our report tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: with fire crews stretched to the limit and lives hanging in the balance -- >> i didn't think it would be this bad. >> it's a total loss. my chimney is the only thing left standing. >> reporter: -- lawmakers are facing a burning policy question as another surging wildfire today is forcing 400 residents of south fork, colorado, to evacuate. >> give me some water! >> reporter: the dilemma -- u.s. taxpayers are spending more to fight forest fires, but washington is spending less to prevent them. the obama administration is proposing a 30% cut to a federal program that removes dead trees

temperatures expected to rise. >> reporter: gabe gutierrez, outside south fork, colorado.hanks. >>> back in a moment for a big loss in the entertainment world. loss in the entertainment world. [ children laughing ] energy efficient appliances. you can get a tax write off for those. a programmable thermostat, very smart, saves money. ♪ cash money sorry. i see you have allstate claim free rewards, for every year you don't have a claim, you'll get money off your home insurance policy. put it towards... [ glass shatters ] [ girl ] dad! dad! [ girl screams ] noise canceling headphones? [ nicole ] that's a great idea. [ male announcer ] home insurance that saves you money for not having a claim? that's allstate home insurance with claim free rewards. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] and let the good life in. yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of

our report tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: with fire crews stretched to the limit and lives hanging in the balance -- >> i didn't think it would be this bad. >> it's a total loss. my chimney is the only thing left standing. >> reporter: -- lawmakers are facing a burning policy question as another surging wildfire today is forcing 400 residents of south fork, colorado, to evacuate. >> give me some water! >> reporter: the dilemma -- u.s. taxpayers are spending more to fight forest fires, but washington is spending less to prevent them. the obama administration is proposing a 30% cut to a federal program that removes dead trees and flammable underbrush. you can find it all over western states. look at how quickly it can fuel a fire. with less focus on prevention, the forest service is forced to spend more once the fires are already burning. >> we've got to forecast better about where we're going to hit these fires. it's a complex equation that we've got to deal with now with less firefighting assets. >> reporter: for some perspective, in 1991, fighting fires took up just

nbc's gabe gutierrez went to one town where there is no water at all. >> reporter: while thousands ofirefighters rushed to squelch flames in six western states, in magdalena, new mexico, no fire yet, but there is already a state of emergency. >> about as dry as it gets. i tell you, water is a precious commodity. >> reporter: earlier this month, the town's well ran dry. mayor sandy julian is now fighting for water. some days the village has none. other times barely enough. officials have trucked in tankers. they're rationing water bottles, and trying to calm fears. >> we're praying for rain. >> reporter: jonathan runs the only laundromat for 60 miles. >> the stress itself is just beyond anything i imagined or have experienced in my life. >> reporter: he wonders how to support his wife and 4-year-old daughter, and fears bankruptcy. resident bill fuller has other concerns. >> tomorrow there may not be any water in the well, and we'll have no water pressure at all, no way to flush the total. >> reporter: the situation is dire enough that city officials and some local businesses have rente

we get our reports tonight from gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: near prescott, arizona, nearly 500 homes evacuated after winds push flames in just hours. firefighters rushing in to contain what authorities are called a man-made fire that's growing fast. >> last night when i was out, engaged right in people's back yards. >> reporter: fires raging in utah, new mexico, oregon, and california. and one threatened a main route into yosemite national park. it could be the worst fire season in 100 years. >> we'll find something. >> for heather dubois in colorado, the worse is already here. >> my family is really close, so it's important. it's kind of sad. >> reporter: we met heather last week when she evacuated her trailer. she took this cell phone video of the terrifying escape. today, she and her mother are thankful her barn and animals were spared. but their return home is painful. this was her late grandmother's vase. >> these are the things that are hard. >> reporter: neighborhoods in colorado springs were devastated by the black forest fire. more than 500 homes destroys, and 14,000 acres s

. >> but as nbc's gabe gutierrez reports, there is a new kind of therapy that has come to the rescue,> these dogs absolutely save lives. >> reporter: but rescuing them is only the first part of the mission through a program called guardians of rescue, they'll become therapy dogs, buddies for soldiers returning from battle with post traumatic stress. >> quite sure she'll make somebody happy. >> reporter: john wallace knows. a guardian volunteer and formerly in afghanistan, he recovered from ptsd himself and got his dog last fall. >> having a dog brought me out of the hell i was living in. >> reporter: to help others, zoe and the other dogs are brought from north carolina to new york for some intensive training. >> good boy. >> reporter: and after three months, zoe is battle ready. >> whenever we send a dog away to its new home, it's very bittersweet. >> reporter: bitter, because they're giving zoe up, but sweet because she'll be helping others in ways no therapist or family member has been able to. >> i've been diagnosed with ptsd, and i have lower back pain and lower back issues as we

nbc's gabe gutierrez reports. >> reporter: today in san francisco, a wedding blitz. >> i can't believe i'm here. >> they have been together 36 years. they were among the hundreds of same-sex couples who lined up at city hall after a federal appeals court friday lifted the freeze on gay marriage in california weeks earlier than predicted. >> >> oh, my gosh. i just never thought i would see it in my lifetime. >> reporter: within hours of the surprise move, the four plaintiffs in the case that overturned the gay marriage ban, proposition 8, tied the knot. one couple in san francisco. >> i now declare you spouses for life. >> reporter: the other in los angeles. >> i don't know about you, but i've got goosebumps. >> reporter: now a flurry of marriage licenses are expected in coming days, especially in san francisco. which is hosting its annual gay pride celebration this weekend. california is the 13th state, along with washington, d.c., to recognize same-sex marriages. setting the stage for possible legal challenges in the 37 states that don't. >> i think the decisions of this week give us

