> and dry, windy conditions will only make the fires more common here and around the world. not the first or last we will >>> also, our other big story of the morning -- the presidential race could take a dramatic turn today as the highest court finally weighs in on the president's health c

we begin with alex perez in colorado springs. good morning, alex. >> reporter: robin, good morning to you. this fire is still burning at a steady pace. some 18,000 acres have been scorched. for the first time, we're getting a look at the damage from above. and it's clear, hundreds of homes have been destroyed. as the massive fire continues burning this morning, it is blanketing this mountain town with thick smoke. blotting out the sun. preventing officials from assessing the damage. from above, you can see this area of town before. now, rows upon rows of homes leveled. entire neighborhoods wiped out by the sudden, intense wall of fire, that even took firefighters by surprised. >> we have fire to the back of these houses. all companies retreat. >> reporter: more than 32,000 people have been evacuated from the fast-advancing inferno. many don't know when they will be allowed to return or if their homes survived. >> i'm hoping a home is there. >> reporter: most escaped in a panic. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: with only minutes to gat

alex perez is on the ground there in colorado springs. alex? >> reporter: good morning, robin. authorities have been able to get into the burn zone and assess the damage. one person is dead and another has been reported missing. >> look at that. >> reporter: from the ground, this colorado community is a wall of flames. >> the whole neighborhood. >> reporter: from above, a war zone. >> just can't believe how totally devastated that is. >> it's like someone just took this thumb and smudged each house out, one by one by one. >> reporter: more than 20,000 homes still threatened. nearly 350 already burned. more than 85% of the fire still not contained. >> i don't try to say, did i deserve this? no. it's fire. called wildfire for a reason. >> reporter: police continue to guard evacuated areas, after two arrests for looting, causing tempers to flare. >> you don't have the authority to tell me i can't go back in my house. i looked this up. i'm not flying off the cuff here. i have rights as a property owner. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview, el paso county undersheriff tells abc n