darcy spencer is live with more on what fire investigators discovered there. darcy, gd evening. >> reporter: craig, the fire marshal says this blaze was, in fact, an accident. it was caused when a resident discarded a cigarette butt in a potted plant. fire investigators determined the blaze that destroyed three homes in manassas o thursday was caused by a resident that threw a cigarette butt on a plant. >> potting soil is not dirt. potting soils organic material. the mulch that is in these potted plants, sometimes, is shredded timber, shredded bark. >> reporter: the fire marshal says the blaze in the sumner lake community spread from the potted plant to the deck to the vinyl siding and then to adjacent homes. it's been ruled an accident. the fire marshal says the smoker whose house was among those destroyed, had been discarding cigarette butts this way tore sometime. >> there was a small breez 5 to 10 miles per hour that was blowing in that dection and it probably fanned that. theay those fires started it probably smoldered for a while. >> reporter: many reside

news4's darcy spencer joins us live withthe latest on this case. >> reporter: the victim was riding her bicycle. behind me you'll see prince george's community college. there in the background when she was struck in the early morning darkness. the driver told police she thought she struck an animal so she keptgoing. the victim's mother wants a thorough investigation. >> maryland state police stay driver of this cadillac escalade struck a woman riding a bicycle on route 202 near prince george's communi college in largo about 5:30 sun morning them say she didn't know she hit someone until she got home thr mile away in upper marlboro and found the bike still under her suv. >> she didn't realize she had hit a peon. she thought maybe she struck a dog or a deer. she went home. and inspected her vehicle and immediatei report it so she come plitd with the laws. >> reporter: police were initially investigating the crash that critically injured natasha as a hit and run. that change after the suv driver called authorities as soon as she saw the damage. >> we're calling in like i said, our crash te

darcy spencer has more on ooh vigil for her last night. >> reporter: a candlelight vigil drew people from across the community to remember the life of 30-year-old natasha petti grew. she was struck killed while riding her bike on sunday morng in largo. >> she was unconscious. but, you know, i didn't know if she could hear me or couldn't. so one ofhe thing i kept saying is keepbreathing. >> reporter: pettigrew was running for the u.s. nature as a green party cdidate was riding her bike at 5:30 in the morning when she was truck by a woman driving cadillac suv. the woman said she didn't stop at the scene because she thought she hit an animal. she reported the incident once she got home. >> i was definitely a horrible situation to be in. like i said all i could do was pray. i prayed then and i continue to pray to this day and i will continue to pray for the rest of my life. >> reporter: among those attending the vigil the principal of her high school. >> numerous clubs. ecology club. she played lacrosse. her real goal was really her studies. she had passion for studies. ♪ >> reporter: pe

. >>> our team coverage of the maryland primaries continues with darcy spencer.he's got more now on the closely watched race for prince georges county executive. who's vying to be the ne leader for the county's neay 900,000 residents. >> reporter: as you know, this is an extremely critical primary here in prince georges county. chances e, whoever wins the democratic primary today will become the next county executive in prince georges county. there are no repuican challengers. there are a lot of politking and electioning going on here in upper marlboro. the candidates are baker, jackson, dean, levi and turner. they're all vying to become the next county executive. the county board elections told me today that surprisingly, turnout has been extremely low today. as of 3:00, only about 2% of voters had had gone to the polls. >> it's surprisingly going very slow. the percentage of people coming out has been very, very minimal. we're thinking at first a lot of this is due to the fact that we had thearly voting for the first time this year. >> because of the economy an

darcy spencer explains how he's getting easy access. >> reporter: residents of the oak brook communitiein fairfax county have felt so safe many neighbors didn't lock their doors or windows. a recent rash of burglaries have shattered their peace of mind. >> it ppened once or twice we thought okay. t they keep coming back. that's what's getting kind of alarming. >> reporter: police believe one crimin is responsible for 44 burglaries, thefts from cars and unlawful entries since august 24th. they say he steals wallets and purses for the cash. >> informion we're receiving from the neighborhood and his typical method of operation that lead to us believe it's one person. >> reporter: ken found his neighbor's purse in his yard. >> the only thing they had taken was the cash. credit cards and drivers license was there. they took the cash and dropped everything and took off. >> we just moved into the local area. one of the reasons we liked this area because it seemed like a safeeighborhood. you know, low crime rate. good schools. that type of neighborhood. it's very surprising >> reporter: police sa