we've got it all covered, beginning with gabe gutierrez in los angeles. gabe, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. this is predicted to be the most brutal heatwave in the western u.s. in almost a decade. extreme heat warnings are now in effect in five states. the west is baking. >> it's extremely hot. >> reporter: in los angeles, the elderly are packing cooling centers. they feel safe here. >> i'm 87 years old. i have no one to help me. i'm all alone. >> reporter: heat-related power outages snarled traffic. ac repair people are struggling to keep up. >> can't even touch the machine, it's so hot. >> reporter: and at this dry cleaner, manager robert shapiro has stuffed coolers full of water for his employees. >> it's very uncomfortable. when the elements get this high, there's really not too much you can do. >> reporter: it's so stifling that for once even sin city is sweating. las vegas could break a record high of 117 degrees. >> we don't want anybody to pass out. we don't want anybody to get heat exhaustion. >> reporter: death valley is foreca

. >> reporter: gabe gutierrez, nbc news, venice, florida. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday evening. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created... a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more.. low and no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know... exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks... with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories... america's beverage companies are delivering. >>> nbc bay area news starts now. >>> good evening, i'm diane dwyer. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. we begin with a developing story in the east bay, and that is where a limousine burst into flames this morning as a driver was picking up a group of women to take them to a birthday party. the owner of the limo company says the vehicle was idling when it starts smoking. there were four to five elderly women inside, he got them out. no one was hurt. the o

out to los angeles where gabe gutierrez has the latest for us. gabe, good morning.d about the 25-day delay. this a bit of a surprise here? >> yeah. it was quite a surprise, rich, especially leading up to this weekend where the city of san francisco is hosting its annual gay pride celebration. couples will be able to marry throughout this weekend. so those opponents are upset. both sides of this debate, however, are vowing to continue this fight throughout the country in other states. >> really quickly here, gabe, is this unusual for the the ninth court circuit, ninth circuit court rather to access? >> well, the court called this unusual, but not unprecedented. although he couldn't remember offhand an example where this had happened recently. but, again, you know, california now the 13th state along with washington, d.c. to allow same-sex marriage. and this fight is poised to continue throughout the country. >> no doubt those two couples happy that it happened during gay pride month. thank you so much. >>> edward snowden has been in hide anything moscow's airport for

let's get to gabe gutierrez in san francisco. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. city hall behind me is preparing to resume same-sex marriages in the next month, but as you mentioned the supreme court rulings are already having a huge impact nationwide. in one of the country's oldest and largest gay neighborhoods, vindication. the day san francisco's castro district had been waiting for. >> we've been waiting forever. >> reporter: the supreme court striking down the federal defense of marriage act known as doma giving same-sex marriages equal protection under the law in states that allow gay couples to marry. >> the beginning of the end of stigma. >> reporter: in a second decision the courthou tossed oun appeal involving proposition 8. >> i feel blessed with every fiber of my being to be an american and californian. >> reporter: clearing the way for same-sex marriages to resume in that state. >> i love america every day. i love it so much today. couples who challenged the law interrupted during their interv

. >> >>> we heard from gabe gutierrez and the doma ruling. i spoke with you a few moments ago and there was a huge cheer that erupted after the doma ruling, but when prop 8 decision was handed down, the crowd was a little uncertain. there was no clear reaction because they did want clarification on this. we do have a live picture inside, so you can see what is going on. however, local officials say, and they plan to hold a news conference shortly, and they are going to discuss what exactly this means for california. the san francisco city administrator has said that marriages could begin within the next 30 days, but it's unclear exactly how it's going to work. again, san francisco has been traini traini training volunteers to handle what they expect to be a blood for marriage licenses. while we have heard a few cheers from passers by, and inside there was not such a clear-cut reaction as there was for doma. however later on this afternoon there are celebrations planned throughout san francisco, including the castro district. this weekend is t

here is gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: at the 100th tour de france kicks off, a defiant lance armstrong> thank you very much. >> reporter: the world of cycling rocked by an interview he gave quoting the tour de france was impossible to win without doping. the reason it's a test of endurance with oxygen is decisive. >> virtually everyone who was in the race and certainly everyone who was a top contender were using these drugs and techniques. itis impossible to win without using those techniques. >> reporter: he raced seven times before being stripped of his titles. for years, he denied using performance enhancing drugs. >> did you dope? >> i never doped. >> reporter: he admitted it this year. they called his comments very sad and said the culture within cycling has changed since the armstrong era. >> there's going to be cheating in every professional sport. i think cycling is cleaner than almost any other professional sport. >> for his part armstrong clarified he was talking about the sport of cycling when he was competing, not now. >> i am sorry for that. >> reporter: here is what he to

. >> gabe gutierrez, thanks. today the senate armed services committee holds a closed hearing on the national security agency in light of leaks from edward snowden and revelations on surveillance. on wednesday lawmakers heard from the head of the fbi about surveillance and drones. andrea mitchell is in washington. good morning. >> good morning. robert mueller strongly defended the nsa's surveillance programs saying that terrorists ability to communicate with each other is their weakest link. >> what concerns me is you never know which dot is going to be key. what you want is as many dots as you can. if you close down a program like this, you are removing dots from the playing field. >> in answer to a question mueller confirmed that the fbi does now use unarmed drones in what he called a minimal way inside the united states. the drones as small as model planes have been used by the border patrol agencies, fbi hostage negotiators also use surveillance drones during a standoff with an alabama man who had taken a boy