be vigilante about strange cars in the community. >> reporter: darcy spencer, "news4 oday." >>> the man accused of being a serial stabber will be charged with murder. on prosecutor prosecuto on monday prosecutors are expted to bring charges against the man. so far he has only been charged with assault and intent to murder. he's a suspect in two stabbings and a hammer attack in northern virginia and another stabbing in ohio. >>> a tragic accident appears to have taken the life of a 17-month-old boy in silver spring, maryland. police say he died after getting entangledn a drapery call. a historical call from the child's mother brought rescuers to the apartment yesterday morning. the child somehow got oust his crib and got his neck caught in the window cord. officials prformed cpr and rushed him to hospital where he was pronounced dead. there are no signs of foul play. they are looking into this tragedy as an accidental death. >>> police in prince george's county maryland said the shooting death of a hyattsville teenager may have been gang-related. medics found the boy shot in a park on ni

darcy spencer is among the group the. darcy?> reporter: you can see here behind me, the dozens of people have begun to gather at the parking lot of prince george's community college where it happened. her mother said she wants to make sure her daughter isn't forgotten. that there is a legacy left behind shelf wantso make sure there are additional bikeaths built here across the county and across maryland to make a place for people to cycle so there isn't another tragedy like what that to her daughter. pettigrew was training for a triathalon. she was ring her bike here by prince george's mmunity college at about 5:30 in the morning when she was struck and fatally wounded. police say she was struck by a woman driving a cadillac escalade the woman told authorities she believed she hit an animal, possibly a deer. she did not stop at the scene. sherove home about three mile from the scene. that's when she found the bike still lodged under her suv. that's when she called authority and reported the incident. pettigrew was found like in

news 4's darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: this armed robber has strk five businesses since late july been cuttery salons. this video shows an armed robber pulling a knife while holding up a haircuttery salon. he swiped money from businesses in fairfax and loudoun county only striking between late morning and early afternoon. >> we're working very closely with loudoun county detectives on this because he obviously sees no jurisdictional boundaries so nther can we. >> reporter: police say the robber started his crime spree on july 26th when he held up chantilly cash and carry. he struck again on september 6th at this kfc/taco bell restaurant in loudoun county. he then hit three hair cutterys in fairfax and loudoun counties on september 7, 12 and 14. >> the frequencies have increased. the first case was more than a month ago and now he seems to be doing it within a matter of days. that concerns us. >> reporter: in each case the robber brandish a knife, grabs cash from the register, and runs away. >> establishnts seem to be centered around route 28. so anyone who shops or does business o

darcy spencer got reaction from neighbors after they learned what sparked that fire. >> reporter: fire investigators have determined the blaze that destroyedhree homes in manassas on thursday was caused by a resident who threw a cigarette butt in a potted plant on his deck. >> potting soil is not dirt. potting soil is organic material. the mulch that is in these potted plants sometimes is shredded timber. >reporter: the fire marshal says the blaze in the sumner lake community spread from the potted plant to the deck to the nyl siding a then to adjacent homes. 's been ruled an accident. the fire marshal says the smoker, whose house was among those destroyed, had been discarding cigarette butts this way for some time. >> there was a small breeze at five to ten miles an hour that was flowing in that direction. and it probably fanned that. the way the fire started probably smoldered for a while. >> reporter:many residents learned of the fe marshal's findings at a press conference. >> i'm gladt wasn't arson or somebody throwing a firebomb or somebody doing something malicious. so in my hear

darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: police say 50-year-old paul partis, know as warren davis, walked into johns hopkins, shot and wounded an ortpedic surgeon, shot and killed his mother, and took his own life. >> i would never have expected this. this place is well protected and secured. this is crazy and ridiculous for something like this to happen >> reporter: he became straight ile talking to dr. david cohen. he puled out a semi automatic handgun and fired one shot. >>. >> the wounds appear to be

darcy spencering talked to those who want to keep natasha's spirit alive. ♪ >> repoer: a candlelightil drew people from across the community to remember the life of 30-year-old natasha pettigrew. she was struck and killed while riding her bike early sunday morning. >> she was unconscious. but, you know, i don't know if she could hear me or couldn't. one of the main things i kept saying was keep brehing, keep breathing. >> reporter: she was runng important the u.s. senate as a green party candidate in maryland was riding her bike around 5:30 in the morning when she was struck by awoman. the woman told police she didn't stop at the scene because she thought she hit an animal. she reported the incident once she got home. >> it was a horrible situation to be in. like i said all i could do was pray. i prayed then and i continue to pray to this day and i'll continue to pray for the rest of my life. >> reporter: among those attending the vigil the principal of her high school. >> numerous clubs. ecology club. she played lacrosse. her goal was her studies she had a passion for studies. >> re

in manassas, darcy spencer, news 4 today. ♪ amazing grace >>> a family is getting community support ast deals with the loss of a mother and her two young children killed in a wnhouse fire. people in the lorton neighborhood held vigil for 24-year-old eileen anderson and her sons solomon and alfonso. they died from smoke inhalation and burns in a fire on wednesday. the children were 3 and 5 years old. a fairfax county teenager is in the hospital withife threatening injuries after he was hit by a car st night. this happened about 8:15 at the interstion of pleasa valley road in centreville. the vitim's name and age have not been released. the driver did stay on the scene after the accident. >>> today public education in washington, d.c., will once again take a national stage. d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee will diuss the state of education. rhee joins the list of panelists for an exclusive conversation with with "meet the press" moderator david gregory. it will broadcast from the special learning pza at rockefeller center in new york. this is part of nbc's weeklong education nation

. >>> darcy spencer, news 4 today. >>> the gun used was al used in a shooting earlier that day.nother teenager has been arrested in cnection withhat shooting. a memorial is held saturday at catholic university in the st. vincent depaul chapel at 4:00 p.m. all are invited to attend. >>> the preppy burglar is turning in his shirt and tie for an orange jump suit. police received a tip from someone who recognized him on tv. the 30-year-old is facing charges of burglary, theft and destruction of property. he broke into a home and stole electronics and otherproperty. poli police don't know if he was involved in other cases. >>> a u.s. delegation walked out when iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad said many people in the u.s. government were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. earlier, president barack oba urged world leaders to move ahead for the quest in the middle east. the president said if everyone worked together they could welcome a new member >>> we can have an agreement that will have an independent, sovereign state of palestine living in peace with israel. >> he plans to visi

. >> reporter: i baltimore, darcy spencer, news 4 today. >>> 4:31 is our time. >> it came in overnight. the skies have begun to clear out. starting off friday morning with a partly cloudy sky. we'll take every drop we can have with the drought we have ongoing. arlington, fairfax, montgomery, mid-60s. 60s to 70s on the eastern shore. out of the mountains of west virginia, temperatures there are near 60. over the last 12 hours, the bulk of the heavier rain fell north of washington in pennsylvania. they hadevere weather. new york city, they're getting that there. long island, heavy downpours and strong winds. for, we'll have some sunine. afternoon highs into the low 80s. and increasing sunshine by late afterno. great weather for all the games. partly cloudy sunday, mid-80s. good wther for the skins game sunday afternoon. how is our traffic, ashley? >> well, od morning. we are starting you off with a big problem. outer loop is shut down between connecticut avenue and 355. this is the headlights on connecticut area. it happened in the 10:00 ho overnight. hazm spill. they're still cleaning i

darcy spencer,news 4 today. >> police say sacks's body will be trance fort ported for an autopsy. >>>in frederick county are looking for a tire slasher on white cars. police say they don't know the van al's motive or why. so far no arrests have been made. >>> 4:51 now. time to take a look at our weather forecast for today. we have much, much needed rain headed our way. >>> more than just tamping down the dust like we had earlier. this is a good, soaking beneficial rain. unfortunately it may come with strong winds later today and tonight. right now, though, we have fast-moving showers moving south to north. some of them moving 25 to 30 miles per hour. these are showers where you see where it's coming down harder. heavy rai falling north and east of washington. we have one patch of moderate rain heading into eastern howard county. washington, just a few sprinkles. light rain, fairfax. frederick county, maryland, scattered or light showers there. on the radar, light rain from north of richmond to near charlottesville, shenandoah valley, panhandle of benefit west virginia. this is surging

darcy spencer, news 4. >>> be prepared for the worst. that was the motivation behind a disaster drill at the reagan national airport today. airport personnel and some nearby emeency agencies tested their reaction tothe following horrific 12345ir you. an airplane crashes on landing and slams into a bunch of cars and an airport shuttle and as you can see, they even set the plane on fire and simulated treating victims. organizers of the drill today hope that hands-on experience will help save lives in the event of a real tragedy. >>> a mini van carrying a church group crash into new york tonight. six people are dead. it happened in wood berry, 50 miles north of manhattan. 14 people wre in the minivan when it crashed and eight passengers are still in the hospital and at least two are in critical condition. the authorities say the van blew a tire. then flipped over. >>> when we come back on this saturday night, a second chance for some of man's best friends who are rescued from abuse. we'll tell you about that. >>> and we'll tell you about an

in largo, darcy spencer, news 4. >>> this morning the doctor who was shot during a standoff at john hopkins last week is in fair but stable condition. dr. cohen was shot in the stomach by the son of an elderly patient. he lost his composure after cohen delivered newsf his mother's condition. >>> the redskins took it down to the wishre, actually beyond the wi last nigh it was an impressive game on offense outside the fact they couldn't respond to 20 unanswered points. here's news 4's hakim dermish. >>> good morning, everyone. the redskins built a 17-point lead last night, but houston mounted a texas-sized comeback. matt shaw passed for nearly 500 yards, leading the texans to a victory in overtime. here's how it went down. over two minutes to go, redskins up 27-20. fourth and ten for houston. avoids the sack. jump ball to his favorite receive andre johnson, and he hauls it in. they force overtime. in o.t., graham on for the win from 52 yards out. the kick is good. but hold on a second. head coach gary calls a time-out before the kick. so we have to do it all over again. second attempt, oh, no

reporting live from largo, darcy spencer, news4. back to you, dory. >> jim?>> a verdict has been rendered in a drunk driver who was charged in the death of a baseball pitcher from maryland. he was killed in california last year. a car ran a red light and hit andlammed into their car. e edwin hart was drafted while a student in hagerstown. today the judge found the driver, an dree galldrew gallo, driving on a suspended license. >>> fire officials in na manass are still trying to figure out what caused a massive fire that burned several house to the ground. some residents were in tears when they went back to see the damage for the fist time today. fast-moving flames destroyed three houses yesterday and damaged five others. some who live in t area are critical of t constructionf those homes, but fire officials say there were no structural damages. >> when they was building them, i said, these things are just too close together. >> my husnd told me, he said, no, angel, the house are too close together. >> these houses were built exactly aording to code at the tim

dar spencer is in the county now. she has more on all this. darcy? >> reporter: it's primary day in prince georges county, voters are going to the polls to elect executives. >> i thought it was my civic duty to vote. so many people have suffered and died for me to have the privilege to vote. >> i'm looking for the next county executive to continue with the work that's begun, but just to get our county healthier economically. get our schools healthier. i'm really looking for somebody to come on and continue to move our county forward. >> voters are choosing candidates to lead thecounty government's, states attorneys office, the county council, and sheriff's office. voter turnout has been extremely low. as of 3:00 this afternoo only 8% of voters had had gone to the polls. traditionally, a primary would see at least 12%. >>e're thinking at first a lot this is due to the fact tha we had the early voting for the first time this year. then again, we're also antipating maybe a larger outcome coming out during the rush hour period. >> reporter: whoever wins

in largo, darcy spencer, news 4. >>> all 13 membs of a small california religious group are safe thisning after they disappeare over the weekend. there had been fear they were planning a mass suicide. the leader of the group was detained for a mental evaluation after the group was found praying in a california park. she and 12 others, including 8 children, disappeared on saturday and left a note behind saying they would soon see jesus and dead relatives. police did not find any evidence, though, of a planned mass suicide. >>> this morning we have a traffic ert before we head out the door for you. >>> a new traffic pattern at tyson's corners busiest intersection tracee wilkins is live with what you need to know. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eun. this is the dulles project. now the busiest intersecti in tyson's corner is going to be affected. 123 to route 7 westbound. they have closed that ramp for the next year. here's a look at what your new ramp looks like. drivers who use 123 to route 7, you will now have to access route 7 from this new exit just south international driv

darcy spencer, news 4 today. >>> police say sacks's body will be transported for an autopsy. >>> policeerick county are looking for a tire slasher who apparently has a problem with white or light colored cars. between 1:30 and 5:30 yesterday morning, 31 cars this her tires slashed. police say they don't know the vandal's motive or why. so far no arrests have been made. >>> scary moments during an emergency landing at jfk airport. take a look and listen. >> stay down, stay down, stay dn, stay down. >> that's the fght attendant telling passengers to take the heads down position. the landing gear got stuck, making th emergency laing necessary. in this video shot by a passenger you can actually see sparks out a window as one of the wings drags alonghe run way. none of the 60 ssengers aboard the delta flight was injured. >>> how the obama administration is making it easier for the government to eavesdrop on your e-mail. >>> how local school leaders will play a role in a national education summit. >>> raining, drizzling monday morning out there. 66 degrees now. weather and traffic on the ones

>> rorter: darcy spencer, news 4 today. >> the gun was also used in a shooting earlier that same day.enager has been arrested in connection with that shting. tomorrow a memorial mass will be celebrated for gilleskie at catholic university in the st. vincent depaul chapel at 4:00 p.m. all are invited to attend. why congress is eager to hear from stephen colbert aa meeting this morning. >>> live look at th beltway in maryland. it's a little hazy out there as rush hour begins. weather and traffic on the ones when we come ba.

>> reporter: darcy spencer, news 4 today. >>> the gun used to kill ingl y another shooting. tomrow's matt wi be on the campus of catholic university at 4:00 p.m. all are invited to attend. >>> today the national incident commander of the bp oil spill will be in the district. retired coast guard admiral that had allen will return to his alma mater to address students. his topics unprecedented leadership challenges. he'll teach that court at gw in the spring. >>> time for another check of the forecast. tom kierein joins us with the latest. i can't believe how hot it is. >> summer lovers are thinking, let's go to the beach. and the water temperatures are warm enough still in the atlantic beaches, warm 70s. we have another summer-like day here in early autumn. this scene just about two, three hours ago was all fogged in. that's a live view from the skywalker american university park, and off in the distance is fairfax county at the horizon, louden county, right now 82 at national airport where so far as we recorded 2010, this is the hottest year on record to date. it doesn't loo

reporting live, darcy spencer, back to you. >> all right. thank you. >>> poli tell us two children have been hit by a car in northeast d.c. it happened about an hour ago. police say both kids are ten years old. t car hit them on polk street northea near a service road along i-295. they were both in a hospital now with what we're told are serious injuries. we're told the driver did stay on the scene. >>> d.c. council chair and democratic mayor nominee vincent gray said he will continue to pursue aggressive educati reform, and that may or may not include michelle rhee. tend d.c. school's chancellor has done some good things. rhee has come und fire for closing schools and firing teachers and principles in the district. on today's "oprah winfrey show," rhee spoke out about the importance of having good teachers. >> children's livesare hanging in the balance and we are making all the wrong decisions. >> reporter: while they haven't d any face to face conversations, he said he plans to speak with her specifically about the state of the d.c. school

spencer reporting live from largo. we'll send it back to you. >> thanks, darcy. >>> we return now to the republican candidate for county executive. douglas rosenfeld appears to have a substantial lead over his opponent, vovak. >> there is a lot more still ahead tonight on news4 at 11:00. a heavyweight set in maryland. >>> a woman died after being hit by a car in one of the busiest maryland areas. >>> he also worked as an fbi informant. >>> great day today, but will it stay that way through the rest of the work week and what about the weekend? the forecast, i'll have it for you. >>> he's no stranger to controversy. today the redskins running back made me comments on the radio that he probably would li hey, ove, i'm goa need a bank. any ideas? capital one bank. they're everywhere. ♪ yeah, you're right! [ horns honking ] hey, the'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! how does that work? hit it! see, other mhinesonly go in cir. this kenmore elite has multi-motions for a custom clean. it scrubs to help lift stains,r, sw